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Korea and the Years Following
| With the advent of the
Korean conflict, the Hospital Corps once again responded to the call
of duty. Members of the corps, individually and collectively, added a
brilliant chapter to the history of the corps. During the Inchon-Seoul
operation, for example, medical units attached to the 1st Marine
Division cared for 2,844 casualties during the period of 15 September
to 7 October 1950. Hospital corpsmen were at the forefront of all the
fighting, saving lives on the beaches as the Marines stormed in. They
performed on-the-spot emergency and first aid treatment, as secretary
Forrestal described it "*** while shell fragments ripped clothing
from their bodies and shattered plasma bottles in their hands."
Indeed, the percentage of casualties among Medical Department
personnel in Korea, as in World War II, was greater than that of the
marines they supported.
These highly trained technicians played a vital and demanding role in the care and treatment of those evacuated to the hospital ships of the U.S. Navy serving in Korean waters. These ships handled some 20,000 battle casualties, 30,000 non-battle casualties, and around 80,000 outpatients. To narrate the individual exploits of the many who were cited for valor, resourcefulness, and courage would require a separate volume. It is a great tribute to the corps that the seven Congressional Medals of Honor conferred upon Navy personnel during the Korean conflict, five were bestowed upon hospital corpsmen. The years that have followed Korea have also proved to be eventful. For example, in 1954, approximately 190,000 Vietnam refugees were transported for North Vietnam to South Vietnam on U.S. Navy ships. The corpsmen assigned to this operation had ample opportunity to demonstrate the ability and initiative that has always characterized them. In 1957, hospital corpsmen served in Mexico during the hurricane and floods at Tampico. In 1961, in Texas and Louisiana, they aided victims of Hurricane Carla. Lest the impression be left that corpsmen distinguish themselves only in times of war and disaster, it should be added that their role in "quiet" times is equally as illustrious. They serve around the world in Navy hospitals, aboard ships and submarines, and with Marine Corps units of all Fleet Marine Forces. Often on duty independent of a medical officer, they bear the full responsibility for medical car of their shipmates, maintaining the health of the Navy, rendering first aid, and caring for the sick with competence that that has earned them the respect of all. Their methods of medical management are constantly reviewed and revised to reflect the latest technologies in treatment. In addition, since 1958, they have received special and intensive instruction in the management of the mass casualties that might follow in the wake of a chemical, biological, or radiological (CBR) warfare attack. Also, hospital corpsmen often have had opportunities to serve in the latest scientific projects. For example, Thomas R Thorne, HM3, participated in Project Mercy. For his role in the biomedical support of the free world's first manned space flight, he received in June 1961 a letter of appreciation from the Director of Bioastronautics.
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