MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Corpsmen gathered at the Branch Medical Clinic June 17 in commemoration of the Hospital Corps' 106th birthday.
The Hospital Corps was established March 2, 1799 when an Act of Congress mandated all Navy ships provide an area for the sick and injured to be cared for. As a result, there was still no title or job description for enlisted medical personnel.
The nickname 'loblolly boy' had been commonly used for several years. It became the official title in Navy Regulations in 1814.
The loblolly boy was to provide the cockpit with empty containers to collect amputated limbs, as well as provide containers of coal to heat tar, which was used to stop hemorrhaging.
The first loblolly boy on record was John Wall, who signed aboard the USS Constellation June 1, 1798.
The name 'surgeon's steward' officially replaced the nickname loblolly boy in 1842.
As time progressed and corpsmen found themselves in different scenarios, they changed their name to their common name today, corpsmen.
Corpsmen today have compiled an honorable legacy, participating in wars and conflicts around the world. Hospital corpsmen have responded to natural disasters, military accidents and other peacetime emergencies around the world.
Today, the 23,000 regular and 6,000 reserve members of the Navy Hospital Corps continue to provide faithful service around the world to Sailors. Corpsmen are assigned to naval hospital clinics, surface ships and submarines. Corpsmen maintain constant battle readiness with the Navy Sea Air Land (SEAL) teams and Marine units.
The Branch Medical Clinic honored all the corpsmen that paved the way for them to be where they are today. The Sailors recited the Hospital Corpsman Pledge and soon after, performed a cake-cutting ceremony honoring the youngest and oldest Sailor present.