Surgeon General of the United States Army
| Surgeon General of the United States Army TSG | |
|---|---|
|
Flag of the Surgeon General of the Army | |
| Department of the Army | |
| Reports to |
Secretary of the Army Chief of Staff of the Army |
| Seat | The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, USA |
| Appointer |
The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | Four Years |
| Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 3036 |
| Formation | March 13, 1813 |
| First holder | Benjamin Church, Jr. |
| Deputy | Deputy Surgeon General of the Army |
| Website | Official Website |
The Surgeon General of the United States Army is the senior-most officer of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD). By policy, the Surgeon General (TSG) serves as Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) as well as head of the AMEDD. The surgeon general's office and staff are known as the Office of the Surgeon General (OTSG) and are located in Falls Church, Virginia.
Since 1959, TSG has been appointed in the grade of lieutenant general. By law, TSG may be appointed from any of the six officer branches of the AMEDD. However, prior to the 43rd Surgeon General, Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, (a Nurse Corps officer), all appointed and confirmed surgeons general have been Medical Corps officers (military physicians). The incumbent Surgeon General, Lt. Gen. Nadja West, is a military physician.
Duties
As a commanding general, TSG provides advice and assistance to the Chief of Staff, Army (CSA) and to the Secretary of the Army (SECARMY) on all health care matters pertaining to the U.S. Army and its military health care system. He or she is responsible for development, policy direction, organization and overall management of an integrated Army-wide health service system and is the medical materiel developer for the Army. These duties include formulating policy regulations on health service support, health hazard assessment and the establishment of health standards. TSG is assisted by a Deputy Surgeon General.
History
Congress established the Medical Service of the Continental Army on July 27, 1775 and placed a "Chief physician & director general" of the Continental Army as its head at that time. The first five surgeons general of the U.S. Army served under this title. An Act of May 28, 1789 established a "Physician general" of the U.S. Army (only Doctors Richard Allison and James Craik served according to this nomenclature). An Act of March 13, 1813 cited the "Physician & surgeon general" of the U.S. Army. This nomenclature remained in place until the Medical Department was established by the Reorganization Act of April 14, 1818. (Physicians assigned to the U.S. Army were not accorded military rank until 1847.)
Surgeons General of the U.S. Army and their precursors
| No. | Name | Dates of Tenure | Military Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benjamin Church, Jr | July 27, 1775–October 16, 1775 | None |
| 2 | John Morgan | October 16, 1775–January 1777 | None |
| 3 | William Shippen, Jr. | April 11, 1777–January 17, 1781 | None |
| 4 | John Cochran | January 17, 1781–1783 | None |
| VACANT | 1783–1792 | -- | |
| 5 | Richard Allison | 1792–1796 | None |
| VACANT | 1796–August 1, 1798 | -- | |
| 6 | James Craik | August 1, 1798–June 15, 1800 | None |
| VACANT | June 15, 1800–June 11, 1813 | -- | |
| 7 | James Tilton | June 11, 1813–June 15, 1815 | None |
| VACANT | June 15, 1815–April 18, 1818 | -- | |
| 8 | Joseph Lovell | April 18, 1818–October 17, 1836 | None |
| 9 | Thomas Lawson | October 17, 1836–May 15, 1861 | Brigadier General (Brevet) |
| 10 | Clement Finley | May 15, 1861–April 28, 1862 | Brigadier General |
| 11 | William Alexander Hammond | April 28, 1862–August 18, 1864 | Brigadier General |
| 12 | Joseph K. Barnes | August 18, 1864–June 30, 1882 | Brigadier General |
| VACANT | June 30, 1882–July 3, 1882 | -- | |
| 13 | Charles H. Crane | July 3, 1882–October 10, 1883 | Brigadier General |
| 14 | Robert Murray | October 10, 1883–August 6, 1886 | Brigadier General |
| VACANT | August 6, 1886–November 18, 1886 | -- | |
| 15 | John Moore | November 18, 1886–16 August, 1890 | Brigadier General |
| 16 | Jedediah Hyde Baxter | August 16, 1890–4 December, 1890 | Brigadier General |
| VACANT | 4 December, 1890–23 December, 1890 | -- | |
| 17 | Charles Sutherland | 23 December, 1890–May 30, 1893 | Brigadier General |
| 18 | George Miller Sternberg | May 30, 1893– June 8, 1902 | Brigadier General |
| 19 | William H. Forwood | June 8, 1902– September 7, 1902 | Brigadier General |
| 20 | Robert M. O'Reilly | September 7, 1902–January 14, 1909 | Brigadier General |
| 21 | George H. Torney | January 14, 1909–December 27, 1913 | Brigadier General |
| 22 | William Crawford Gorgas | January 1914–1918 | Major General |
| 23 | Merritte Weber Ireland | October 4, 1918–May 31, 1931 | Major General |
| 24 | Robert U. Patterson | 1931–1935 | Major General |
| 25 | Charles R. Reynolds | 1935–1939 | Major General |
| 26 | James C. Magee | June 1, 1939–May 31, 1943 | Major General |
| 27 | Norman T. Kirk | 1943–1947 | Major General |
| 28 | Raymond W. Bliss | 1947–1951 | Major General |
| 29 | George E. Armstrong | 1951–1955 | Major General |
| 30 | Silas B. Hays | 1955–June 1959 | Major General |
| 31 | Leonard D. Heaton | June 1959–1969 | Lieutenant General |
| 32 | Hal B. Jennings | 1969–October 1973 | Lieutenant General |
| 33 | Richard R. Taylor | October 1973–1977 | Lieutenant General |
| 34 | Charles C. Pixley | 1977–1981 | Lieutenant General |
| 35 | Bernard T. Mittemeyer | 1981–1985 | Lieutenant General |
| 36 | Quinn H. Becker | 1985–1988 | Lieutenant General |
| 37 | Frank F. Ledford, Jr | 1988–1992 | Lieutenant General |
| 38 | Alcide M. Lanoue | 1992–October 1996 | Lieutenant General |
| 39 | Ronald R. Blanck | October 1996– September 22, 2000 | Lieutenant General |
| 40 | James B. Peake | September 22, 2000 – July 8, 2004 | Lieutenant General |
| VACANT | July 8, 2004 – September 30, 2004 | -- | |
| 41 | Kevin C. Kiley | September 30, 2004–March 12, 2007 | Lieutenant General (retired as Major General) |
| VACANT | March 12, 2007–December 11, 2007 | -- | |
| 42 | Eric B. Schoomaker | December 11, 2007–December 5, 2011 | Lieutenant General |
| 43 | Patricia D. Horoho | December 5, 2011–December 3, 2015 | Lieutenant General |
| VACANT | December 3, 2015–December 11, 2015 | -- | |
| 44 | Nadja Y. West | December 11, 2015–present | Lieutenant General |
- Note: The AMEDD Museum at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas has a display on the Army Surgeons General including images of all of them except Dr. Richard Allison.
Agencies, centers, and programs within the OTSG
- This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
- Military Vaccine Agency (MILVAX)
- Borden Institute
- U.S. Army Medical Information Technology Center (USAMITC)
See also
- Library of the Surgeon General's Office, now the National Library of Medicine
- Medical Corps (United States Army)
- Surgeon General of the United States
- Surgeon General of the United States Navy
- Surgeon General of the United States Air Force
References and notes
- Heitman, Francis B. (1903), Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, from Its Organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903; Washington, DC: Government Printing Office; 2 vol. (Vol. 1, pp 41-42 details the Medical Department.)
External links
- OTSG Portal
- Surgeon General Consultant Program
- The Surgeons General of the U.S. Army and Their Predecessors at the Office of Medical History, OTSG Website
- Works by or about Surgeon General of the United States Army at Internet Archive
- Works by Surgeon General of the United States Army at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
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Coordinates: 38°50′36″N 77°07′01″W / 38.843456°N 77.116861°W