At Torkhem, all of 1/3’s Docs rotate through the different taskings of the platoon. Whether the Marines are patrolling up and down mountains, or hiking 25 miles along an alleged IED hot zone, any of 1/3’s corpsmen can do the job well enough for the Marines not to think about them.
“Humps are fun,” said Nededog. “The climbs can be steep around here, but we get through it. The Afghan National Army (ANA) used to pick on us because we didn’t climb as fast as they did on foot when we first got here. But we put them in our gear including body armor one time and they didn’t last five minutes.”
Nededog’s Marines got better at climbing. And so did the Docs.
Corpsmen like Doc Astor, HM2 (FMF) Scott “Doc” Kuniyuki, and Doc Nededog don’t push themselves so they can outshine the Marines. They do it so they will always be there for them. Because the greatest fear a corpsman has is that he won’t be able to help a Marine when he needs him.
“In the Marine Corps, there’s no such thing as [keeping]office hours,” said Astor. “In a regular clinic I might see patients from 0700-1700 every day, but with my Marines I am available 24/7. We call it barracks medicine, and it matters.”
Docs are expected to do far more than hand out band-aids and Motrin. They fill the role of brothers, best friends, fathers, psychologists, chaplains or whatever the Marine needs at the time.
“Marines come to us for comfort, and it doesn’t matter if it’s physical, mental or emotional because we want our Marines to be healthy,” said Astor. “We look for problems and consult with them on a regular basis. They know we care every day, not just when they obviously need medical attention.”
It’s the job of the corpsmen regardless of their surroundings. The rigors of war can compound normally manageable problems. A fight with a wife, money problems, or other bad news can take a Marine’s mind off his mission and get him hurt.
The Marines in Torkhem talk to their corpsmen because they know their corpsmen care.
“Anything can kill you here,” said Nededog, “an IED, a bullet, carelessness or just bad luck. We know we have to make sure our Marines are on top of their game every second of every day.”
While corpsmen are expected to be cure-alls for whatever ails a Marine, they know that their medical expertise only comes into play when it’s needed. Otherwise, they’re Marines in every sense of the word.
“Corpsmen need to know hand-to-hand combat skills because when they go out with Marines they might have to get down and dirty during a fire fight,” said Sgt. Michael Belliston. “They might have to fight their way to a hurt Marine, or fight his way out with that Marine.”
So the corpsmen learn. They learn how to fight hand-to-hand, how to fire MK-19 grenade launchers, drive Humvees, rappel, take point on a patrol, etc. And they do it on the front lines, not just during training exercises back in the states.
The Sailors hold their own.
“I’ve always been impressed with the level of skills they possess from the relatively short amount of training they go through,” said Morse. “My corpsmen can jump on any weapon out here and perform as well as any Marine. Heck, I’ve met some docs who could outshoot every Marine in his platoon.”
Still, the Marines would rather the corpsmen not have to prove their battle readiness during a firefight.
“A good corpsman will put rounds downrange if we need him to,” said Morse, “but we try to keep them in the rear so they are around to save us.”
Aside from being a sure shot, Marine Corps leadership always makes sure their Marines understand Docs are approachable, but they’re still in the military. It’s a standard they set from the very beginning as part of the legendary discipline Marines use to win wars.
“I make it a point when I get to a new platoon to introduce our docs,” said Morse. “I’ll say something like ‘I know he’s doc, and he’s laid back, but you will respect him and treat him as you would any Marine’.”
The respect flows both ways.
“I also expect my corpsmen not to be afraid to speak up if they see one of my Marines doing something wrong.”
In short, the Marines expect their docs to be, well, a Marine.
And that’s the docs’ goal as well because that’s when they know they’re doing their job.
“The best compliment we can give a corpsman,” said Morse, “is to treat them just as we would any Marine.”
