June 22, 2026
Whenever, Wherever: NMCP Celebrates the 128th Birthday of the Hospital Corpsman
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth —
PORTSMOUTH, Va. – The hospital corps, signed into action by former President of the United States William McKinley, June 17, 1898, was the solution to the need for well-trained enlisted medical personnel, a need which was emphasized by the Spanish-American War. Hospital corpsmen were meant to be able to deploy with multiple units around the world to maintain the fleet’s medical readiness abroad.