Corpsman Moms

story...so my son was in class to learn how to be an instructor in his job...with a couple of Marine vets, a couple of Army medic vets, another field corpsman, and a couple of Air Force guys. They were role playing teaching...and my son got up there and used a cuss word in his diaglogue...and the Air Force guys freaked. "you can not talk like that to a class "....and when the rest of them got off the floor from laughing...my son told them "I'm in the freakin' NAVY, I'm a sailor! I talk like I &$# well please".  He then told me their idea of being deployed to Iraq was the Green Zone and they were amazed that every other class member had been not only "out of the wire"...but out on patrols in Iraq and/or Afghan on a regular basis. He said "those are the kind of guys who use deployment to nail women.".

I'm thinking the job of meshing these services together would be interesting, huh?

Welcome Diane...however you label yourself, you are certainly welcome as a corpsman's loved one...because obviously you are!!  21 in Afghan...that sucks. My son turned 21 on a ship...but that's better than A.

Thanks for finding us, and remember, someone is almost always home  here, you are never alone....

Ladies, those of you with deployed kids and loved ones...we have a group here on N4M for those with kids deployed to Iraq/Afghanistan/anyplace!

Click here for Moms with kids in Iraq/Afghan

btmom - that's wonderful and definately one of "those" moments!  Jamie is still going through processing and he says he's bored to tears and just wants to do his job right now and be a Corpsman.  Patience is not his strong suit!

Lisa - I'm sure he appreciated that tree more than you will ever know. Jamie had a hard time at Thanksgiving and even he was surprised at how hard it was being away.  He had 24 hour duty that day so he had to stay on base.  The military treated them really good with a huge dinner.  My husband is prior service and he said that holidays can be the hardest part.  So any touch of home is always a good thing!!  We were so thankful to have him home for Christmas this year.

Thanks TDM - I'll have to check out that group.

Love that video! thank you for sharing!!

Regina, I think they're going to San Antonio...but let Inga find out, her daughter is still an instructor at GL until at least today! Gee, I can't believe she's going greenside! wow!!

Rsv, most corpsmen take FMTB. Inga's daughter took it in 03, I believe and is just now being moved into position to possibly deploy with her re-enlistment. So it can be quite a bit of time between FMTB and going greenside with the Marines. My son volunteered from day one to go greenside, but even so, he was assigned to a Marine unit just returning from Iraq at the time and had deployments to other places before he deployed with them to Iraq. It's up to the Navy and the needs of the Navy. Even tho my son is an instructor now, with two years left on this enlistment, he could get called up at any time to deploy as IA or moved greenside again with a Marine battalion.

Sad news for that Marine unit, so thankful they could save those 5. My heart to the families of the Marine lost.

Inga, I think Becky will love California.

Inga - ty for the clarification on greenside. I really hope my son has his A school in SA, instead of IL. Much closer to Arizona. Such a tragedy at CP - my heart and prayers go out to the families :-( 

Well, my son, Devin got his orders yesterday, & he is going to Guam.  He's pretty excited about that as he has a friend that is already stationed there.  I am very relieved although Guam is a pretty far distance from Northern New York & I'm not sure this mom's umbilical cord will stretch that far.LOL! O well as long as he's happy & excited, I'm happy for him.

Devin's mom - where are you from in northern NY? My husband is originally from Schenectady :-)

Congrats to all the new Corpsmen...and their moms!!

 I'm paying attention and doing some lurking, but right now I've got shingles! and sitting here is sometimes painful, so, I'll be background for a while!

Thanks, Kirsi, good morning so far today. If you ever, ever think "shingles" get to the doctor, the sooner they start you on the anti viral meds, the better it is. They are also quite good about pain meds, altho I've been lucky to have not near the pain so far that I've heard horror stories about. Last night had some bad moments.

I'm really excited about all the med schools coming to San Antonio. I hear the building on Fort Sam has been a big economic boost for our central Texas area, and just having the influx of people for graduations, etc will be wonderful. And really, altho it's hot in the summer, it will be more of a vacation area than the frozen tundra of GL in the winter!

TexasDocMom:  I am SO sorry to hear about your shingles!  I am glad you're taking care of yourself, and hope this "wave" of bad moments passes quickly.  I have been trying to remember what I heard on television or radio recently about shingles, but I think it was something positive about research in this area.  I will scout around online and if I find anything, post it here.  Be well!  I have enjoyed your comments and benefitted from your advice on this site.  Hugs,  DeeDee

Section of GL that has the corps school is about the oldest part of the base left.  They are moving the hospital to be with the new VA hospital so I'm betting most of that area will be rebuilt for something.  I know they are moving Buds training there (pre-seals) so maybe some of that area will be used for that.

Melisse - What a great picture - thanks for sharing!! 

Deana - Congrats to your daughter!!  PIR is going to be wonderful and amazing and you won't soon forget the range of emotions when you see your daughter again.  I still tear up thinking about those long 8 weeks.  My son PIR'd June 6, 2010, so I'm still learning the ropes myself.  He has gone through A School and FMTB and is now stationed in Italy.  We miss him like crazy, but he loves what he's doing and that's all that matters.  Definately join the A School for Corpsman group - lots of support and help there.

Thanks, I have joined the A-school group. 

I do have a question...what's the difference between HC and HM?  My daughter is going to be HM...Hospital Corpsman.

And what is FMTB?

sorry, I'm new to this next phase and don't know all of the new abbreviations yet!

HR-Hospitalman Recruit (E-1)

HA-Hospitalman Apprentice (E-2)

HN-Hospitalman (E-3)

HM-3 Hospital Corpsman Third Class (E-4)

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy_Hospital_Corpsman

My son was an HA when he graduated A school. He went right to FMTB at Camp Lejeune and is now HN. He loves being with the Marines.

Congrats to  new recruits and grads, and to their moms too1

I know my son volunteered for FMTB and to go greenside, but I had no idea a corpsman could opt out of FMTB. It's been my understanding that corpsmen go through that training, even with other C schools in their official plans. I know Inga's daughter did it several years ago before her instructor stint at GL and is just now going green.

greenside???

sorry, new lingo!

John, my son's best friend enlisted in the Marines a year out of  high school. My son had promised me two years of college before the military. After 9/11, he had made it clear he was enlisting, no doubts. He enlisted in the Navy for a couple of reasons...one, we're a Navy family, two, because I think his plan after picking corpsman was to volunteer to go green so he could serve with the Marines. He knew I'd not like him enlisting in the Marines with a guaranteed deployment...so he just kind of backed around that. And his number three reason for the Navy? David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs. Naval Academy, military career before his steller career in the NBA. (could have been his Number One reason...he thinks I don't know!) Now as an E5, they are offering whatever C school he wants...but he says "I'm a CORPSMAN, I have my job. " but I think he's good with being an instructor, teaching combat technique to incoming medical personnel. He likes the job, he thinks it's important...and he's 60 miles from home and the sweetest girl in the world. All of that makes me hopeful that he's not going to re-up...now if he just doesn't get called up to deploy again in the next two years (my prayer, not necessarily his...).

btmom, for your own sanity, do not count on no FMTB or overseas deployments. Ma Navy makes the calls. That's how my mom and dad ended up having every one of us in a different location!

I heard that out of the nearly 300 Corpsman that just graduated from FMTB in San Diego last month, only about 20 didn't go green.  Amazing.  Although my son is at his duty station, he has been told he will eventually be deployed especially since he's gone through FMTB.  It's funny that when he first started this journey last April, I never even imagined the Navy being in the Sandbox.  Wow have I learned a lot!!  TDM said it right - Navy Mom says go, you go!

Jacqueline - He's doing great!!  Like BTmom's son, he's going through an intense EMT course right now, but he's loving his duty station.  We talk every weekend - or as he calls it "his weekly this is what I've done call!!"  Your son still has several months of training left right?

The EMT class is five weeks long - military style!  In the civilian world it would be at least three months.  He will actually be going out on an ambulance, which he's super excited about.  I've never had the pull for the healthcare industry, so it's hard for me to understand that.  LOL.  Jamie had some wonderful teachers at his school that encouraged this field and he has a really good understanding of science so he was "wired" to be a Corpsman I guess.

Jacqueline - I know your excited to attend his graduation!!  Good luck to him and I know his journey is not over as far as his training goes.  I'll continue to keep him in my thoughts!