In December, the online question forum Quora put up a post asking, “How do Marines feel about Navy Corpsmen?” Since then, more than 30 Marines responded with heartwarming stories explaining why their corpsmen are the unsung heroes of the Marine Corps. Whether grateful for their abilities to save lives or in awe of their sharpshooting, Marines have a ton of respect for the medics.
Related: 5 Reasons You Should Hug Your Medic Right Now »
Task & Purpose sorted through the lengthy list and pulled 10 of our favorite responses.
1. Marines love good Navy Corpsman. We get treated like a little brother or something. They are super protective of us, IF we are good Corpsman.
You have to be able to hang with them. You exercise, march, and everything else with them. You have to not only keep up, but maybe be a little better than them. You go to the rifle range with them. You even wear their uniforms with navy insignia on them. You might as well be a Marine.
2. To put it simply, a good corpsman (of which I had two in my rifle platoon) is irreplaceable.
3. Marines learn early on, from boot camp, that the Navy Corpsman was the most vital man in their unit. The Marines believe that a Marine Rifleman is the most effective weapon on the battlefield and the Navy Corpsman kept them alive and fighting. From what I saw, no one messed with a Corpsman when a Marine was around.
4. You mean like would they rather save own lives and bodies during action and not be wusses like the Army and their Medics? Or do you mean how do they feel about selfless Corpsmen who risk life and limb to save theirs?
5. Navy Corpsmen are held in the highest respect. They are outdoors in all the wet, cold or hot weather the Marines are in and walk and carry the same gear as they do and when the Marines get injured they risk their lives to save them.
6. Our Gunnery Sergeant, decorated with four Purple Hearts, called a toast to, “Navy Corpsmen!” That pretty much says it all to me.
7. The Marines will defer to only two types of non-Marines, their Mothers and their Corpsman…
8. We loved our Doc — in Iraq, he was not only a courageous friend that we didn’t mind being around — he was a professional life-saver, and many of us owe our lives to the Corpsmen we served with.
9. My whole reserve platoon really loved our Corpsmen … they were some of the best shots and some of the best athletes. I would say that Marines love their Corpsmen.
10. I felt exceedingly grateful and protective of my Corpsmen. Anyone yelled “Corpsmen Up” they came running with their bag flying behind them regardless of what was going on. Doc took care of us, so we took care of him.