II Marine Expeditionary Force (Fwd)

Story by Cpl. Triah Pendracki

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq – Every Marine unit conducting missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom has one thing in common: dedicated hospital corpsmen always prepared to deal with illnesses and injuries, both great and small.

Hospital corpsmen with II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group (Forward), serve with Marine and naval units across the Al Anbar province and provide quality medical care at a moment's notice for their fellow service members.

"I just recently came back from Blue Diamond out by Camp Ramadi," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Josua Badillo, a corpsman with the II MHG (Fwd) Group Aid Station. "We get tasked out to go to any unit within II MEF (Fwd), sometimes for five weeks, sometimes longer."

When these 'docs' are not embedded with units, they work at the GAS aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, caring for several different units under II MEF (Fwd) with services such as sick call, dental and sports medicine.

"We provide medical care for the command element, transition teams, intelligence battalion and 8th Communications Battalion," said Seaman Derek Meluzio, a hospital corpsmen with II MHG (Fwd) GAS.

The staff at the GAS, like most other Marine and naval units, are very close with one another.

"Meluzio and I went to boot camp and corps school together," said Badillo. "It was a wild time at corps school at Great Lakes [Illinois] with him," added Meluzio.

"It's funny how we are like a big family of brothers and sisters," joked Petty Officer 1st Class Jordan Brown, a corpsman at the GAS. "I seem to be more like the mom of the bunch though, always keeping them in check."

While these docs daydream about what cars they're going to buy when they get back from Iraq, and exchange playful insults with willing patients, they all realize how important their obligations are to their fellow service members.

"No one can do anything without a corpsman," explained Petty Officer 2ndClass Chad Mangrum, a corpsman at the GAS. "Sailors don't leave their ports and Marines can't leave the wire without one of us. Every unit that has Marines and sailors needs corpsmen; there's no way around it."

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