Re: More military questions!

Maybe you could enlist <grin>?

On Thu, 6 Dec 2001 21:12:54 -0500 "Tomb" <tomb@dreammechanics.com>
writes:
>1) Do Corpsmen/Medics travel armed usually? Does this vary based on
>theatre? Does it vary by nationality? Or by military institution
>(Navy/Army/Marines)?
>

Well, I remember my old Boy scout leader talking to the other adults one
night about that.  He was WW2 and had the pleasure of being recycled
into
combat in the Korean War as a Navy Corpsman with the Marines.  He said
initially he wore the red cross symbols and was unarmed.  The first time
he responded to a cry of "Corpsman" and a quick thinking and straight
shooting Marine shot the sneaky bastard waiting with his Japanese rifle
and bayonet, he realized the 'rules of war' were not clear
cross-culturally.  He quickly "lost" the little red targets and
'acquired' a pistol, later a carbine.  Now I am not an expert on the
Geneva Convention but IIRC from my USAF medic days I believe a medic may
carry self-defense weapons (Pistol, although a combat shotgun sounds
kind
of nice to me - actually I think an M-60, while outside the parameters a
bit, sounds even better.

<snip for the USMC guys to answer>

>3) In the US forces, where the Queen is not head of state, what does 
>it
>mean to hold a commission? (It isn't from the Queen) Similarly, what
>does it mean to hold a warrant? Who issues them? 
>

IIRC, a gentleman and an officer by act of congress.

>4) Do other nations have a distinction between rank and appointment 
>the
>same way Canadians do? We have Warrant Officers, Master Warrant 
>Officers
>and Chief Warrant Officers. We also have Regimental and Company
>Sergeant-Majors, Base Warrant Officers, and a Canadian Forces Chief
>Warrant Officer (appointments). It seems to me you can call these 
>people
>by either their actual rank ("Chief Warrant Peplinksi") or by their
>title ("RSM Peplinksi"). Do other nations have this distinction? 
>

Well the US Army has enlisted, warrant and commissioned,whereas the USAF
has enlisted and commissioned only.  Again I leave the USMC to members,
past and present.  And ditto for the Navy and my father's service, the
USCG.

I would pull my Dad's 1942 Blue Jacket's manual but it is in a bag in a
box in the basement waiting the exchange of the Library and our Master
Bedroom.  Ugly situation, that.

Gracias,
Glenn/Triphibious@juno.com
This is my Science Fiction Alter Ego E-mail address.
Historical - Warbeads@juno.com
Fantasy and 6mm - dwarf_warrior@juno.com

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