Docs Duty: Did You Know?

cool title, huh? We'll begin to introduce Doc Duty with a little history of these military greats.

The Corpsmen have a great deal to be proud of.

The Hospital Corps was founded with the approval of President William McKinley **17 June 1898**. This is referred to as the birthday of the US Navy’s Hospital Corps.

From this point on all members of the hospital corps could be referred to as Corpsmen.

The Hospital Corps consisted of:

Hospital apprentice (Seaman), Hospital apprentice first class (Petty Officer), Hospital Steward (Chief Petty Officer), Pharmacists (Warrant Officer).
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Hospital Corpsmen (HMs) are members of the United States Navy Hospital Corps. They serve as enlisted medical personnel. Corpsmen serve in a wide variety of capacities and locations, including shore establishments such as naval hospitals and clinics, aboard ships as the primary medical caregiver for sailors while underway, or with Marine Corps units as battlefield corpsmen, the Marines' equivalent to Army medics.

The Hospital Corps is the only all enlisted Corps in the United States military.

Be they assigned to hospital ships, reservist installations, recruiter offices, Marine Corps combat units or functioning as Navy SEALs the rating of Hospital Corpsman is the most decorated in the United States Navy with:

22 Medals of Honor

174 Navy Crosses

31 Distinguished Service Medals * Do you know what this is concerning the Navy Distinguished Service Medal? Who can it be awarded to? Click here

943 Silver Stars

1553 Bronze Stars.

There have been 14 naval vessels that have been named after Hospital Corpsmen.

Assignment to Navy facilities and ships is referred to going "Blueside" and serving with Marines is considered going "Greenside."

Wikipedia