Ep 12: Second Chances, HM2 Clayton Beauchamp

America's Memory

”Corpsman!” The Marine fires at the enemy and then places a hand on his fallen comrade. “Corpsman!” he yells one more time. He looks down. “Hold on, buddy.”

A similarly dressed man runs up and drops down next to both of them. “I’ve got this,” he says.

The Marine who had called out returns to firing.

The corpsman begins a blood sweep and then reaches for a bandage. “We’re going to get you out of here,” he tells the wounded man.

That fictional scene is seen in nearly every war film. These brave young men fight alongside other soldiers and marines, yet also perform battlefield medicine as bullets zing past them.

They’re trained to calm their patient while treating sometimes horrific injuries as explosions ring out and dirt flies. They call them corpsman in the United States Marines and medics in the Army. Clayton Beauchamp epitomized the job.

He spent his childhood years in Weatherford, Texas; a child of the 90s. Full of personality, he had an affinity for hard work, humor, and family. His big smile helped him win many friends.

His father, Jack Beauchamp, worked for a time as the pit boss for motocross racing. Have gave Clay the job of flagging a downed rider. He quickly became the best at this role and gave him his first taste of being a first responder. At giving the rider a potential second chance to get back into the race.

Clay, a patriot, desired to serve his country and had a great-grandfather that served a medic in World War II. His father encouraged him to work as a hospital corpsman in the navy as Clay’s brother Christopher was serving.

Following his service, Clay could then work as an EMT. One month after high school graduation, the Navy sent him to Great Lakes, Illinois for boot camp and initial corpsman training. He followed that with emergency medical training at his first duty station in Pensacola, Florida.