Combat Medics and Corpsmen

The manifestation of trauma is as varied as the number of people who experience it. U.S. Army combat medics and Navy corpsmen are a group of individuals who have experienced a significant amount of exposure over the last 8 or 9 years of war. Because of the nature of their job and the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, this population provides a rich opportunity to study the impact of repeated traumatic experiences and how these men and women cope or even thrive. The following briefly describes who medics are as a population, the apparent differences in how this population receives and manages internal and external stressors faced in their lifesaving duties during war, and the lessons to be learned from these men and women.

Combat medics and corpsmen are a vital piece of a fighting unit and, as such, are a well-respected group. The term doc is a hard earned and beloved nickname for this group as the infantrymen and other combatant job types recognize the vital role this individual serves. A medic is considered a “force multiplier” as his or her job is to maintain the unit strength by keeping the members alive, healthy, and capable of completing the mission. When individuals choose a medical career field within the armed forces, they invariably intend to become a healer. The vision of being a healer and of being in a primarily noncombatant role will likely be shattered by the reality of the nature of today's wars. Rarely do people volunteer to be a combat arms soldier (infantry, etc.) with the expectation that they will primarily focus on the healing arts. However, medics who join to be “health care specialists” (combat medics) end up receiving high-quality medical training for the battlefield but are also required by the nature of the insurgency-type wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to primarily serve as an infantryman with a secondary duty as a medic. This can be a difficult and trying psychological transition for the individual. The insurgency wars the United States has been fighting have required many individuals in this position to be every bit as skilled and capable in the taking of enemy lives as they are in saving lives. The position has changed from the historical line of healer or non-combatant to that of a warrior medic and has added a unique level of psychological pressure to this role.

The wars faced by today's military have changed from those faced by previous generations. For example, in previous wars, the lines of combat were relatively clear. The opposing forces were generally gathered along a linear axis in an attempt to defeat the other force. Medics initially remained behind the combatants and sprung into action, in direct line of fire, to provide medical support to those who were injured. Their role was to provide medical care, and they were regulated under the Geneva Conventions as noncombatants. Today's wars do not maintain the relative luxury of a clear line of combat or uniformed opposition forces. The enemy combatant strikes at any moment, in any location, and without regard for international conventions of war. They wear no uniforms and blend into the local populations after attack. This type of asymmetric warfare has required [Page 113]significant shifts in how the U.S. military conducts their fight. Medics in today's military service receive similar training and tactics as their infantry brethren. Their first requirements are to survive and protect the individuals in the unit, though they bear the additional responsibility of serving as the healer.

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