AFMS history: The father of the Air Force Medical Service Published March 3, 2009 By James S. Nanney, Ph.D. Air Force Surgeon General Historian WASHINGTON -- In June 1949 the first staff elements of a new Air Force Medical Service began to assemble in northwest Washington, D.C., at an office complex known as McLean Gardens near Rock Creek Park. On July, 1 of that year Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Malcolm C. Grow assumed duties as the first Air Force Surgeon General. General Grow, a pioneer in aviation medicine, had worked to achieve a separate Air Force Medical Service since the end of World War II. Although other U.S. medical officers, such as Maj. Gen. (Dr.) David N.W. Grant in World War II, had shared the same vision, General Grow's successful efforts from 1945 to 1949 entitled him to be known as the Father of the Air Force Medical Service. (This article is part of an ongoing series being published by the SG Newswire honoring the 60th birthday of the AFMS.) USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)