Qustion For you Vietnam Vets.

[Joseph P Carey]

For the record kid, Marine Corpsmen are every bit Marines, ask any Marine in the line companies if a Corpsman is a Marine, and you will get the same answer, "They most certainly are!" The Corpsmen were formed in June 1898, and have been with the Marines every step of the way since then. There is no quit in these guys. They are like the energizer rabbit, they just keep going and going. Many of the Corpsman considered them selves to be Marines, instead of Navy, and I am not one to dispute them. They have brought great honor to us just to have them serving with us.

[Patdaly]

Jay some where in bootcamp they told you this but you were out to lunch that day and missed it. There are no none combatants in the Marines. Every marine is a rifleman. The Doctors, dentists, chaplains and even the corpman are in the Navy. Not Marines. We could not get along without them

[Joseph P Carey]

Doc is our man, right PatDaly! No one says anything against the Doc, unless you want to face 40 plus Marines from his platoon.

[GySgtRet]

jay2120,

You have either a serious learning disability or a bad memory. I suugest that you get a hold of some Marine Corps history books, and or talk with a Gunny or a Mustang to get your answers. Somebody has misguided you in some form or fashion. It is time before you ship out to get things wired where they belong. Isn't there PMEs anymore...??? If not it may be a good idea on your part to suggest it before you and your unit ship out.

Long live Navy Corpmen...!!!!

Semper Fidelis

[Old Marine]

I became a Marine in 1953 and we had Navy Corpmen at that time, so your friend must be mistaken. The Navy Doc's are great and most of them would rather be attached to the Marines than with the Navy.

[Namvet67]

Ken...I was with the 11th Marines the entire time I was in Nam from August 67 to July 70. I visisted most all of the batteries but I was in HQ Battery 11th Marines Regimental FDC. We were located 4 or 5 miles north of the Danang airbase. Welcome home brother.

[ridingcrops]

Same thing happened to me when I met a guy who kept saying he had been a Marine in the Nam.
I asked what he did in front of his girlfriend and he told me he was a medic.
I pointed out that all corpsmen were Navy but of course according to him I didn't know what I was talking about.
I guess after the second tour I lost it LMAO.
But sometimes I think some guys are trying to pose as something they weren't.
Sort of like when a guy told me he had been in the Coprs and his son said you were never in the service Dad. LOL

[Joseph P Carey]

For the record, The name Corpsman is an honored name; it is one of the most decorated names in the Military history of the United States Military. Corpsmen are proud of their title. I have never heard a Corpsman call himself a medic, because that is an Army term, and he is not Army. I have not often heard a Corpsmen call himself a Hospitalman, because, although it is his rank in the Navy, he will be proud to tell you he is in the FMF, and he is a Corpsman.

The Marine Corps has no Medics, Period! Should you really want to prove the man was not a Marine Medic, ask him what his Serial number was? If the man is any where near his late sixties down to his birthday of his 53rd year, his Serial number should be between 194000 and maybe 226000. The Marines used Individual Serial Numbers of six digits. The Army used RA or US Numbers. The thing is, if he gives you his Social Security number, he was not in the Marines at all, much less in Vietnam.

And, if he tells you he can not remember his Serial Number, you can tell him his is full of crap, because no Marine ever forgets his Serial Number. I still remember mine.

[TazMatt]

Cpl. Carey the Marine Corps used seven digit serial numbers when I was in 1969-1975 and yes I agree with you I still remember mine.

[Joseph P Carey]

My mistake of course I meant seven, and I still remember mine thank you, I just wrote it wrong! Besides, when we were looking to see who was boot, we usually ask the first three numbers. I was a 209, and my entry date was very close to my signing date, four days after I signed my papers, and 10 days after my seventeenth birthday, I was in PI.

[Osotogary]

Flogg me but I still remember my Air Force serial number from over 40 years ago, as well as, my draft card number....but don't ask me what I just did five minutes ago. LOL
I thought those numbers and the remembering of them brought you a reprieve, ever slight, from the hell you would have to pay if you didn't remember them.

[greensideout]

JPC, for the most part you covered the Corpsman thing well---nobody jacks with a Corpsman around Marines. If the Corpsman doesn't kick thier butt the Marines will. I will never forget the Corpsman that served with us in Nam. God bless 'em!

By the way, how about including a 193XXXX in the Nam time frame.

[JP YH08]

How about including 2390XXXX.........

And remember we that crewed Helo'shad flying "Doc's"

Semper Fidelis !!!!!!!!! Jimmy

[Joseph P Carey]

Originally posted by greensideout
By the way, how about including a 193XXXX in the Nam time frame.

Hell, I didn't think there was anyone that old left! :-) You must have been with Smedley Butler? By the way, I did wish you happy Birthday did I not?

[Joseph P Carey]

Originally posted by JP YH08
How about including 2390XXXX.........

And remember we that crewed Helo'shad flying "Doc's"

Semper Fidelis !!!!!!!!! Jimmy

239's! Hell, we sure used up a lot of Marines by the 1970's, didn't we? That is almost 300,000 Marines from when I went in in 64. I really didn't think that we used that many, truthfully!

I apologize for the omission.