The US Navy Corpsman 119 Birthday,
CORPSMAN UP
Up at the front and filled with fear, he pleads with God, don't leave me here.
Wounded and bleeding and hunched with pain, thrown on his back in the mud and the rain
Others went down, some hit, all scared; no one moved, no one dared.
We'd moved swiftly through the paddy mire, and then it happened; enemy fire
It's Corpsman Up," when things get hot, the nearest thing to God, we've got
"Corpsman Up," to save a breath. "Corpsman Up," in the face of death.
Stop the bleeding, treat for shock; no time for hesitation "Doc"
Patch him up and get him back; back to the rear; call a medevac
Operating room well lit and clean; Doctors waiting, dressed in green.
Operate with speed and skill, experts with a determined will.
Save lives or limbs to save dreams, no matter how impossible it seems.
Work on in a sweat in mud and grime; to save a life . . . there's not much time.
You joined the navy to learn your trade, went to school, and made the grade.
It's "Corpsman Up," when the rounds are flying; "Corpsman Up," when men are dying.
You're one of us, a grunt of grit; like it or not you just can't quit.
"Corpsman Up," step from the ranks. "Corpsman Up," and accept our thanks.
