Skip main navigation

Military Health System

Clear Your Browser Cache

This website has recently undergone changes. Users finding unexpected concerns may care to clear their browser's cache to ensure a seamless experience.

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."

You also may be interested in...

Photo
May 10, 2022

New Deputy Director

Defense Health Agency (DHA) Director Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Ron Place, left, swears in Dr. Michael Malanoski as new DHA Deputy Director, in Falls Church, Virginia, May 9, 2022.

Defense Health Agency (DHA) Director Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Ron Place, left, swears in Dr. Michael Malanoski as new DHA Deputy Director, in Falls Church, Virginia, May 9, 2022.

Skip subpage navigation
Refine your search
Last Updated: July 11, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery