Corpsman Walks Beat with Marines line space

[thedrifter]

U.S. Navy
Petty Officer 1st Class
Adrian L. Robinson
Corpsman Walks Beat with Marines
line space
By Pfc. Michael S. Cifuentes
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif., Sept. 13, 2005 — For each step a Marine takes during wartime or peacetime operations, there is a shadow that follows them, taking the very same steps Marines take. Marines patrol threatening streets, engage in firefights, convoy from place to place-risking their lives. That shadow walks the walk with them.

During these strenuous times, Marines are likely to get hurt, seriously injured or some might even die. The shadow then becomes a guardian, and the life of the Marine is in their hands.

The men and women that shadow, guard, protect and serve with the Marines are known as Navy corpsmen, enlisted U.S. Navy service members who are trained to give first aid and medical treatment during combat situations and training.

Corpsmen walk the beat with the Marines. They train with them, live with them, fight with them, eat with them and serve by their side while providing their medical relief.

A Naval corpsman serving Combat Center Marines has done far more than his call of duty.

Petty Officer 1st Class Adrian L. Robinson, a native of Casper, Wyoming, enlisted in the Navy at age 24 - 14 years ago. Robinson has been serving as a Combat Center independent duty hospital corpsman with Combat Logistics Battalion 7, since Dec. 15, 2004.

"I needed a new direction in my life," said Robinson. "The Navy was my answer."

Since his enlistment, Robinson served in two campaigns, Operation Bright Star in 2001 and Operation Iraqi Freedom 1. He has deployed five times extending to eight countries.

Throughout Robinson's career, he has accumulated 14 ribbons, to include three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and maintains his expert marksmanship skills with a pistol and rifle.

After boot camp, Robinson went on to Navy Corpsman and Field Medical Service School. He extended his medical skills by completing courses in Combat Trauma Medicine, emergency medical technician, fleet hospital and Independent Duty Corpsman School.

Robinson also expanded his ambition in field medicine by completing more challenging schools like Pre-Ranger and Ranger course, Desert and Jungle Survival School, Special Weapons and Tactics Academy, Provost Marshal Officer preservice course and the Combat Casualty Care Course in Camp Pendleton.

Photo, caption below.
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Adrian L. Robinson and another corpsman (kneeling), took a moment to pose for a photograph with an Iraq citizen and his son during Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003. Robinson was attached to a civil affairs group en route to Ad-Diwaniyah, Iraq for more combat operations. Courtesy photo Hi-Res Photo

Robinson was also a Military Operations on Urban Terrain instructor and a scout-swimmer.

Robinson has received superior training, which elevates him to a much higher level in the eyes of those he serves alongside. He was trained by Army Special Forces, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Forces, German Special Forces and Naval Special Warfare; and trained with German and French snipers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Hostage Rescue Team, Special Raiding Squadron, Special Reactions Team.

By such decorations and achievements, Robinson showed dedication to his mission as a corpsman. But, like other dedicated Marines and sailors, Robinson's toughest moments are those away from family.

"All the training I have been through was certainly tough," said Robinson. "But I find it more difficult spending time away from the family. There is never enough hours in the day."

Aside from devoting himself to the U.S. military, Robinson enjoys running, swimming, cycling, computer-graphic designing, reading, photography and spending time with his wife, Melissa, and his two sons, Zack, 5, and Spencer, 2.

"My main goal is to make a good, positive role model for my kids," said Robinson. "Still, I love what I do because I can make a difference for people."

Robinson's role model is every Marine, sailor and soldier committed to their job, he said.

"They get missions done not because they have to; but because they choose to," said Robinson. "That's the true defining characteristic of the U.S. military."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Back home with Purple Heart
Published in the Asbury Park Press 09/17/05
BY MICHELLE SAHN
COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU

Navy Corpsman L. James Pigman, HN was on patrol with two Marines, and as the sniper squad of three made its way down an Afghan mountain peak to a flat piece of land, the gunfire began.

Pigman, 21, said he was the first to shoot back. Then the two Marines returned fire. But their sniper squad was outnumbered, and their enemies — at least 15 of them — had assault rifles and a lot of ammunition.

A bullet hit Pigman's knee. He dropped on his back, quickly snapped off his rucksack and continued to fire.

Another bullet — it blew up the night-vision goggles attached to the gear on his hip. Pigman wasn't sure if the bullet hit his stomach.

Another bullet — it ripped through a pouch on his side.

They could hear the bullets zinging through the air. He bandaged his knee quickly, and he and the two Marines — a 21-year-old and a 34-year-old — continued to fire as they crawled back. They called for help, and other units began to lob mortar rounds at the enemy, while more Marines headed to the area.

On Friday — exactly one month after he was wounded in Afghanistan — Pigman, better known as Jamie, came to the Avon municipal building on crutches to thank the Avon School students who wrote letters to him and other servicemen and servicewomen.

Before the assembly, fifth-grader Riley Calzonetti, 10, said Pigman is brave, while another fifth-grader, Andrew Mehr, 10, said he thinks "it's great that (Pigman) went to Afghanistan to fight for us."

Michaela Tardiff, 12, a seventh-grader, was among the students who wrote letters to Pigman through Phyllis Sardoni's class. In return letters, Pigman told the children about his friends in the military, and how it was difficult being away from his family but was something he was doing for his country, she said.

During the program, the Purple Heart recipient gave the 135 students a watered-down version of his three months overseas, explaining that he had been shot but also talking of the good relationship he and the Marines had with the Afghani men they trained. He also answered questions about Afghan food and weather, mountain goats and a monkey who became his camp's mascot.

During an interview earlier in the day at his home, Pigman spoke in more detail about his injuries. He cannot put any weight on his leg for now. He is still working to bend it.

He has an appointment next week in Bethesda, Md., with the surgeons who cared for him and who will determine when he can begin more aggressive physical therapy.

"I knew I was shot in the knee, but it didn't hurt until it all calmed down," he said.

One of the two Marines in his unit was hit in the back by gunfire, but half-inch-thick ceramic protection plates worn by the men kept the bullet from piercing his skin.

A helicopter was called in, but it could not land until the area was secured. It was at least two hours before Pigman and the other Marine could be taken out on the helicopter.

They brought Pigman to a shock-trauma ward, then to the main base in Afghanistan, where the bullet was removed. Two days later he went a hospital in Germany, and after a couple of days, he was taken to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where he underwent surgery to have six screws put in his knee.

His mother, Barbi, said she thinks her oldest child decided to join the military when he was in third grade. She cried when he enlisted but was happy with his decision to go through corpsman, or medic, training because it was the longest training school offered by the Navy. She did not realize the Navy provided medical services for the Marines. She thought her oldest child would wind up on a ship, not in a selective Marine scout sniper squad that was sent to Afghanistan in June.

"I'm real proud of him," his mother said. "I'm real grateful he was able to come home safely. . .. The missions he did, the people he helped — it's an incredible thing. . . . He truly amazes me."

She also praised the military for notifying her family about her son's injuries and keeping in touch with them. After Pigman was shot, residents of the small beach community were supportive. Men on trash trucks stopped at the house to ask about him. Neighbors visited.

"People say, "You're a hero,' " Pigman said. "I appreciate it a lot. But guys are over there — guys are sacrificing their lives there. . . . I guess I don't like to take too much credit for certain things. I'm definitely grateful to be home and for the support I get. It means a lot."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Corpsmen, nurses take to the sky, treat fallen Marines
MCB Camp Butler
Story by: Lance Cpl. Erin F. McKnight

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION FUTENMA, OKINAWA, Japan (Sep. 30, 2005) -- More than 40 corpsmen and nurses from units all over Okinawa spent Sept. 26-28 learning about the En Route Care System (ERCS) during the 26-hour Naval En Route Care (NERC) course.

The course, approved in January by Marine Corps Combat Development Command, teaches methods of caring for critically wounded Marines who need medical attention during transportation from the point of injury to a medical facility, explained Lt. Cmdr. Tony P. Catanese, assistant director of Medical Lessons Learned, Naval Operations Medical Institute (NOMI), Pensacola, Fla.

The NOMI-trained instructors came from various stateside commands and spent more than eight hours teaching students the basics about the ERCS and in-flight patient treatment.

The ERCS is compiled of equipment such as a vital signs monitor and a ventilator that monitors a patient’s vital signs and helps keep them stable throughout the flight. The framework is attached to the casualty’s stretcher and holds the system in place over the patient’s body.

Instructors briefed students on the physiological issues of flight, such as how varying altitudes and helicopter movement patterns can affect a patient. They also covered how to manage critical injuries such as amputations, chest trauma and spinal injuries.

Students also got hands-on experience with the ERCS, and even practiced using stretchers to load dummies and equipment onto CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters. The instructors presented participants with real-world scenarios to help them learn how to react to different situations, explained Catanese.

“The course objectives are to instill critical thinking skills and teach them to use the equipment properly,” Catanese said. “Not every patient is the same. It’s definitely not ‘textbook.’”

The final day of training was the most critical, according to Lt. Scott E. Avery, the training officer for 3rd Medical Battalion.

The corpsmen and nurses boarded one of two Sea Knights manned by Marines with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Students used stretchers to load dummies or fellow service members onto the helicopters, secured the stretchers inside the aircraft and took their seats for takeoff. Once the helicopters were airborne, students practiced new techniques using medical knowledge they gained from the class.

“Without that practical application portion, this whole evolution would be useless,” Avery said.

The HMM-265 Marines were glad to help out, according to Maj. Victor Chin, the outbound logistics officer for the unit.

“They needed time in the air, and I know these guys don’t get to fly much, so we were definitely happy to support this,” Chin said. “Plus, it’s better to train when nobody’s shooting at you.”

Petty Officer 3rd Class Paul N. Barnachea, a corpsman with 3rd Med. Bn. was excited about the opportunity to learn about the ERCS, he explained.

“My chief asked me if I wanted to go, and I said ‘Yeah, of course!’” Barnachea said. “I’ve never been around this type of aircraft before, so it’s interesting.”

Teams trained by NOMI have already conducted NERC courses at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Camp Pendleton, Calif., Catanese added.

“The NERC course gives (corpsmen and nurses) an opportunity to be more familiar with (the ERCS),” Catanese said. “The first time somebody touches the equipment shouldn’t be when they actually have to use it on a casualty.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Corpsman goes green side
II Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD)
Story by Lance Cpl. Josh Cox

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Oct. 3, 2005) -- “Send me to green side!” These words were spoken by one motivated corpsman who devotes his career to serving with Marines here.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Wilson, lab technician, Fallujah Surgical Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 8, 2nd Force Service Support Group (Forward), grew up in a military environment before joining the Navy in 2001.

“I was born in Colorado on an Air Force base,” he said. “My dad was in the Army, so I’ve lived in a lot of different places.”

Wilson said he spent his high school years living in Texas studying and working.

“[Life] was quiet; I was just going to school, and I worked at a record store,” he said. “In high school, I was in the Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.”

The 25-year-old said he enjoyed playing music as a hobby when he was in high school.

“I had a little group, my friend was a disc jockey and I was a rapper,” he said.

The Killeen, Texas, native said he always wanted to join the military, but wanted to attend college beforehand.

“After high school, I was in college at Central Texas College,” he said. “I got my associates from there. I wanted to make sure I had some college under my belt. I always felt like the military was a calling. Once I got my associate’s I was like ‘Alright, now I can answer that calling.’”

Wilson said he knew he wanted to be in medicine, but wasn’t sure he wanted to serve in the Army like his father.

“I always wanted to be a medic,” said the Copperas Cove High School, Copperas Cove, Texas graduate. “My dad was in the Army, and I didn’t want to do the same thing he did. I figured with the Navy I would travel a little bit more and see different stuff.”

Wilson enlisted in the Navy and graduated from recruit training Feb. 7, 2002.

“I chose to be a lab technician straight out of (Hospital) Corps School,” he said. “In order for me to be a lab technician, I had to complete Field Medical Service School in Camp Pendleton, (Calif.). That’s when everything changed in my career.”

Wilson said when he went to Camp Pendleton, Calif., the Marine Corps way of life grabbed his attention, and gave him a new outlook on his career.

“After lab school when everyone was picking their orders, I was like ‘Send me to green side!’”

In 2004, he went on his first deployment to Kuwait supporting the Marines.

“I was still motivated, still excited, like ‘Wow, my first deployment,’” he said, chuckling. “I basically did sick call, and if there was an emergency on base we would have to answer it. I had a good time because my clinic was small, so I got to learn a lot of different stuff. I got my Fleet Marine Force pin out there. I always wanted a FMF pin.”

Wilson said he takes advantage of the on-the-job training he receives in the military.

“I like some of the training I’ve been to,” he said. “You see it, then you do it, then you teach it.”

Today, on his second deployment, Wilson is still motivated serving with Marines in Iraq.

“As far as supporting the Marine Corps, I like taking care of Marines,” he said.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Measure of mutual respect
October 13,2005
BY Chris Mazzolini View stories by reporter
DAILY NEWS STAFF

The call "corpsman up!" means a couple of things: someone, a Marine or a sailor, has been wounded.

And that someone is going to get taken care of, no matter how many bullets or bombs are flying or falling, no matter the place or circumstance.

While the Marines of Camp Lejeune and New River Air Station garner lots of local attention, there are also a few thousand sailors who march and train with those Marines, who ride into battle with them and - when necessary - fight to save their lives.

The Navy, which celebrates its 230th birthday today, has a long history of cooperation with the Marine Corps. Nowhere is that more evident than in the relationship between corpsmen and the Marines they are entrusted to heal.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the constant rash of suicide attacks and roadside bombings, have only reaffirmed an unwavering truth: Marines will always try to protect their Docs - who will always try to keep them safe.

"Once you've been out there with them, humped with them, lived and lost with them, then you've earned that title (Doc)," said Corpsman 3rd Class Jacquelyn Juvinall, 25, of Marietta, Ohio. She went to Afghanistan as part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. "When they are hurting, they trust the corpsmen."

"It's a brotherhood," said Corpsman 2nd Class Ryan Hirkala, 26, from Cleveland, Ohio. He went into Fallujah last year with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines. "You don't know who to trust and rely on in that situation, so you rely on each other."

'Is today the day?'

Hauling down an Iraqi road or through an Afghan village, a corpsman processes a constant stream of scenarios, what-ifs and maybes playing through his or her mind in frenetic fashion: If the truck in front of me hits a bomb, what will I do? If a Marine is wounded, how will I help him?

"It's always like, 'Is today the day?'" Hirkala said. "What's going to happen, is it going to happen? You're always thinking in the back of your head: What if it's his leg, his airway, or maybe multiple things? You learn to anticipate things."

When that day does come, they must be ready to act.

"You don't have a choice to be reliable," Juvinall said. "People's lives depend on what you do."

That ability to thrive in dire circumstances is instilled in corpsmen during intensive training at the Field Medical Service School. Members of the Hospital Corps who serve "green side" - with Marine units in the field - must complete this training.

"I didn't know I had the patience (to be a corpsman)," Juvinall said. "But you learn combat training all the time. They stressed combat situations and trauma management. I don't handle traumas as bad as I thought I would. I thought I would freak."

They are also taught that, in the field, they are always on call and must always be prepared to act immediately.

"You are beyond forward," Hirkala said. "You're clearing houses with the Marines. You can't tell the patient, 'Why'd you get shot at eight o'clock at night? You have to be on your toes at all times."

Stories from over there

Juvinall and Hirkala are just a small slice of the Camp Lejeune sailors who have been deployed to the Middle East, but their stories speak volumes about the stress corpsmen endure and their dedication to do the job right.

Hirkala was in Fallujah during Operation Phantom Fury in November 2004, when U.S and Iraqi forces stormed in from the north to root out the insurgents and foreign fighters who had infiltrated the city. Hirkala's unit, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, was in the thick of the battle and faced a number of casualties. During their deployment, they lost 20 Marines, many of them killed in Fallujah.

He said he has clear memories of the battle, which included constant work.

"It was very hectic, very loud," he said. "On a daily basis, we would see anywhere from five to 10 casualties," Hirkala said.

"Sometimes they would come in one by one, sometimes in waves. You get sleep when you can, not when you're supposed to."

As part of 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, which was the ground element for the 22nd MEU, Juvinall saw enough in Afghanistan to last a lifetime. As part of a team of 12 female "searchers," she moved from village to village, inspecting female locals because males often dressed in women's clothing to try to smuggle weapons across the border.

"We humped with the Marines, got shot at and returned fire, found all kinds of weapon caches in bizarre places," she said. "I learned a lot of stuff."

She also treated villagers' health problems just as she helped Marines with theirs. She aided Afghan toddlers who had overdosed on opium and dealt with every injury from routine nicks to intense trauma. After one firefight, Juvinall said, they had a wounded Marine in one bed and an insurgent next to him in another.

She also faced death for the first time.

"I zipped my first body bag over there," she said.

While facing death is part of the job, it's saving lives that keeps corpsmen kicking.

"There's nothing like the feeling when a Marine is walking around because you had a part in his care," Juvinall said. "There's few things in the world that can produce that feeling. It's almost like a high feeling, you've been put there to help someone else, and you did your job."

"In 1/8 we had a saying: 'You lose a buddy now, it's your job to live your life through him,'" Hirkala said.

"Do the things he won't be able to do. But it's a sense of pride, saving someone. He can come home, raise his kids, see his wife. You really can't explain it."

Ellie

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Corpsman finds respect working with Marines
MCB Hawaii
Story by Pfc. Edward C. deBree

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii (Oct. 14, 2005) -- “The Iraqi conflict was probably the best experience,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Nester Lazo. “It gave me a new meaning of life. It brought people together to become good friends, the kind of friendship only being in a combat situation can bring.”

Lazo, corpsman, 3rd Marine Regiment, went into combat operations in Iraq on Oct. 23, 2004.

Lazo said that when he first heard word that he was being sent to Iraq his first thoughts were that he was thankful he was finally going.

“We always heard we were going to Iraq but they were always rumors,” said the 26-year-old Honolulu native. “We kept on hearing that we were going to leave any month at the time, but it never happened. So we did what we always do, which is train. Then we finally got the word.”

Lazo saw combat in Fallujah, Al-Asard, Abu Gradu, Korean Village, and Baghdad. But Iraq wasn’t the only deployment this corpsman has been on. Lazo has also been deployed to the Philippines, Australia, Guam, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Okinawa, Japan and Kuwait. But Lazo said that the best deployment he has been on was the one in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“When I left Iraq, I was scared on how to act with civilians since I was in combat situations for eight months,” said Lazo. “When we came back I missed being in the limelight. We were the battalion that was always on the news.”

Lazo first checked into 3rd Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment in 2001 and was transferred to the Regimental Aid Station in 2003.

Lazo joined the Navy in 1998 after graduating Damien Memorial High School. The Navy was an easy choice for him.

“I was going nowhere after high school. So I drove down to the recruiting station to join the military and since the Navy’s office was the closest one to the parking lot I walked in,” said Lazo. “If I were to have parked on the other side of the building, I would probably have joined the Coast Guard.”

Lazo chose the medical job field because of all the occupations and the fact that health care will always be there. He said the training he has received will last him a lifetime because machines can’t be relied on to do everything — that a machine can’t heal someone who is injured.

Lazo is the eldest child of Lester Sr. and Regina Lazo. He has been married for six years and has two sons, one 4-year-old and a 1-year-old. When Lazo is not working, he spends all the time he can with his family. He said he always is up to playing basketball and paintball, even challenging his children.

Even though Lazo is a Sailor, he said that he loves being a part of the Marine community.

“The military is the best decision I have ever made,” said Lazo. “It’s easy and being a corpsman is the best job in the Navy especially if you’re stationed with Marines. Respect is hard to find at other duty stations, but here, everyone respects you.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Corpsmen with 2/2 stand by their Marines
2nd Marine Division
Story by Pfc. Chistopher J. Ohmen

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Oct. 21, 2005) -- “Corpsman up!” is the first thing that comes to a Marine’s mind when one of his buddies is wounded.

With the Navy medical personnel in the battalion spread out over the unit’s area of operation; the Marines of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, know help is close by if someone gets hurt.

“Any slow days are good days at the Battalion Aid Station,” said Navy Lt. Craig C. Benson, the battalion medical officer.

With a battalion of Marines to take care of, there is never a day when there isn’t at least one patient getting treated. The medical officers advise the Commanding Officer on all health-related issues that arise in his area, not only causalities.

Dealing with everything from routine medical checkups to administering emergency care at a moment’s notice has ensured the Navy personnel here are part of the family in the battalion.

“We are always doing training to make sure that we are ready for any kind of medical emergency that may come our way,” said Navy Lt. Mark G. Banks, the battalion surgeon.

As part of making Iraq a sovereign and independent nation, the medical staff of the battalion are working with Iraqi Army soldiers, providing training and care so they can build their own medical staff.

“It might take a while to get them up to speed, but once they can care for themselves it will be a big step toward their goals,” Banks said.

If a Marine or sailor is seriously wounded in the field and needs to go to Fallujah Surgical, the patient is tracked so that the command knows exactly where the Marine is and the state of his condition. This includes patients that get transported to other medical facilities in Europe or back in the states.

Until the Marine is released and returned back to the unit, the medical personnel track the patient’s medical progress and continues to apprise the command of his status.

With all the different tasks the battalion aid station performs in such a large area, their work is never done. When something happens that they have never faced before, they tackle the problem and create a new standard operating procedure that includes the solution.

“We are providing the best medical care possible in an always changing environment,” said Chief Petty Officer Lester M. Wellmaker, the battalion medical chief.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

“Doc Bibi” recognized as Sailor of the Quarter <br />
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division <br />
Story Identification #: 2005102811332 <br />
Story by Pfc. Terrell A. Turner <br />
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C....