The mission of PHS Proud is to provide the highest quality t-shirts for United States Public Health Service members and their supporters.
In that vein we select quality shirts that feel soft to touch and do not shrink after washing. It's common to come across shirts that are low-quality cotton, rough on your skin, and shrink after washing. What's more, the logo is usually boilerplate and is copy-and-pasted from a low-quality image found on a Google image search!
We take pride in our PHS shirts and want to share the story in creating the perfect shirt for you!
The inspiration for the logo on "The Corps" t-shirt comes from a momentous day; it was the graduation of OBC 81. The feeling of camaraderie and purpose is strong at OBC and having the privilege of wearing the uniform creates a deep sense of pride in the Commissioned Corps.
After the OBC class speaker gave his speech, the ceremony was closed by a PHS rear admiral who shall remain anonymous for now.
He gave an inspiring speech on the history and purpose of The Corps in the U.S. and how becoming an officer allows one to merge with that purpose. The admiral gave his final remarks, and as all the officers remained in silence full of that sense of purpose and mission, he closed by boldly saying "Welcome to the Corps." All the newly commissioned officers stood briskly yet silently at attention in awe and inspiration as the admiral exited the stage.
From that moment being part of "The Corps" meant being part of something bigger than oneself for the purpose of the health of the Nation.
That's why the shirt boldly and proudly displays "The Corps" with the anchor and caduceus insignia beneath it and the birth year of the Commissioned Corps below that.
The anchor and caduceus was adapted from a photo taken directly of the collar insignia worn on the ODU's. The image was manipulated with a graphic design program to produce a unique anchor and caduceus graphic.
Voila! There is how this t-shirt came to be!