METC's Inaugural Corpsman 'A' School Class Graduates

By Lisa Braun, Medical Education and Training Campus Public Affairs

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (NNS) -- The Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) graduated its first class of corpsmen from the Basic Medical Technician Corpsman "A" school during a ceremony aboard Fort Sam Houston, Texas, July 19.

For almost a century, Navy Hospital Corps School has been taught primarily aboard Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill.

"Today we graduate the first class of corpsmen who for the rest of their careers will look back to where it all began and will call that place San Antonio," said Capt. John Larnerd, Jr., Navy Medicine Training Center commanding officer. "METC's motto is to produce the world's finest Medics, Corpsmen and Techs, and today marks the beginning of that legacy. Our graduates today have trained in the most sophisticated training environment ever brought to bear in medical technical training."

Larnerd recognized the instructors and staff of the school, praising them for the many long hours spent preparing the students for this milestone.

"You have molded and inspired this next generation of corpsmen, and I hope you take pride in knowing that they wouldn't be here today without the leadership and sacrifice that you have made to bring them to this point."

The 134 new corpsmen completed an intense, 12-week introductory medical training program that commenced in April. Courses included CPR, basic Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), corpsman fundamentals and introduction to nursing.

Hospital Corpsman Master Chief Barry Moore, former METC command master chief, was the guest speaker for the ceremony.

"Every graduate in the audience should have ambitions to be successful in their personal life and professional career," said Moore. "Whatever your destiny, the leadership tools you received in HM 'A' School will play a pivotal role in your success."

METC stood up in 2010, as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission's decision to co-locate all enlisted medical training for the Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard. It is the world's largest military medical training institution and it is projected to have about 8,000 students enrolled on any given day. It will administer 64 medical training programs when it becomes fully operational in September of this year.