LIEPAJA, Latvia (June 8, 2026) For Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Dante Hendrix, wearing the Navy uniform was always a matter of family tradition.
As he grew up in Southern California, he watched his father serve a full Navy career before retiring. That example helped shape his own decision to enlist and eventually led him toward one of the Navy’s most trusted roles of caring for Marines and Sailors in the field.
“I always knew I wanted to join the Navy,” Hendrix said, “and I definitely wanted to go the corpsman route because I love helping people.”
Since enlisting in September 2022, he has been doing exactly that.
Hendrix now serves alongside the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion as the only hospital corpsman attached to the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) team. Being the only corpsman in the unit means that wherever the Marines go, he goes, a dynamic that was on full display during a Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2026 training evolution.
“So today, we have a scenario where there are reports of a chemical lab that was being used for chemical warfare,” Hendrix said. “The Marines are going to go scout the area, collect whatever samples they can find and help prevent other people from being hurt, and it being used in the area.”
The evolution required CBRN Marines to execute a complex reconnaissance and decontamination scenario while working beside members of the Latvian National Guard’s response team. For Hendrix, the training offered a closer look at the specialized mission his Marines are expected to carry out.
“The scenario prepares the Marines to put on their Mission-Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) suits and figure out how to properly contain and transport a contaminant or chemical agent to a lab where it can be further examined,” Hendrix said.
While the Marines focused on the tactical objective, Hendrix’s mission was ensuring the unit’s medical readiness in the field. He monitored the team, remained prepared to treat injuries and ensured the Marines had medical support throughout the training.
“My role is to supervise the Marines that are here,” Hendrix said. “I make sure that if they get hurt, or if there is any kind of trauma that comes through, I am here to treat that.”
BALTOPS 2026 is the premier maritime-focused exercise in the Baltic Sea region, providing a unique training opportunity to strengthen combined response capabilities critical to preserving freedom of navigation and security in the Baltic Sea.
“Seeing CBRN in action has given me more perspective,” Hendrix said, corpsmen rarely get the opportunity to observe these operations firsthand. “Actually seeing how they go about these movements and exercises, and the training including a real-world aspect to it, helps me be more aware of my role. With our typical [corpsman] training, we don’t really get to see this unless we’re, how I am now, here with them.”
From following his father’s example to serving alongside Marines in a multinational training environment, Hendrix said the experience has reinforced why he chose to become a corpsman and why being present, prepared and ready to help matters when his team needs him.
Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allies, international partners, and other U.S. government departments and agencies to advance U.S. national interests, security and stability in Europe and Africa.