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Our History

Military medicine has a long and celebrated history. We apply lessons from our past to improve the care of military personnel and their families today and in the future. New surgical techniques, powerful painkillers, antibiotic drugs, and triage and evacuation procedures have revolutionized military medicine.

In this section, you'll find featured stories and information about the history of military medicine.

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Article
Nov 20, 2023

Armed Services YMCA Recognizes U.S. Army “Angel of the Battlefield”

The U.S. Army recipient of the 2023 Armed Services Angel of the Battlefield award is U.S. Staff Sgt. Ta'Quesha Abson, currently assigned to the Medical Readiness Brigade, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. (Photo by Ronald Wolf, U.S. Army Medical Command)

Each year the Armed Services YMCA presents the “Angel of the Battlefield Award” to a heroic enlisted medical professional from each branch of the Armed Services. For 2023, the Army recipient of this award was U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ta'Quesha Abson, currently at the Medical Readiness Brigade, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Article
Oct 4, 2023

Stemming the Tide: Navy Medicine and the Egyptian Cholera Epidemic of 1947

Over three months, cholera spread across 2,270 towns and villages in Egypt killing over half of its victims. According to one estimate over 20,000 Egyptians died of cholera. (Graphic by Andre Sobocinski)

On September 21, 1947, a man was admitted to the Al-Qurayn (El Korein) Hospital in Egypt vomiting profusely and suffering severe diarrhea. Within hours, he was dead. The attending physician on duty first suspected food poisoning before 11 additional patients were admitted with identical symptoms. Their diagnosis was cholera, a deadly bacterial disease ...

Article
Sep 8, 2023

‘Harry Bluff’ and the Curious Origin of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery was established on Aug. 31, 1842, by a Navy appropriations bill passed by Congress. (Photo Courtesy of U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery)

As Bureau of Medicine and Surgery celebrates its 181st anniversary on Aug. 31, learn about the curious origin of the forgotten Navy bureau system. On this date in 1842, Congress passed a Navy appropriations bill establishing five bureaus to oversee Navy Yards and Docks; Construction, Equipment, and Repair; Provisions and Clothing; Ordnance and ...

Article
Aug 16, 2023

Battle of Guadalcanal: 81st Anniversary of Operation Watchtower

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Andrew Stofila, right, and Sgt. Brandford Asomaning Jr., both with Task Force Koa Moana 23, participate in the color guard during the 81st Anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal ceremony at the Guadalcanal American Memorial in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on Aug. 7, 2023. The Battle of Guadalcanal, also known as Operation Watchtower, was a seven-month campaign that marked the first allied land offensive in the Pacific theater in World War II. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Courtney G. White)

“We struck at Guadalcanal to halt the advance of the Japanese. We did not know how strong he was, nor did we know his plans. We knew only that he was moving down the island chain and that he had to be stopped,” said U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Alexander A. Vandergrift. Guadalcanal at 81.

Article
Aug 14, 2023

Senior Warrant Officer Awarded Soldier's Medal for Saving Lives

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Nigel P. Huebscher, command chief warrant officer for the 1st Aviation Brigade, speaks after receiving the Soldier's Medal for risking his life to save others during a ceremony at Fort Novosel, Alabama, on Aug. 7, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Kelly Morris)

When mere seconds mattered, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Nigel P. Huebscher, command chief warrant officer for the 1st Aviation Brigade, was first on the scene of a house fire near Bonifay, Florida, on Oct. 9, 2022. He helped save the lives of two residents.

Article
Jul 24, 2023

Flight Medic First to Receive New Nebraska National Guard Heroism Medal

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, Nebraska adjutant general, present the Nebraska National Guard Heroism Medal to U.S. Army Sgt. Brandi Sullivan during the Nebraska Adjutant General Change of Command Ceremony, on July 8, 2023, at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.  (Photo: U.S. Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Jamie Titus)

“To any individual serving with or supporting the Nebraska Military Department who has distinguished himself/herself by heroism, in saving the life, limb, or eyesight of a fellow citizen.” Those were the words read describing the newly authorized Nebraska National Guard Heroism Medal presented during the Nebraska Adjutant General Change of Command ...

Article
Jul 5, 2023

Medical Service Corps: 106 Years of Diverse Health Service

Soldiers assigned to 129th Area Support Medical Company and Forward Support MEDEVAC Platoon, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, conduct patient movement operations for aeromedical evacuation during a training in Slobozia, Romania, on June 1. This year marks 106 years of support from medical service corps officers. (Photo: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Laura Torres)

Whether in everyday patient care, clinical research, or by performing the administrative tasks needed to run U.S. Army hospitals, medical service corps officers have provided health care to veterans, soldiers, and their families for 106 years.

Article
Jun 12, 2023

Navy Medicine at D-Day: Stories of Valor and Sacrifice

Navy medical personnel help evacuate wounded soldiers at Normandy, June 1944. (Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery)

On the morning of June 6, 1944, Navy physician Lt. (j.g.) Frank Ramsey, Jr., and Pharmacist’s Mate Third Class Byron Dary landed on Omaha Beach with the 6th Naval Beach Battalion. Upon hitting the beach, the physician and hospital corpsman rushed to the aid of wounded U.S. Army personnel lying near a burning half-track. In minutes, the vehicle ...

Article
May 19, 2023

Navy Medicine at War: Stories of Service and Sacrifice at the Battle of Coral Sea

Throughout the Battle of the Coral Sea, U.S. Navy medical personnel serving shipboard played important roles keeping sailors in the fight while providing life-saving medical care under the severest of conditions. (Courtesy Photo)

The Battle of the Coral Sea was fought primarily by carrier-based planes across this marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia from May 4 to 8, 1942. Throughout the battle, U.S. Navy medical personnel serving shipboard played important roles keeping sailors in the fight while providing life-saving medical care under the severest of conditions. ...

Last Updated: March 06, 2024
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