Chief Hospital Corpsman Finds His Ship at Sea: A Stinger's Journey

Chief Hospital Corpsman Finds His Ship at Sea: A Stinger's Journey

by Petty Officer 3rd Class Eric Moser

06 November 2024 ABOARD USS WASP - Hospital corpsmen, by virtue of being the largest occupational rate, have one of the most varied career fields in the Navy. From dental hygienists serving in bustling medical centers in metropolitan areas to x-ray technicians; from independent-duty corpsmen on submarines to combat patrols on land. Corpsmen are needed wherever the Navy and Marine Corps are; at sea or otherwise.

Chief Hospital Corpsman Arland Yancey is one such Sailor. Despite joining the Navy to serve on a ship, Yancey is on deployment as ship's company for the first time in his 15 year career, serving as the leading chief petty officer for medical and dental department aboard the first-in-class amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1).


Born and raised in Lake Jackson, Texas, Yancey moved to Colorado in his teenage years, where he finished high school. He had a conversation with his father after working odd-jobs such as truck driving, which steered him to the Navy. He enlisted shortly after graduating high school, in 2007.

"My dad told me, 'You're gonna do a ship, a scholarship for school, or you're gonna go to a Navy ship,'" said Yancey. "I chose the Navy ship."

Yancey went to the recruiter and decided on being a corpsman after being told what the job entailed. He graduated Recruit Training Command in 2008, after which he learned his rating and was ready to hit the fleet.

Ironically, Yancey's first assignment was to 1st Marine Division in Camp Pendleton, Calif. as a "green side" corpsman. He served as a combat medic, or "doc," as Marines call them with great reverence.

He checked into the command at the end of the unit's pre-deployment work-up cycle. He described his first tour as a "learning curve." Before his experience with the Marines, Yancey had never picked up a rifle, nor slept outside. He did both of those in the rain for the first time that tour.

"On my first field-op, I had a packing list on what I should bring," said Yancey. "A) I didn't know what a lot of it meant. And B) I was too lazy."

As a result, Yancey slept on the wet ground with wet socks and no sleeping bag for a week.

"I learned a valuable lesson that I should read, and then ask questions," said Yancey, grinning as he shared the story.

Since then, Yancey served multiple tours in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. He was consistently assigned to patrol bases which were manned by about 30 Marines, ready at any moment to face the hostile environment they were in. Yancey's first experience on the "blue-side" of the Navy was at Naval Medical Center San Diego, working as a Drug Abuse Prevention and Assistance officer.

Now, Yancey serves as a leading chief petty officer for the medical and dental wings aboard Wasp. On a U.S. Navy ship, corpsmen serve in the capacity of pharmacists, lab technicians, and medics who are trained in treating battlefield trauma. When asked whether he uses his past experiences to teach his Sailors, Yancey said "[it] doesn't help with the here-and-now."

"Each world is unique to itself," said Yancey. "Some parts of our own work-ups on Wasp were just as stressful as being deployed [to Afghanistan]. Going on four months with one liberty port? That's tough!"

He humbly credits his Sailors for their on-going commitment to the medical department's mission and for going "non-stop on day-to-day tasks."

"I'm probably more blessed to have them as Sailors than [they are] having me as their chief," said Yancey. "It's absolutely an honor."

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Orlando Perez, a Sailor in Wasp's medical department, gave his perspective on what that commitment looks like.

"I'm proud of the medical department," said Perez. "We do a little bit of everything. We're dentists, doctors, [and] a surgeon onboard. If someone has the sniffles to a broken leg, we can do it. The doctors trust [the corpsmen] to do procedures that we've trained to do. We have a solid crew."

Although his department is tasked with jobs round the clock, Yancey encourages his corpsmen to get out and meet Sailors on the ship from every department and to help where they can. He understands that each department, with the exception of medical, contributes Sailors to perform necessary duties, such as environmental or security. As a result, Yancey likes to ask his Sailors, "What can medical do for the ship?"

"Each department on Wasp is dependent on the next one," said Yancey. "Medical tries to lessen the load for every 'Stinger' on the boat, however we may."

Yancey said he is excited "each and every day" to finally be at sea. "I fought 15 years to be a part of ship's company," said Yancey. "I like seeing other rates be able to do their jobs and learning something new from them. To be able to see the beginning, to really be out here... It's motivating."

Wasp is deployed as the flagship of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (WSP ARG)-24th MEU (SOC), conducting operations in the Naval Forces Europe and Africa area of operations, supporting U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region, including in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, to promote regional stability and deter aggression.

To learn more about HMC Yancey and his shipmates, follow USS Wasp's adventures on Facebook and Instagram (@usswasp_lhd1).

To learn more about WSP ARG and 24th MEU (SOC) "Team of Teams," visit their DVIDS feature page at https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/wasparg24thmeu.

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