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Flag Day: U.S. Military Medical Flags through History

Image of The unfurling of the DHA flag during a ceremony. Army Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Ronald Place, director of the Defense Health Agency, left, and Navy Rear Adm. Darin Via, director of the Tidewater Market, and commander, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic, unfurl the Defense Health Agency flag during a socially distanced establishment ceremony to mark the standup of the Tidewater Market on April 28, 2021 (Photo by: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jessica Dowell, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic).

Flags, ensigns, guidons, banners, streamers: Regardless of what they're called, on Flag Day, the Military Health System has plenty to alongside Old Glory.

"In medicine, flags were utilized to mark the locations of hospitals as a safe space for the wounded and a warning that the space was under quarantine," said Alan Hawk, the manager of Historical"During the Civil War, Surgeon General William Hammond, as he reformed military health care by leveraging scientific knowledge to better care for sick and wounded soldiers, approved the design of a regimental flag to mark the place of surgeons and healthcare providers within both the military and medical professions."

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Happy Birthday, DHA! Director Reflects on Eight Years of Progress

Military personnel posing for a picture

Oct. 1 marked the 8th anniversary of the founding of the Defense Health Agency, the U.S. military’s only medical combat support agency. Director Army Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Ronald Place said the evolution, growth and success the agency has experienced since also comes with greater expectations, greater demand and ever-increasing responsibility going forward.

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Last Updated: July 11, 2023
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