13035 U.S.N. Corpsman, 1944-45, No.1

After basic Navy training, some recruits went on to Hospital Corps school, where they learned rudimentary first aid and how to handle basic medical equipment. Most Corpsmen were assigned to U.S. Navy hospitals or ships. A select few were sent to the Marines. The corpsmen who served with the Fleet Marine Force would have to go through Marine boot camp. There they were trained in combat and weapons skills even though the Geneva Conventions expressly prohibits any doctors, medics, nurses, or corpsmen from carrying weapons. They must display a red cross insignia on their person or helmet to show they are a noncombatant although a sidearm strapped to the hip contradicts that assertion. Those assigned to Marine units made beach assaults with the marines in every battle in the Pacific.