"I pray to slow the blood and staunch the wound."
- — Excerpt from the Imperial Catechism of Healing
A female Imperial Guard Medic of the Vostroyan Firstborn
An Imperial Guard Medic, also called a Combat Medic, is a soldier of the Astra Militarum who has been specially trained in combat medicine and is responsible for providing first response and front line medical care to their fellow guardsmen on the battlefield. They are trained as combat medics, fighting chirurgeons equally at home with a medi-kit as they are with a lasgun. In battle, they stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their squad-mates, fighting with equal skill and fervour, and all the while patching, dosing, or administering the Emperor's Peace to their brothers-and-sisters-in-arms.
When a regiment of Imperial Guard is first tithed from a world, they have no idea of what to expect. They could travel to any of millions of planets, or face any of millions of enemies, but the one thing that they can all be sure of is that they will see combat, and that many, if not all, of them will die to ensure that the Imperium endures. It is for that reason that many guardsmen are trained in field medicine, not simply just to treat injuries and save wounded members of their squad, but to help alleviate the worries of many new recruits; with a guardsman trained in medicae at their back, they feel safer from the inevitable death that awaits them on the battlefield.
The main difference between a combat medic and a Field Chirurgeon in the Astra Militarum is typically the focus of expertise, though the two are hardly mutually exclusive. Most combat medics aim to promote the long-term recovery of their patients, but for a Field Chirurgeon, the proper time and equipment for such operations are frequently unavailable.
Going by many different names across the varying regiments of the Imperial Guard, medics are put in charge of all medical gear and supplies sent to their squad by the Departmento Munitorum. Whether they receive simple bandages to wrap around las-wounds, or sophisticated combat-drugs and surgery kits, medics are the ones who are entrusted with using this equipment to keep their squad healthy and prepared for combat. Many combat patrols, operating behind enemy lines for solar months, have stayed alive only due to the medical expertise of one of their squad-mates.
Wargear[]
A Cadian Shock Trooper combat medic in the field.
- Standard Imperial Guard Regimental Kit
- Diagnosticator (Diagnostor) - The Diagnostor is a sophisticated medical cogitator used across the Human-settled galaxy. It can detect and diagnose almost every ailment known to the Imperium, and can be incorporated into medical kits, servo-skulls, and other dedicated medicae servitors. Any individual trained in medical knowledge in the Imperial Guard understands its use.
- Injector - Most specialised drugs require injectors. These can take many forms, from low-technology, disposable syringes up to sophisticated hypo-sprays. An injector can hold one dose of any drug.
- Medi-kit - Small, compact, and reliable, medi-kits are essential gear for every Imperial Guard squad. Each comes with a diagnostic cogitator called a Diagnosticator complete with bio-scanner and bioprobes, along with chemicals, drugs, synthetic blood packs, and other means to treat a variety of injuries and ailments.
Sources[]
- Only War: Core Rulebook (RPG), pp. 78-79
- Warhammer Community - New Year, New Bayonets – The Cadians Get an Upgrade Sprue Crammed with Characterful Components