8404 Medevac Corpsman MOS Patch

8404 MEDEVAC Corpsman Patch 4.5" x 3.25" Embroidered Patch with Iron-On Backing

Superior Materials: Made with premium polyester thread and durable twill fabric, ensuring long-lasting color and strength.
Advanced Embroidery Technology: Crafted using the most advanced embroidery machinery, guaranteeing intricate detail, sharp lines, and consistent quality every time.
Easy Iron-On Application: Features a heat-activated adhesive backing for quick, no-sew attachment. Simply position, iron, and press for a secure bond.
Versatile Use: Perfect for personalizing jackets, backpacks, uniforms, or any fabric surface that needs a touch of personality.
Durable and Washable: Designed to withstand everyday wear and occasional washing without fading or fraying.

Formations & Origins
The 8404 Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) designates a Fleet Marine Force (FMF) Hospital Corpsman trained and qualified in field medical service—combat medicine. Within that community, those who serve as medevac corpsmen hold one of the most harrowing and noble callings in military medicine. These sailors aren’t just trained in trauma—they live it. They are forged alongside Marines, carry them off the battlefield, and often take fire while doing so.

This NEC represents the grit of medical professionals who not only save lives but do it under conditions most wouldn’t dare to enter.

Notable Commanders
Medevac corpsmen typically serve under Marine rifle company commanders or battalion surgeons, but their real leadership comes in the form of trust—from the Marines who rely on them to be their lifeline. Some have gone on to become senior enlisted leaders, chief petty officers, or independent duty corpsmen with their own legacy of field service.

One name that echoes in the halls of Navy medicine is HM1 Luis Fonseca Jr., a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman and 8404 who earned the Navy Cross for heroism under fire in Iraq—though not specifically a medevac role, he reflects the caliber of warrior-medic the community produces.

Major Campaigns/Operations
8404 medevac corpsmen have deployed in nearly every major combat theater involving U.S. Marines:

• Vietnam War: Corpsmen carried wounded Marines through jungle fire, often becoming legends within their platoons.

• Desert Storm: Quick extractions across flat, exposed terrain.

• Iraq & Afghanistan: Helicopter medevacs under RPG fire, roadside IEDs, complex trauma in remote FOBs.

• Humanitarian missions in the Pacific and Central America: proving the role is broader than war.

Specialized Role/Equipment
Medevac corpsmen are the bridge between injury and survival. They:

• Ride with CASEVAC and MEDEVAC helicopters under fire

• Carry full trauma kits, burn packs, blood expansion tools, and field tourniquets

• Coordinate LZs (landing zones) with forward observers and helicopter pilots

• Provide care en route from the battlefield to Role II or III facilities

• Train alongside Marine units in trauma lanes, TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care), and extraction techniques

Unlike a traditional corpsman, the 8404 with medevac responsibilities must be equally comfortable on the ground with grunts and in the bird with a critical patient.

Acts of Heroism
There are too many to count, and too many that went unseen.

There’s the corpsman who loaded three wounded Marines onto a bird after a night ambush in Sangin, taking shrapnel and returning to the fight after getting patched up. The one who rappelled into an Afghan valley under fire because the bird couldn’t land. The one who kept a Marine alive with a collapsed lung for 18 minutes until the Blackhawk arrived.

These are not stories read in books. They are whispered in unit reunions, etched into gravestones, and stitched into memory.

Legacy & Notable Achievements
The 8404 medevac corpsman is not just a patch—it’s a promise. That if a Marine goes down, someone will run toward them. That someone will know what to do, even when chaos reigns.

This patch belongs to those who did more than treat the wounded. They braved danger to get to them. They fought time, terrain, and fear. They strapped brothers to litters and held their IVs in flight.

Wearing this patch is a badge of life given back. It's quiet pride. It's sacrifice. It's the mark of the ones who stood in two worlds—warrior and healer—and never blinked.