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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.

You also may be interested in...

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

Article Around MHS
5/19/2023
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. These are some of their stories.

American Medical Center in Europe to Celebrate 70 Years

Article Around MHS
4/10/2023
U.S. soldiers, airmen and civilian staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center  provide care to U.S. service members and Afghan civilians who were injured in a series of attacks outside of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. (Photo by Marcy Sanchez, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center)

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center is slated to host a week-long celebration, open to all Department of Defense cardholders, marking 70 years of selfless service and military medicine in Germany, from April 11-14.

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham Retires as Navy's 39th Surgeon General

Article Around MHS
4/3/2023
U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Bruce Gillingham salutes the American flag as U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Matthew Case presents it to him during a flag-folding ceremony for Gillingham's retirement event. (Photo by BUMED PAO)

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham, the Navy’s 39th Surgeon General, celebrates the culmination of 40 years of active duty service at a retirement ceremony at the Uniformed Services University.

37th Airlift Squadron Pilot and Physician Paves Way for Women in Aviation

Article Around MHS
4/3/2023
U.S. Air Force Maj. Sandra Salzman, 37th Airlift Squadron pilot and physician, sits in the cockpit of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft over Zaragoza, Spain, on Jan. 27. The training exercise included three C-130Js aircraft assigned to the 37th Air Squadron. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Madelyn Keech)

She just wouldn't take "no" for an answer, and that's how this wife and mom made history as the first female pilot-physician in the Air Force.

Operation Iraqi Freedom – Two Decades After from Naval Hospital Bremerton

Article Around MHS
3/31/2023
U.S. Marine Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Cameron Wink (then as a hospital corpsman first class) was assigned to the Marines 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion on the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, which took him from the Kuwaiti/Iraq border on the initial push north up to Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit.  (Courtesy photo)

Twenty years later, hospital corpsmen share memories of their deployments in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Find out how those experiences shaped their their chosen Navy Medicine professions, in their own words.

National Doctors Day Salutes Those Who Answered 'A special calling'

Article Around MHS
3/30/2023
U.S. Army Col. Jason M.Blaylock, director for Medical Services, and professor of medicine at Uniformed Service University of Health Sciences, poses for photo as part of WRNMMC Doctors Day Celebration. (DOD photo by Ricardo J. Reyes)

National Doctors Day is March 30 to honor physicians for their dedication and contributions to the health and wellbeing of society and the community in which they serve.

Making Waves: Remembering the First Women of the Hospital Corps

Article Around MHS
3/28/2023
World War II brought new opportunities for civic-minded women like Frona Liston , who wanted to contribute to the war effort. And for the first time in Navy history, women could serve in a wide range of occupational specialties and rates under the auspices of the Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service or the Women’s Reserve program. (Courtesy Photo)

Meet some of the pioneers of women in military medicine and how they changed the course of American medical history.

Navy Medical Corps 152nd Anniversary Celebrated at Navy Medical Readiness and Training Command Bremerton

Article Around MHS
3/17/2023
As part of the tradition of recognizing the Navy Medical Corps 152nd anniversary, on May 3, congratulatory letters from Navy Medicine Dental Corps, Civilian Corps, Hospital Corps, Medical Service Corps and Nurse Corps directors were read by representatives of each distinct entity as was well-wishes by U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Guido Valdes, Medical Corps chief (Photo by Douglas H Stutz, NHB/NMRTC Bremerton public affairs officer)

It was on March 3, 1871, that 153 U.S. Navy physicians were officially recognized as a staff corps to parallel their professional status with other naval officers. That date was readily acknowledged 152 years later on March 3, 2023, at Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton with an anniversary celebration for Navy Medical Corps officers assigned to the command.

U.S. Army Promotes First Female Medical Service Corps Active Duty Two-Star General

Article Around MHS
3/6/2023
U.S. Army Pacific Commander Gen. Charles Flynn and 18th Medical Command (Deployment Support) Commander U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paula Lodi reaffirm her commitment to the Oath of Commissioned Officers during her promotion ceremony at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, Feb. 10. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Hughes)

Newly promoted U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paula Lodi gives credit to family, mentors, and friends as she becomes the first female medical service corps active duty service member to be promoted to Two-Star General.

The Hospital Corpsmen of Iwo Jima: Stories of Valor and Sacrifice

Article Around MHS
2/28/2023
Amidst Iwo Jima's black sand and the wreckage of war, hospital corpsmen struggle to save wounded marines shortly after the initial landings. Life saving plasma flows into two patients while a deceased comrade lies alongside. Few ratings have been more impacted by a single battle than Navy hospital corpsmen at Iwo Jima. Nearly 80 years later the battle for Iwo should be remembered as a memorial to the fallen, to their service, but also the shear grit and resilience of those Navy corpsmen who answered the call.  (Photo By André Sobocinski)

Nearly 80 years later, the battle of Iwo Jima is remembered as a memorial to the fallen, their service, and the sheer grit and resilience of those Navy corpsmen who answered the call.

Ireland Army Health Clinic Earns The Joint Commission Gold Seal Accreditation

Article Around MHS
2/27/2023
“Earning our Joint Commission Accreditation is truly an accomplishment which took teamwork, time, and tenacity,” said U.S. Army Col. Caryn R. Vernon, commander of Ireland Army Health Clinic Commander and director of the Central Kentucky Market. The clinic was recently awarded The Join Commission Gold Seal accreditation in both ambulatory services and behavioral health and human services. (Photo by Sara Morris, Fort Knox MEDDAC)

The Ireland Army Health Clinic, in Fort Knox, Kentucky, was recently awarded The Join Commission Gold Seal accreditation in both ambulatory services and behavioral health and human services. The primary care home was also awarded an additional certification.

Innovations in Military Medicine Recognized by Military Health System

Article
2/24/2023
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, director of the Defense Health Agency, presents Beverly Luce, senior nurse consultant with DHA’s Primary Care Clinical Management Team, the Federal Military Nursing Leadership Excellence Award. Luce was given the award during the Military Health System awards ceremony at National Harbor, Maryland, on Feb. 16.  

The Military Health System and AMSUS, the society of federal health professionals, presented a series of awards.

Inauguration of Fort McNair Health Clinic Celebrated

Article Around MHS
2/14/2023
Military personnel at ribbon cutting ceremony

Completing four years of renovations calls for a ceremony! Find out more about the inauguration of the Fort McNair U.S. Army Health Clinic and its rich history—dating back to the Civil War era.

Naval Medical Center San Diego Honors Women Physicians

Article Around MHS
2/13/2023
Military medical personnel pose for picture

At military medical facilities all over the world, there's a good chance that a beneficiary will be treated by female physicians, but it wasn't always like that. Feb. 3 is National Women Physician Day. We'll take a look at how Naval Medical Center San Diego is honoring the history of women in military medicine and their role in how far medicine has come along.

Col. Florence Blanchfield Remembered as Army Nurse Corps Marks 122 Years

Article Around MHS
2/8/2023
Military personnel at ceremony

Blanchfield Army Community Hospital team members gathered to observe the 122nd anniversary of the Army Nurse Corps. The observance was more poignant because it was held in a hospital named for one of the most revered nurses in the history of the Army.

Page 1 of 4 , showing items 1 - 15
First < 1 2 3 4 > Last 

You also may be interested in...

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

Article Around MHS
5/19/2023
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. These are some of their stories.

American Medical Center in Europe to Celebrate 70 Years

Article Around MHS
4/10/2023
U.S. soldiers, airmen and civilian staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center  provide care to U.S. service members and Afghan civilians who were injured in a series of attacks outside of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. (Photo by Marcy Sanchez, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center)

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center is slated to host a week-long celebration, open to all Department of Defense cardholders, marking 70 years of selfless service and military medicine in Germany, from April 11-14.

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham Retires as Navy's 39th Surgeon General

Article Around MHS
4/3/2023
U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Bruce Gillingham salutes the American flag as U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Matthew Case presents it to him during a flag-folding ceremony for Gillingham's retirement event. (Photo by BUMED PAO)

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham, the Navy’s 39th Surgeon General, celebrates the culmination of 40 years of active duty service at a retirement ceremony at the Uniformed Services University.

37th Airlift Squadron Pilot and Physician Paves Way for Women in Aviation

Article Around MHS
4/3/2023
U.S. Air Force Maj. Sandra Salzman, 37th Airlift Squadron pilot and physician, sits in the cockpit of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft over Zaragoza, Spain, on Jan. 27. The training exercise included three C-130Js aircraft assigned to the 37th Air Squadron. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Madelyn Keech)

She just wouldn't take "no" for an answer, and that's how this wife and mom made history as the first female pilot-physician in the Air Force.

Operation Iraqi Freedom – Two Decades After from Naval Hospital Bremerton

Article Around MHS
3/31/2023
U.S. Marine Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Cameron Wink (then as a hospital corpsman first class) was assigned to the Marines 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion on the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, which took him from the Kuwaiti/Iraq border on the initial push north up to Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit.  (Courtesy photo)

Twenty years later, hospital corpsmen share memories of their deployments in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Find out how those experiences shaped their their chosen Navy Medicine professions, in their own words.

National Doctors Day Salutes Those Who Answered 'A special calling'

Article Around MHS
3/30/2023
U.S. Army Col. Jason M.Blaylock, director for Medical Services, and professor of medicine at Uniformed Service University of Health Sciences, poses for photo as part of WRNMMC Doctors Day Celebration. (DOD photo by Ricardo J. Reyes)

National Doctors Day is March 30 to honor physicians for their dedication and contributions to the health and wellbeing of society and the community in which they serve.

Making Waves: Remembering the First Women of the Hospital Corps

Article Around MHS
3/28/2023
World War II brought new opportunities for civic-minded women like Frona Liston , who wanted to contribute to the war effort. And for the first time in Navy history, women could serve in a wide range of occupational specialties and rates under the auspices of the Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service or the Women’s Reserve program. (Courtesy Photo)

Meet some of the pioneers of women in military medicine and how they changed the course of American medical history.

Navy Medical Corps 152nd Anniversary Celebrated at Navy Medical Readiness and Training Command Bremerton

Article Around MHS
3/17/2023
As part of the tradition of recognizing the Navy Medical Corps 152nd anniversary, on May 3, congratulatory letters from Navy Medicine Dental Corps, Civilian Corps, Hospital Corps, Medical Service Corps and Nurse Corps directors were read by representatives of each distinct entity as was well-wishes by U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Guido Valdes, Medical Corps chief (Photo by Douglas H Stutz, NHB/NMRTC Bremerton public affairs officer)

It was on March 3, 1871, that 153 U.S. Navy physicians were officially recognized as a staff corps to parallel their professional status with other naval officers. That date was readily acknowledged 152 years later on March 3, 2023, at Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton with an anniversary celebration for Navy Medical Corps officers assigned to the command.

U.S. Army Promotes First Female Medical Service Corps Active Duty Two-Star General

Article Around MHS
3/6/2023
U.S. Army Pacific Commander Gen. Charles Flynn and 18th Medical Command (Deployment Support) Commander U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paula Lodi reaffirm her commitment to the Oath of Commissioned Officers during her promotion ceremony at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, Feb. 10. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Hughes)

Newly promoted U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paula Lodi gives credit to family, mentors, and friends as she becomes the first female medical service corps active duty service member to be promoted to Two-Star General.

The Hospital Corpsmen of Iwo Jima: Stories of Valor and Sacrifice

Article Around MHS
2/28/2023
Amidst Iwo Jima's black sand and the wreckage of war, hospital corpsmen struggle to save wounded marines shortly after the initial landings. Life saving plasma flows into two patients while a deceased comrade lies alongside. Few ratings have been more impacted by a single battle than Navy hospital corpsmen at Iwo Jima. Nearly 80 years later the battle for Iwo should be remembered as a memorial to the fallen, to their service, but also the shear grit and resilience of those Navy corpsmen who answered the call.  (Photo By André Sobocinski)

Nearly 80 years later, the battle of Iwo Jima is remembered as a memorial to the fallen, their service, and the sheer grit and resilience of those Navy corpsmen who answered the call.

Ireland Army Health Clinic Earns The Joint Commission Gold Seal Accreditation

Article Around MHS
2/27/2023
“Earning our Joint Commission Accreditation is truly an accomplishment which took teamwork, time, and tenacity,” said U.S. Army Col. Caryn R. Vernon, commander of Ireland Army Health Clinic Commander and director of the Central Kentucky Market. The clinic was recently awarded The Join Commission Gold Seal accreditation in both ambulatory services and behavioral health and human services. (Photo by Sara Morris, Fort Knox MEDDAC)

The Ireland Army Health Clinic, in Fort Knox, Kentucky, was recently awarded The Join Commission Gold Seal accreditation in both ambulatory services and behavioral health and human services. The primary care home was also awarded an additional certification.

Innovations in Military Medicine Recognized by Military Health System

Article
2/24/2023
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, director of the Defense Health Agency, presents Beverly Luce, senior nurse consultant with DHA’s Primary Care Clinical Management Team, the Federal Military Nursing Leadership Excellence Award. Luce was given the award during the Military Health System awards ceremony at National Harbor, Maryland, on Feb. 16.  

The Military Health System and AMSUS, the society of federal health professionals, presented a series of awards.

Inauguration of Fort McNair Health Clinic Celebrated

Article Around MHS
2/14/2023
Military personnel at ribbon cutting ceremony

Completing four years of renovations calls for a ceremony! Find out more about the inauguration of the Fort McNair U.S. Army Health Clinic and its rich history—dating back to the Civil War era.

Naval Medical Center San Diego Honors Women Physicians

Article Around MHS
2/13/2023
Military medical personnel pose for picture

At military medical facilities all over the world, there's a good chance that a beneficiary will be treated by female physicians, but it wasn't always like that. Feb. 3 is National Women Physician Day. We'll take a look at how Naval Medical Center San Diego is honoring the history of women in military medicine and their role in how far medicine has come along.

Col. Florence Blanchfield Remembered as Army Nurse Corps Marks 122 Years

Article Around MHS
2/8/2023
Military personnel at ceremony

Blanchfield Army Community Hospital team members gathered to observe the 122nd anniversary of the Army Nurse Corps. The observance was more poignant because it was held in a hospital named for one of the most revered nurses in the history of the Army.

Page 1 of 4 , showing items 1 - 15
First < 1 2 3 4 > Last 
Last Updated: May 16, 2023
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