# Navy, but not Marine, Corpsmen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 12, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-but-not-marine-corpsmen/344124 "2006-02-12T17:59:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-but-not-marine-corpsmen/344124/1 "2006-02-12T17:59:48Z")
This may be a stupid question so just bear with me. I recently joined the US Navy. Since I started the process, I’ve met some people who are corpsmen, which often means they’re going to follow the Marines around and patch them up if they get shot. They’re some of the few naval personel who go into combat(assuming we’re treating the marines as a different species here). The question I’ve been wondering about is: Why don’t the marines just train their own corpsmen? If the corpsmen are going to be attached to the marine, why not use marines for that role in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-but-not-marine-corpsmen/344124/2 "2006-02-12T18:01:25Z")
Because thats the way its always been. If you need a better answer you won’t last in the military 😉 . ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-but-not-marine-corpsmen/344124/3 "2006-02-12T18:13:09Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Because thats the way its always been. If you need a better answer you won’t last in the military 😉 . True, but Marines used to guard ships as well. Apparently, they no longer do and the Navy trains it’s own security forces to perform shipboard security. ---
**Author:** ![Ezstrete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ea924/32.png) [@Ezstrete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ezstrete)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-but-not-marine-corpsmen/344124/4 "2006-02-12T19:07:08Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > True, but Marines used to guard ships as well. Apparently, they no longer do and the Navy trains it’s own security forces to perform shipboard security. The relationship between the Navy and the Marines has existed for years and caused a fuzzy picture for all who might not be familiar with the operation. Sea duty was never “guarding the ship’s Captain” in anyone’s mind since the last mutiny which happened in “God knows when”. Manning the secondary baterries and generally harrassing the white hats by enforcing the ships orders wasn’t a sought after duty by any Marine I ever knew. [any marine knows that you can’t dig a foxhole in a steel deck] However,and to the point, as an old ww2 marine i did have experience in a couple of the major ww2 "beach parties’ that they threw for us.[also some that were not-so major] There are two action cries that tear at your being when the bad stuff is coming off of the fan--------one is “Medic”[army] and the other “Corpsman”[Navy] Believe me when I say that the caller doesn’t care what outfit the “doc” belongs to---------he only wants his attention,with all it applies. Nobody carers where or what he came from-----------as long as he has that bag of things and knows how to use them. Military medical men have crossed not only organizational lines but national lines more than once. If the medic responding was Waffen SS or Navycorpsman he d have been welcomed--------trust me on that! EZ ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-but-not-marine-corpsmen/344124/5 "2006-02-12T19:31:06Z")
Corpsmen are technically all Navy members, with Navy ratings (ranks) and rates (specialties). But those assigned to Marine units train as Marines and wear [Marine uniforms with Navy insignia.](http://www.usmccollectibles.com/Uniforms/Blouses&Jackets/Doc1.JPG)