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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
Jan 12, 2024
A career in the Public Health Service has taught Defense Health Agency Public Health Director U.S. Public Health Service Rear Adm. Brandon Taylor many lessons.
Article
Jan 11, 2024
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro honored the history and community of health care professionals of Naval Support Activity Bethesda, by naming a future Bethesda-class Expeditionary Medical Ship USNS Bethesda (EMS 1), during a ceremony at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center’s National Intrepid Center of Excellence.
Article
Dec 26, 2023
Three distinguished Walter Reed National Military Medical Center U.S. Air Force team members were announced as recipients of the 2023 Air Force District of Washington Medical Service Awards.
Video
Dec 19, 2023
General Raymond G Davis and Billy Gene Devasher recount their experiences at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War that occurred from November 26-December 13, 1950.
Read more about how military medics saved the "Chosin Frozen" at health.mil/chosin.
Article
Dec 19, 2023
The pharmacy technician program at the Medical Education and Training Campus officially named its outpatient pharmacy training laboratory in a ceremony December 8, 2023.
Article
Dec 15, 2023
Uniformed Services University's Brigade Commander U.S. Army Col. Patrick Donahue passes the guidon to U.S. Army Col. Albert Kinkead, symbolizing a change of command and celebrating Donahue's distinguished 30-year career, as the university looks forward to a new chapter under Kinkead's leadership.
Article
Dec 14, 2023
Survivors of the Chosin Reservoir battle in the Korean War are known as the “Chosin Frozen” or “Chosin Few,” whose quick transport to healthcare and new treatments saved many of their limbs from being amputated wholly.
Article
Dec 14, 2023
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth held a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the designation of the medical center as a Level II Trauma Center, Dec. 8, 2023.
Article
Dec 11, 2023
In this time of unprecedented global health challenges, frontline responders like U.S. Air Force Maj. Kevin Tipton stand out as beacons of hope and resilience. Tipton, a critical care nurse practitioner with the 125th Fighter Wing of the Florida Air National Guard, received the Surgeon General’s Medallion from Vice Admiral Vivek Murthy, the U.S. ...
Article
Dec 7, 2023
U.S. Navy Capt. Donna Poulin, Defense Health Agency, chief of engineering solutions architecture-business analytics division, was recently recognized by the Department of Defense Chief Information Officer Awards with an honorable mention.
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
Dec 6, 2023
Six medical professionals from across the armed services recently earned honors as Angels of the Battlefield, a title bestowed upon them by the Armed Services-YMCA in honor of military medical personnel and first responders for their life-saving medical treatment and trauma care of service members, partner forces, and civilians at home and abroad.
Video
Dec 6, 2023
Lynn "Doc" Munger was a 23-year-old pharmacist's mate during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. When Munger was 98 years old, he told his story of serving as a Navy medic and caring for those injured from the devastating attack.
You can watch his full interview via the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project. https://www.loc ...
Article
Dec 5, 2023
Pearl Harbor Day and U.S. Naval Hospital Ship Solace: First-hand accounts of the day “which will live in infamy.”
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.
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Last Updated: June 16, 2025