Medic Doc is Earned T-Shirt

We have a ton of respect for everyone in the medical profession. We appreciate the years of school it takes, the pressure situations that a surgeon or a doctor or nurse in the ER or ICU has to endure. Not everyone can do that and we know it. But the combat medic, the corpsman…these troops do something that would leave most doctors and nurses sucking their fingers and crying for mommy.

It is fitting that 45 years ago today on Nov 8, 1965 Specialist Five Lawrence Joel, outnumbered 6 to 1 by the Viet Cong, embodied the true spirit of our combat medical personnel. Nothing I can write will state the medic’s value to the U.S. Army more than this excerpt from Specialist Joel’s Medal of Honor citation:

After treating the men wounded by the initial burst of gunfire, he bravely moved forward to assist others who were wounded while proceeding to their objective. While moving from man to man, he was struck in the right leg by machine gun fire. Although painfully wounded his desire to aid his fellow soldiers transcended all personal feeling. He bandaged his own wound and self-administered morphine to deaden the pain enabling him to continue his dangerous undertaking. Through this period of time, he constantly shouted words of encouragement to all around him. Then, completely ignoring the warnings of others, and his pain, he continued his search for wounded, exposing himself to hostile fire; and, as bullets dug up the dirt around him, he held plasma bottles high while kneeling completely engrossed in his life saving mission. Then, after being struck a second time and with a bullet lodged in his thigh, he dragged himself over the battlefield and succeeded in treating 13 more men before his medical supplies ran out. Displaying resourcefulness, he saved the life of one man by placing a plastic bag over a severe chest wound to congeal the blood. As 1 of the platoons pursued the Viet Cong, an insurgent force in concealed positions opened fire on the platoon and wounded many more soldiers. With a new stock of medical supplies, Sp6c. Joel again shouted words of encouragement as he crawled through an intense hail of gunfire to the wounded men.

To the troops from all branches that keep us alive until we can get on the operating table – we love you. Thank you for coming for us. Every. Single. Time.