Doc Crow
11-09-04, 11:04 PM
A Marine Buddy of mine sent this to me and wished me a Happy 229th.
I find it ironic that he sent this to me on such an occassion. No matter what we have always been treated as a Marine by the Marines but we do not go through what you have in Boot Camp and Basic Schools. Most Doc's are thrown into Marine Units but find it really is the best place to be. It may sound funny but there is a Love Between Doc and his Marines no matter what we may say to each other. we screw with you about being Jar Heads and you with us about being Squids but let anyone else come between us and there will be hell to pay.
Corpsman
In August of 1942, the first major USMC assault landings against the Japanese Empire occurred in the Solomon Islands, Pacific. The island chosen for the invasion was Guadalcanal.
As they moved inland, four Marines were walking point into the jungle. Advancing into an open area without cover, they came under heavy fire from the entrenched Japanese. All four Marines were wounded but managed to crawl into a shell crater, about fifty yards from where they had emerged from the jungle.
A Hospital Corpsman ran from cover into the crater with the wounded Marines, and ran back to cover, under fire. Having dressed the wounds of the Marine, he sprinted back for another, only this time he was hit. Not stopping to dress his own wounds, he carried the second Marine to cover receiving a second wound. After giving aid to the Marine, the Corpsman was hit for a third time going into the crater. Staggering toward the treeline with the third Marine, he was again struck by enemy fire.
When the third Marine's wounds were dressed, the Corpsman started after the last Marine in the crater. The Corpsman still had not stopped to care for his own wounds. In a final valiant effort, he stumbled toward the crater, where he was brought down by concentrated enemy machine gun fire. He lunged forward into the crater falling across the fourth Marine, finally giving up his life.
Reaching up to his own bleeding wounds, the Marine wrote on the back of the Corpsman's bullet riddled shirt,
"WHERE ANGELS AND MARINES FEAR TO TREAD, THERE YOU'LL FIND A CORPSMAN DEAD."
This was that dying Marine's final tribute to his shipmate's supreme sacrifice in fulfilling his oath, "TO AID THE WOUNDED, IN THEIR MOMENT OF NEED."
I find it ironic that he sent this to me on such an occassion. No matter what we have always been treated as a Marine by the Marines but we do not go through what you have in Boot Camp and Basic Schools. Most Doc's are thrown into Marine Units but find it really is the best place to be. It may sound funny but there is a Love Between Doc and his Marines no matter what we may say to each other. we screw with you about being Jar Heads and you with us about being Squids but let anyone else come between us and there will be hell to pay.
Corpsman
In August of 1942, the first major USMC assault landings against the Japanese Empire occurred in the Solomon Islands, Pacific. The island chosen for the invasion was Guadalcanal.
As they moved inland, four Marines were walking point into the jungle. Advancing into an open area without cover, they came under heavy fire from the entrenched Japanese. All four Marines were wounded but managed to crawl into a shell crater, about fifty yards from where they had emerged from the jungle.
A Hospital Corpsman ran from cover into the crater with the wounded Marines, and ran back to cover, under fire. Having dressed the wounds of the Marine, he sprinted back for another, only this time he was hit. Not stopping to dress his own wounds, he carried the second Marine to cover receiving a second wound. After giving aid to the Marine, the Corpsman was hit for a third time going into the crater. Staggering toward the treeline with the third Marine, he was again struck by enemy fire.
When the third Marine's wounds were dressed, the Corpsman started after the last Marine in the crater. The Corpsman still had not stopped to care for his own wounds. In a final valiant effort, he stumbled toward the crater, where he was brought down by concentrated enemy machine gun fire. He lunged forward into the crater falling across the fourth Marine, finally giving up his life.
Reaching up to his own bleeding wounds, the Marine wrote on the back of the Corpsman's bullet riddled shirt,
"WHERE ANGELS AND MARINES FEAR TO TREAD, THERE YOU'LL FIND A CORPSMAN DEAD."
This was that dying Marine's final tribute to his shipmate's supreme sacrifice in fulfilling his oath, "TO AID THE WOUNDED, IN THEIR MOMENT OF NEED."