| Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman | |
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Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman |
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| Active | 19 June 1957 - present |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | United States Department of Defense United States Department of the Navy |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Type | Special Operations (Capable) Force |
| Part of | Fleet Marine Force |
| Nickname | "Doc" |
| Motto | "The difficult Anytime, the 'Impossible' by appointment only!" |
The Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsmen are corpsmen that provide the Marine Air-Ground Task Force reconnaissance teams advanced trauma management associated with combatant diving and parachute entry. The Fleet Marine Force also have Independent Duty Corpsmen (IDC), the Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsmen (SARC), attached to the Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance companies to help support the Command Element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force in special reconnaissance missions.
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The SARCs are a team of 22 senior corpsmen and seventy-two junior corpsmen, trained and specialized in the same aspects of their Recon Marine counterparts, in amphibious, deep recon and direct action. They are also capable of conducting detailed underwater ship-bottom searches. During operational status, the teams will then be dispersed evenly throughout the Marine recon platoons; usually one amphibious recon corpsman per platoon. SARCs have regularly acted as the point man, as sharp shooters, as the radio operator, or even the team leader in the Marine recon teams/platoons.
The environments that Recon Marines and Recon Corpsmen face during a mission are usually hazardous. The Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsmen use their paramedic skills to provide advanced medical support and other emergency medical procedures related to the hazards of swimming, open and closed circuit SCUBA diving, and military freefall during amphibious reconnaissance operations. They also instruct and advise the recon Marines in prevention and treatment of illnesses, whether in combat or training.
The SARC has the duty of hyperbaric chamber operator: skilled in the operation of recompression chambers for hyperbaric treatment. They are also required to know laws and physics of diving, fundamentals of proper gas mixtures, theory and practice of decompression and the use of decompression tables.
Male graduates of Field Medical Service School, hospitalman to hospital corpsman 2nd class, who are currently serving with a Marine Corps unit may attend the screening. Candidates must have a current ASVAB general technical score of 100 or higher, the last three physical fitness assessments and be able to achieve a first class swim qualification. A commanding officer endorsement is also required, no non-judicial punishments for 12 months and no court-martials for 24 months. The extensive training requires a commitment to serve as a recon corpsman for a minimum of three years.
Qualified recon corpsmen are sent to a "Marines Awaiting Reconnaissance Training" (MART) platoon at Camp Pendleton, CA where they train continuously. Once a corpsman passes the screening criteria, he must attend the 13-week Basic Reconnaissance Course at Camp Pendleton, CA. After BRC, the corpsman must complete training schools that include the United States Marine Corps Combatant Diver Course, Army Basic Airborne School and Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman Course.[1]
After completion of Phase 1-6 listed below, corpsman holding the NEC 8404 will be awarded the NEC 8427. All other personnel will be able to perform as a qualified inside tender.[2]
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