A Navy Corpsman splints a fractured leg on the front lines of Iwo Jima—1945. The Marine kneeling on the left fills out a field medical card. still image from USMC combat camera film
A Navy Corpsman in Iwo Jima treats a Marine with a severe chest wound. Life giving plasmanate flows from the bottle attached to the M1 rifle at right. still image from USMC combat camera film
February 1944: A wounded marine receives treatment from a Navy medical corpsman at a jungle first aid station behind the lines on New Britain Island, New Guinea, in the Battle for the Strategic Japanese air field on Cape Gloucester during World War II. (AP Photo/U.S. Marine Corps)
Navy corpsmen (in their Marine uniforms) are there on the front lines of combat, plasma in hand, saving riflemen's lives in the critical minutes after a wound.
U.S. Navy doctors and medical corpsmen treat wounded U.S. Marines at an aid station established in a gully on Iwo Jima in the Pacific, Japan, on March 6, 1945 during World War II. Blood plasma and whole blood is administered from supplies flown from the west coast of the U.S.
A U.S Corpsman applies a field dressing to the neck of an injured Marine during the battle of Saipan.
US Navy Corpsman dressed a back wound of a Marine who was hit by the enemy in the battle on Iwo Jima, Feb 1945. (US Navy Naval History and Heritage Command)
Vee,
You continue to surprise me! How wonderful to have Medic photos for all of us to see!
Thank you so much for gathering all of these here! I know you remembered that my Dad was a Medic.
My Dad had two Purple Hearts and another that he never bothered to follow up on. He was only off the battlefield briefly and then quickly went back to work. Like so many men, the shrapnel remained with him all his life. I have the locations so I can track back to the battles and what was going on at the time.
In a letter that Dad wrote home when he was a POW, and I should go look at it so I quote it accurately, but he said he was almost killed so many times on the front line.
One of Dad's stories included, like so many of the men shared, that the grenade or explosive landed right next to them and fortunately did not go off. Sometime after the War it was revealed that the French and others conscripted into making these weapons would try to make some of them duds.
Thank you again,
Jean
Yes , I remembered that your Dad was a Medic. And He was heroic US Medic at work in the field...... Your dad is a heros for me !! I would ask if you would like me sending you of the sand from Omaha Beach and a pebble from Utah Beach ? if yes Can you give me your address by personal message . Vee
Vee, You are so generous!
You obviously must know me - I typically bring back rocks and shells or pieces of things from places I have been and never the normal things one expects to receive as a gift. Funny stories about that years from now.
Don't put in your list of things to do - to send anything from the Beaches of Normandy. Not yet anyhow. We will save your very sweet offer for the future.
And guess what, I don't even remember how to do that personal message thing. I am sure that eventually I will learn.
How fortunate I am to know you!
Jean