Hospital corpsman
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A Hospital Corpsman,[1] often shortened as Corpsman, or sometimes known as a combat medic in the UNSC Marine Corps or simply medic in both the UNSC Army and Marine Corps,[2][3][Note 1] is a rating within the UNSC Navy.[4]
Overview[edit]
Responsibilities[edit]
In the UNSC Army, a command team is typically comprised of an officer, a radio operator, and a medic.[5] In the UNSC Marine Corps, Corpsmen are assigned to units of various sizes, ranging from smaller units like squads,[2][3] to larger units like platoons.[6] They treat troops' field injuries in any hostile environments; as such, they are often referred to as "docs".[7] They are also trained for any combat scenario in a light infantry role.[8] Outside of combat, while it is recommended a doctor administers cytoprethaline to personnel before they enter cryo-sleep on starships, medics often perform the cytoprethaline injections.[9]
Equipment[edit]
Corpsmen typically adopt the same Battle Dress Uniform as the UNSC Marines;[10] those wearing the M52B body armor are sometimes either distinguished by a red cross on a white background on their chest plates and pauldrons,[11] or adopt dark gray combat utilities with white armor and red details.[12] The post-war Marine BDU use red and white color motifs on body armor, along with the asklepian emblem on the back, to denote medics.[13] Corpsmen assigned to ODST units also employ ODST armors, featuring white and red decals on the helmets and shoulder pad, the latter of which also has the asklepian emblem printed on its surface.[14] Similarly, medics attached to the UNSC Army wear the same battle dress uniform as UNSC Army troopers, albeit with an asklepian emblem on their helmet and shoulder pads.[8] In more recent years, the SUTURE-class Mjolnir has been approved for testing aboard ANVIL Station—intended for use by SPARTAN-IV combat medics.[15]
Medics carry both hard and soft cases that contain numerous medical supplies, including biofoam injection canisters and more direct-application tools for field surgery and dismemberment mitigation. They are typically armed with short-to-mid range weapons.[8]
Ngoc Benti in a Corpsman variant of the M52B body armor.
Helena Gruss in a Corpsman variant of the ODST armor.
The medic variant of post-war marine BDU.
Known Corpsmen[edit]
- Ngoc Benti - Assigned to Sergeant Zhao Heng Lopez's marine detachment onboard UNSC Red Horse in 2552.
- Lucas Browning - Attached to UNSC Infinity in 2559 and became part of the boat crew during the Battle for Zeta Halo.
- R. Coney - Petty Officer, Third Class that participated in the Battle of Sector Six in 2552.
- Helena Gruss - Petty Officer assigned to Sunray 1-1 of Boomerang Company, an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper unit onboard UNSC Spirit of Fire and participated in Operation: SPEARBREAKER in 2559.
- Healy - Petty Officer, First Class attached to UNSC Two for Flinching and assigned to help the training of Harvest's Colonial Militia in 2525.
- Valdez - Assigned to a platoon of ODSTs onboard UNSC Pillar of Autumn in 2552.
- Unidentified corpsman - Assigned to Sergeant Major Johnson's marine unit during the mission to recover John-117 near Mount Kilimanjaro in 2552.
Gameplay[edit]
Halo Wars[edit]
In Halo Wars, the player can research the "Medic" upgrade at the Barracks for the cost of 
3 and 
700. It adds a medic to each squad of Marines. He will fight alongside the others with an assault rifle, and when the squad is idle, will automatically begin healing it. While the medic is healing the squad, an Easy difficulty shield will appear over the squad with a green cross over it.
Halo: Reach[edit]
UNSC medics make a common appearance in Halo: Reach. They fight exactly like normal troopers, and will not provide medical aid to the player or any allies in gameplay whatsoever.
Production notes[edit]
- The UNSC rank structure is largely derived from the system employed by the 21st century United States military, in which a hospital corpsman is an enlisted rating within the navy; corpsmen sometimes serve in a US Marine Corps unit, whereas combat medics serve within the US Army instead. The name "corpsman" is short for "hospital corpsman", which refers to members of US Navy Hospital Corps. Although there has yet to be an official mention of a Navy Hospital Corps within the UNSC, Halo: Contact Harvest established that corpsmen are naval personnel; additionally, it was implied that UNSC Navy's corpsmen, while explicitly not marines, are sometimes attached to UNSC Marine Corps units, as exemplified by corpsman Healy being assigned to Avery Johnson's First Platoon.[4] However, in Halo 3, Sergeant Johnson referred to a corpsman as a Corporal;[10] likewise, in The Mona Lisa, Ngoc Benti was addressed as a Private several times. Both Corporal and Private are enlistment ranks within the Unified Ground Command subordinates (UNSC Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps), but not in the UNSC Navy.[16] As members of the UNSC Navy, the two characters should hold NAVCOM ranks. Furthermore, the terms "corpsman" and "combat medic" have also been used interchangeably, or medical personnel in the UNSC Marine Corps were called "combat medics". In Halo Wars, marine squads are granted the passive ability to heal outside of combat with the "Medic" upgrade, which "adds a combat medic to the squad". In the Halo Wars 2 Phoenix Logs, Corpsman Gruss was referred to as a "Navy combat medic" rather than a "Navy corpsman".[2] Similarly, in Halo: The Rubicon Protocol, Lucas Browning identified himself as "Marine Combat Medic",[17] and later, a "combat medic for the UNSC Marine Corps",[18] seemingly implying that the role of a combat medic exists within the UNSC Marine Corps.
- The medic in Halo Wars appears to be holding a battle rifle in the circle menu, though they still use an assault rifle like a standard Marine.
- "Corpsman" appears as a name option for custom Loadouts in Halo: Reach.
Gallery[edit]
A corpsman treats a wounded Marine in Halo 3.
A squad of ODSTs, including a medic, in Halo Wars.
A marine squad with a medic in Halo Wars.
A medic's backpack in Halo Wars.
The emblem seen on medics and trauma kits in Halo: Reach.
An UNSC Army medic firing an MA37 assault rifle in Halo: Reach.
An UNSC Army medic takes cover during combat in Halo: Reach.
An UNSC Army medic giving directions to SPARTAN-B312 in Halo: Reach.
Comparison between the post-war armors worn by marines and a medic in Halo 4.
Concept art for a medic in Halo Wars 2.
Concept art for a medic in Halo Wars 2.
Concept art for a medic in Halo Wars 2.
Concept art for a medic in Halo Infinite.
List of appearances[edit]
- Halo: The Fall of Reach (First appearance)
- Halo: The Flood
- Halo: Landfall
- Halo 3
- Halo: Contact Harvest
- Halo Wars
- Halo: The Cole Protocol
- Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
- Halo: Reach
- Halo: Glasslands (Mentioned only)
- Halo 4
- Halo: Last Light (Mentioned only)
- Halo: Ground Command
- Halo Wars 2
- Halo: Envoy
- Halo Infinite
- Halo: Shadows of Reach (Mentioned only)
- Halo: The Rubicon Protocol
Notes[edit]
- ^ The terms "corpsman" and "combat medic" have been conflated in the Halo series. See this article's production notes section.
Sources[edit]
- ^ Halo: Evolutions - The Mona Lisa: "Around her: Hospital Corpsman Ngoc Benti, Technical Officer Raj Singh, his helpers, the ever-silent, inscrutable Clarence, and a crack pilot named Burgundy who'd just come back from a recon mission."
- ^ a b c Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Logs: Corpsman Gruss
- ^ a b Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Stay Frosty (Retrieved on Jun 17, 2018) [archive]
- ^ a b Halo: Contact Harvest, chapter 4: ""Healy. Petty Officer First Class. Corpsman." All of which meant Healy was navy—not a marine."
- ^ Halo: Ground Command: Officer - UNSC Army Command Unit "A UNSC Command Team is comprised of an Officer, Radio Operator and Medic. The team's presence can improve a unit's ability to react to deadly situations and harden their resolve in the heat of battle."
- ^ Halo: The Flood, chapter 1
- ^ Halo: The Rubicon Protocol, chapter 5
- ^ a b c Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition), page 56
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition), page 226
- ^ a b Halo 3, campaign level Arrival
- ^ Halo: Landfall - Halo: Last One Standing, timestamp 2:22
- ^ The Mona Lisa: motion comic
- ^ Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 32
- ^ Halo Wars 2: Operation: SPEARBREAKER concept art
- ^ Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Halo 3 armor customisation: Suture armor description "Spartan combat medics and specialized Mjolnir are a new experiment series approved for ANVIL testing."
- ^ Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual, page 140
- ^ Halo: The Rubicon Protocol, chapter 3
- ^ Halo: The Rubicon Protocol, chapter 33
