Corpsman Moms

Speaking of humanitarian missions, I really love this from the Navy  :)

Does anyone know if there is a group for 29 Palms? I looked but didn't find anything.  My corpsman heads over there in March.

You could always start a 29 Palms group....  ;)

Kathy...My sailor will also be attached to a platoon. Not looking forward to that, personally, but I know he is.  I will be glad that he is back in the states, however. 

Good idea, Marcy, but my sailor is only "adopted" so I'm not a real corpsman mom. BTW, I am almost done with the hat I am making for his new baby nephew. Remember me posting about where to find the medical symbol?  When I'm finished I will upload a pic.

Marcy...Here is a picture of the baby hat I made for my corpsman's nephew. The baby was born yesterday, a healthy baby boy, and I finished the hat today.  My corpsman is moving back to the states in March and will be coming home to see his brand new nephew.  Yahoo!

The baby's cap is the sweetest thing ever!   And I bet your son gets a big kick out of the caduceus.  Beautiful work, mom!

anyone know where to find the SA "C' school graduation dates?

keoquilts,your sailor's your best bet.  You could try asking in the HM A school group for someone in the same school.  I haven't seen a source otherwise.

Love the babies hat!

Intense!  Submarine IDC.  Requirements:  U.S. citizen; E5 - E7 Hospital Corpsman; 6 years time in service, 3 years time in rate as HM; not more than 30 years old (age waivers accepted); physically qualified for sub duty per MANMED; Secret clearance.  

Thanks, ladies. It was fun to make the hat.  My sailor liked it and said he wanted one too ;) lol

Here a link to Navy and Marine Corps Medical News January 2013 edition.  This issue includes an article about laboratory technician corpsmen aboard USS Stennis; a state-of-the-art simulation lab for medical training at Naval Hospital Bremerton; and two corpsmen taking part in a mass-casualty drill aboard aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush.

The winter edition of Navy Medicine has several corpsman profiles, and a great photo gallery, "Corpsmen Around the Fleet."

Hi!

Haven't posted for a while, but have a couple of questions.  Son just found out he'll be getting stationed in Pensacola, part of the EMF team.  We were thinking about sending him my old car.  I know about the shipping part, but we will be giving him the car.  Do we transfer the registration in California?  Does he keep the California registration?  or will he have to re-register it in Florida?  and get a Florida drivers license?  Any info on this process is appreciated!  Thanks!

When my daughter bought her car in Rhode Island we helped her register it in Oklahoma because taxes are much higher in RI.  I think it is pretty much optional for military personnel.  Otherwise, they would have to keep re-registering each time they were restationed.

My son's car was registered in Georgia, but when he was stationed in Hawaii last month, he had to register and plate it in Hawaii.  In most cases, I think you'll have to register the car where you are, but you'll keep your actual license from your home state.  Most tags only last for a year anyway compared to being stationed somewhere for 2 to 3 years.  Best thing to do though would be to call the DMV for the state.  Hope that helps.

Both my sailors have their cars plated and driver licensed in the state we live.... because they are military are not required to have them plated in the state they are stationed in.

When we took our son's car to him in Groton, CT, we had to have it transferred to his name but he was able to keep SC tags and his SC driver's license.  The benefit of FL tags is they don't have property tax but I believe he has to be a Florida resident for a period of time before they will let you transfer tags to Florida.

My son bought his car where he was stationed (Virginia); Virginia waives the annual property tax if you are active military and provide LES statements.  And he kept his home state driver's license.  Pam's right about contacting the DMV there.  If you elect to sell your old car and he buys one where he is, be aware that dealers near bases can be less than ethical selling to young military - I know Norfolk Naval Station has car buying counseling classes, and a list of dealers on their "avoid" list.

Good evening everyone! I'm new to this page, my son just arrived in San Antonio on Sunday. He is awaiting the start of his class next week. I'm sure I will have many questions and look forward to talking to all of you. May everyone have a great week!!

Stephanie sent this question out -

Q - Are stethoscopes needed for A school?  

A -  Yes, but they are provided, so no need for students to buy one until their first duty station if doing patient care.   Allheart.com is one online source, and they do personalization as well.

No need to buy a stethoscope even after A school.  They will be provided with all equipment they need to do their job.  I know that stethoscopes seem to have little feet and personal ones have a habit of disappearing.  Just not worth it to invest a $100 or more in a good one.  If corpsmen, they wanted, they could buy their own earpieces but I can't imagine my son ever changing his (although he made sure he had a personal mouthpiece in FMTB). 

Right! I didn't mean to imply they need to get one later, but can - it's personal preference.  My corpsman has his own, says it's easier than tracking one down or borrowing; he says most corpsmen he knows have their own and keep theirs in their personal med kits.  And about those little feet :) a few years ago his first one was taken, on a ship to boot, and it had his name on it.  Sigh.

Good Advice Marcy :)  I was warned about "little feet" as well and passed on the warning to my corpsman after A school. He has his own that I purchased for him with his name engraved (as a graduation present) but it was because of a preference he had for a certain brand and because as you stated, he said it was easier than tracking one down or borrowing.

Thanks all.  It's been very helpful!

Thanks Mikes Mom, No, he just started boot camp then is off to A-school., Then training with the Marines. Hopefully by the time he's through they will no longer be sending anyone , who knows. It's way too early for me to be worried about that but I just can't seem to help it. I just get way to ahead of things sometimes. I need to deal with this empty-nest thing first. Not fun at all. If I didn't know that it was a normal process I'd think that I were losing it! lol However, all is well ! Aloha

Could someone send me a private message, if they have any information about  SARC's?  I'm not even sure if one can send private messages?

maboltship, you can send private messages once you've added someone as your friend.  To do that - you must be signed in to N4M;  click on the person's name, and on their page click on "Add as friend" either center page or at left. You can attach a personal message to the Friend request.  All that said, I don't know much about SAR corpsmen - hopefully someone here can help!

My corpsman will finish C school (Surg Tech) soon.  He is going to Italy.  Does anyone have son's or daughter's in Italy now?  Any advice?  Feel free to personal message me.

Dani, just sent you a PM :)  Congratulations, it's a great assignment!

Dani--my son has been in Naples for about a year now. 

Dani - my son finished up his two year assignment in Naples this past December.  He is a Corpsman and worked at the smaller Capo base.  He was very glad to leave Naples behind but did enjoy his time there.  He seen a lot of Europe and made a lot of really great friends.  He's in Hawaii now attached to a Marine unit and is happy to be back among English speaking people! 

Pam, Glenda, Jana and Marcy - Thank you!  I will have lots of questions, I am sure.  

Glad to hear that all the sailors liked Naples.  I am sure every place has its good points and bad points.  You must make the best of what you get.  Dani

Mine has been in Sicily for two years and comes back to the US at the end of March.  He also did a lot of traveling, especially this past 8 months or so.  I will be glad to have him back in my same state, although still about 10 hrs away.

Hi all, My son just got his orders. He wanted FMF, but was assigned Pharmacy Tech. He is disappointed. I am relieved. I want to know if any other corpsman Moms have Pharmacy sailors, and what is it like? Have they been deployed, or do they serve mostly stateside? How long does the learning program take? He told me he is staying in SA for the training, but doesnt know how long it will be.

Hi Paula - my son is a Pharmacy tech currently stationed at the Naval Air Station in Sigonella, Italy (Sicily - near Mt. Aetna), working at the hospital on base there. He trained as a corpsman in San Antonio after basic training at Great Lakes, then stayed on an additional 6 months in SA for Pharmacy Tech training.  His 1st choice was X-ray/Radiology Tech but there were no openings in that area and he seemed to think that Surgical Tech training involved too much memorization (I would think Pharmacy would involve just as much or more memorization - oh well!). When he first went into the Navy he talked about wanting to go overseas & now he's at NAS Sigonella and seems to really be enjoying life there. His other overseas options when he was finishing up Pharmacy Tech school were either Cuba or Japan; I'm sure there are numerous other duty options for that field both stateside and abroad - wherever they have hospitals or other medical facilities.

I've been following the news on the 7 Marine's killed in Nevada during the training accident.  Praying for all those involved and for the Corpsman that was seriously injured during the explosion. 

My son just started x-ray/rad tech c school.  After finishing the course of study, are they certified as a x-ray/rad tech in any capacity outside of the Navy?  What additional courses, etc. do they have to take to be certified or receive an associates degree?

KJmom, this page might help - https://www.cool.navy.mil/enlisted/hm_a_xr_tec.htm

Navy COOL is Navy Credentialing Opportunities Online - a constantly evolving resource "that defines civilian credentials which best map to Navy ratings, jobs, designators, and collateral duties/assignments. It outlines the path, work, training and experience required to achieve them."  

Thank you Marcy.  The information is very much appreciated!

Per METC, taking the National Registry EMT exam is not a part of Hospital Corps School, as the Navy doesn't need 5,000 registered EMT's (the number of corpsmen who complete A school each year).  Corpsmen may be able to take the NREMT exam on their own once they reach their first duty station if they first fulfill the 'clinical' requirement (ambulance or hospital rotation).  The Air Force attendees at METC do take the NREMT, as their duties differ from those of corpsmen.

Hello any mom's out there with HM to graduate in May? My sailor arrived in SAT Jan 26th, he says he'll graduate in May not sure when. Any ideas?

Thanks All!!

My son went through the EMT course at his first duty station in Italy - after A School and after FMTB.

@Cincin25, my husband is graduating in May. Do you know which date? Or what class is he in?

And is there anyone know about FMTB? My husband is thinking about going FMTB. What's the difference between FMTB and FMF? Anything will be appreciated. Thanks! :)

Graduation dates for May haven't been posted yet; keep an eye on this Facebook page for Basic Medical Technician Corpsman Program.  It seems to take a while for them to post it unfortunately.

Field Medical Training Battalion (FMTB) is an eight-week training course at either Camp Johnson/Camp Lejeune, NC, or Camp Pendleton, CA.  

Corpsmen receive advanced emergency medical and small arms training, and learn basic battlefield tactics while becoming familiar with the basics of Marine Corps life.  

Most corpsmen go through the training at some point, whether or not they are going  Fleet Marine Force - "greenside" - with forward operating Marine units.  

There's more detailed info about both Field Med and FMF here.