Skip subpage navigation
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...
Article
Dec 7, 2023
The 316th Wing Medical Group gathered to commemorate the 136th birthday of U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Malcolm Grow, the namesake of the Malcolm Grow Medical Clinics and Surgery Center, Nov. 20, 2023.
Article
Nov 20, 2023
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
Nov 14, 2023
U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced that a future expeditionary medical ship will be named USNS Balboa during a ceremony at Naval Medical Center San Diego on Oct. 27.
Article
Oct 4, 2023
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
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
“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
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
Aug 11, 2023
Only 43 days separate the creations of the continental army that was formed by the original 13 American colonies and the Army Medical Corps. That short period of time speaks to the importance the corps plays in the mission of the Army.
Article
Jul 24, 2023
“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
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
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
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. ...
Article
Apr 10, 2023
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.
Article
Apr 3, 2023
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.
Article
Apr 3, 2023
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.
You are leaving Health.mil
The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense of non-U.S. Government sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. Although the Defense Health Agency may or may not use these sites as additional distribution channels for Department of Defense information, it does not exercise editorial control over all of the information that you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this website.
You are leaving Health.mil
View the external links disclaimer.
Last Updated: March 06, 2024