FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Today, the 127th birthday of the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps was celebrated with honor and pride at the Defense Health Headquarters. The ceremony brought together Navy Medicine leadership and corpsmen to reflect on the enduring legacy of the Hospital Corps and their continuing impact across the fleet and around the world.
Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Erica Coleman opened the celebration, “The many selfless acts performed by hospital corpsmen over the last 127 years has defined the legacy of the Hospital Corps, earning the respect and admiration of those we serve alongside. We will no doubt continue to uphold and press forward with our legacy.”
While the Hospital Corps was established in 1898 by President William McKinley, enlisted Sailors have been serving in medical roles since the first days of the Navy, as loblolly boys, apothecaries, medical attendants and surgical stewards. To date, hospital corpsmen are the most decorated rate in the Navy, with 23 Medal of Honor recipients, 946 Silver Stars and 1,582 Bronze Stars with the combat “V” for valor.
Rear Adm. Rick Freedman, Navy deputy Surgeon General and deputy chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery said during the event, “In moments when my faith and confidence were shaken, I looked to my left and to my right – and there was always a corpsman standing beside me, ready to answer the call.”


During the ceremony, all past and current hospital corpsmen present recited the Hospital Corpsmen’s pledge to affirm the commitment they made to the sacred trust of their profession, and as a tribute to the generations who served before them.
Master Chief Hospital Corpsman Hansen Lafoucade, deputy director of the Hospital Corps, issued a challenge to every corpsman, “Honor the legacy of the Corps and tell the stories of those who came before you. Excel in the present – never walk past a deficiency you can fix. Lastly, innovate for your future corpsmen. If the training manual doesn’t exist yet, write it.”
The 127th Hospital Corpsman birthday celebration served as a powerful reminder of the essential role corpsmen play in supporting the health and readiness of our Navy and Marine Corps team. As they continue to serve on ships, submarines, aircraft carriers, clinics and the battlefield, their commitment and courage remains as the cornerstone of Navy Medicine and an inspiration to all who answered the call: “Corpsman Up!”
The Navy Hospital Corps is comprised of more than 26,000 active duty and reserve Hospital Corpsmen that are practicing or training in 40 technical specialties. Hospital Corpsmen are enlisted medical sailors who serve on the frontlines with our operators - whether embedded in Marine units, serving at MTFs, or aboard submarines and surface ships as Independent Duty Corpsmen.
Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea and ashore.