Corpsman, Up!
Aug 8, 2013 19:38:34 GMT -6
Post by Moderator on Aug 8, 2013 19:38:34 GMT -6
Corpsman, Up!
By USMC Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Bartlett
III Marine Amphibious Force – Danang, South Vietnam
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.
------------------------------------------------------
Tom Bartlett joined the Marine Corps in 1952, served in Korea and then served four tours in Vietnam. He retired as a Master Sergeant in 1971. He died at age 63 from cancer on January 20, 1997. He is buried at Quantico National Cemetery in Triangle, Virginia.
By USMC Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Bartlett
III Marine Amphibious Force – Danang, South Vietnam
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.
------------------------------------------------------
Tom Bartlett joined the Marine Corps in 1952, served in Korea and then served four tours in Vietnam. He retired as a Master Sergeant in 1971. He died at age 63 from cancer on January 20, 1997. He is buried at Quantico National Cemetery in Triangle, Virginia.