Expert: Howard Lorenz - 3/18/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi, Im currently in High School...And I have a few questions bout the military. Im in 11th grade and have a 3.6 GPA while taking additional college classes such as EMT-B and biology. Im involved in numerous activites and sports. The point is that Im intrested in being a Navy Corpsman, but I dont know where to start. Do I apply to go to an academy or a college? Im an adrenline junkie and I dont want to be stuck in a hospital, so thats why I want to be a Medic. Is it possible where I can be in the field and help? Is taking EMT classes the way to go? What else should I do to make myself more prepared? Can you help me out here??

ANSWER: You say that you are a adrenaline junkie? I have a job you need to check out before you get into the Navy Groundpounder medic job. Check out the Pararescue career with the Air Force. Its the most intense school you will see in the career that you are persuing. After service it equates to a Flight Nurse/Search & Rescue chopper. You are a flying EMT while you are in the Air Force....

What can you do to get prepared? train , train, train.... What I mean by that is PT. You must PT daily, for PJs you must PT 4 hours a day.. Yea Its that intense. Running, Weight traing, swimming are the core elements to a PJ test.

As a Navy corpsman, you are working with a Marine unit, so when you are not patching people up you are shooting at the badguys. As a PJ, you job is to locate, and rescue downed pilots, mariners in trouble at sea, You fight your way in....get our guy  and fight your way out if necessary. Their motto is "So that Others may Live"

They are the ELITE of the ELITE in the Air Force.... Check them out, you will see that you will get and adrenaline fix just watching the videos...

HW

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hey again, I looked into the pararescue and I loved it, but with one BIG problem. I looked at the requirements and they said I had to be a male, which Im not. So that was a bummer. Im still loking into being a Navy Corpsman, do I go to an academy? maybe Annapolis Naval Academy? I dont know where to start?

Answer
Yea sorry about that...

It all really depends on what you are looking to do. If you are after an officer role, then you would need to go to the academy, if not you would persure the medical field as an enlisted person.

I am not all that familiar with the Navy corpsman other than the fact that I know that they are a combat role in most cases. I ahve talked with several of them who are attatched to the Marines.

I realize that you are a adreanaling junkie, but if you do not fully exdplore what you are getting into, you may end up in a naval hospital. You need to find the Navy's stance with women in combat related roles...

There are options in both services for female nursing positions. The Air Force has a flight nurse as well as the Navy.

Do your home work before you get serious... Make these recruiters work for you!