Faces of 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment Seaman Marcus Fluke, a hospital corpsman: Part three of a series

Photo By Richard Blumenstein | (Right) Seaman Marcus Fluke, a hospital corpsman with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment checks Marines’ feet during a break in training at the Urban Assault Course on Fort Pickett, Va., Sep. 11, 2011. More than 900 Marines and sailors will take part in the Deployment for Training exercise at Fort Pickett, Sept. 6-23. The battalion is scheduled to attach to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit a few days after the training.  

FORT PICKETT, VA, UNITED STATES

09.22.2011

Story by Sgt. Richard Blumenstein 

24th Marine Expeditionary Unit

FORT PICKETT, VA -- Seaman Marcus Fluke takes care of Marines' ... feet.

The 20-year-old Bedford County, Pa., native is a hospital corpsman with 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 2nd Marine Regiment.

His job as a hospital corpsman is to act as a medical first responder for Marines, while also being able to perform the tasks of regular infantrymen such as patrolling and Military Operations in Urban Terrain.

"The way I've been training is to be a rifleman just like the Marines," the sailor said.

A less glorified job he has is to act like a 'mom.' Corpsmen have the responsibility of preventive medicine. They distribute medicine, bandage wounds, and advise remedies for everything from blisters to headaches.

"We're not doctors, we're not trained to diagnose anything, it's all preventative medicine," he said. "Like a mom."

The battalion conducted the Deployment for Training exercise, which took place Sept. 6-23 at Fort Pickett, and prepared the Marines for attaching to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit as its Battalion Landing Team. The battalion is scheduled to attach to MEU a few days after training.

• Date Taken: 09.22.2011
• Date Posted: 09.22.2011 19:25
• Story ID: 77473
• Location: FORT PICKETT, VA, US