Fleet Medical Corps Pins
by Rear Admiral Manitsas #295

Early in the history of the Emperor’s Hammer, there was a member of the command staff called the Fleet Medical Officer.  Many, but not all ships or wings in the TIE Corps had a ship’s doctor and a flight nurse whose responsibilities were limited to being a roving morale booster. Back then, the position of a Doctor or Nurse was honorary and had little official sanction.  This also resulted in few Doctors and Nurses even assigned.  Shortly before the start of the Fleet Medical Corps, only two or three Doctors were officially appointed in the whole fleet.  Despite the lack of a defined role, the TIE Corps uniform created by Ender mBind did include a pin for the Ship’s Doctor.

The Ship’s Doctor wore a gold caduceus on his or her collar.  The Flight Nurse wore a silver one.  The caduceus is an emblem from Greek mythology. The caduceus was winged staff with two serpents twined around it, carried by Hermes.  In earlier cultures, notably the Babylonian, the intertwined snakes symbolized fertility, wisdom, and healing.  The staff was carried by Greek officials and became a Roman symbol for truce and neutrality.  Since the 16th century it has served as a symbol of medicine. The staff of Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, which was entwined by a single snake, was also called a caduceus.  The caduceus has been adopted as a symbol by the medical profession; it is also the emblem of the medical branches of the United States Army and Navy.  This elegant and understated symbol immediately identified the special position that the pilot served on his or her ship. These doctors in the Emperor’s Hammer provided important services to their units, but they were not collectively organized at the time.