MovieChat Forums > Combat! (1962) Discussion > Doc does the unthinkable (at least for h...

Doc does the unthinkable (at least for him)


In episode 'The Hostages' our non weapon toting Doc gets pushed beyond the edge to save others in the squad.
While I don't know his back-story my guess is he's a Conscientious Objector but still wanted to do his part somehow? He became a medic?
Assuming he survived the war would he have gone on to be a doctor afterwards?

Where am I going wrong?


BTW: If any China Beach fans read these posts rumor was a few months ago of a possible reunion of the characters 20 years later. Go to that board to reply as it might do the most good there!

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I guess you would be right. Since I heard or read somewhere before he was drafted in the Army to train as a medic, Doc was like a boxer or something like that. But really if it is his call to be a medic or a doctor, he would be great at it and would probably make a lot of money if he went into private practice.

Fools of April

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You do not have to be a conscientious objector to find killing people repugnant. He probably had completed a Red Cross first aid course before enlisting.
All infantrymen were armed, whether they were in the front line, stretcher bearers or truck drivers.

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Hi Willjohn,

I'm not sure, but I believe military medics and corpsmen were designated as non-combatants and weren't allowed to carry weapons, possibly due to the rules of the Geneva Convention.

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World War II: Combat Medics http://hubpages.com/hub/World-War-II-Combat-Medics

In most armies, medics wear specific insignia, with a prominent Red Cross on a white background. Islamic countries use a red crescent instead while Israeli medics wear the Magen David Adom (a red star of David on a white background). These symbols signify to enemy soldiers that the medic is a noncombatant, providing medical care. For many years, most medics have carried at least a side arm like the handgun and knife (and now, frequently a rifle, carbine or submachine gun), to be used as a defensive weapon. Medical personnel may be armed, but may only use their weapons to protect themselves or the wounded and sick in their care. If they use their arms offensively (i.e. attacking or assaulting), or carry arms that qualify as offensive (such as a sniper rifle, machine gun or grenade launcher), they then sacrifice their protection under the Geneva Conventions. Generally, a medic holding his/her weapon is considered to be an armed, military threat. According to the Geneva Convention, knowingly firing at a medic wearing clear insignia is a war crime.

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