March 28, 2022 AFMS looks at role on National Vietnam War Veterans Day Each year on March 29 the nation honors the service and sacrifices of Vietnam War veterans for National Vietnam War Veterans Day. This date marks the day the last U.S. combat troops departed Vietnam, on March 29, 1973.
March 14, 2022 Air Force women's history: First commissioned female physician On March 14, 1951, Capt. (Dr.) Dorothy Armstrong Elias became the first woman physician sworn into the Air Force and now a part of women's history month.
March 2, 2022 Retired Lt. Col. paved way for military mothers For most, becoming a mother is a time for celebration, not discrimination. However, a new policy in 1975 allowed women to continue to serve while pregnant and after giving birth.
Jan. 5, 2022 With 2022’s arrival, U.S. Air Force gears up to commemorate its 75th anniversary Seventy-five years after the Air Force’s birth on Sept. 18, 1947, the spirit of innovation that has driven the service was on display when a B-2 Spirit from the 509th Bomb Wing, located at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, roared over the Tournament of Roses Parade.
Oct. 29, 2021 Air Force adoption of water fluoridation in 1954 led to dental improvements On September 22, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force posted images to its social media page as part of a story about one of the crewmembers of Lt. Col. Charles “Deacon” Miller’s B-29, Deacon’s Disciples II, whose last flight in World War II set a record for the fastest non-stop trip from
Sept. 15, 2021 16 years later; A look back at the AFMS response to Hurricane Katrina The Air Force Medical Service played a significant role in the federal response to the devastation wrecked upon the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005 and her successor, Rita, three weeks later.
July 1, 2021 The Hawley Board and the establishment of the Air Force Medical Service The Air Force Medical Service celebrates its 72nd birthday on July 1 thanks in part to the “Hawley Board” and the “Hoover Commission,” the earliest joint panels that advocated for greater centralization within the Military Health System while also providing venues for ideas in favor of a separate
Feb. 1, 2019 Black History Month: WAC Corporal Lena Derriecott served as a nurse assistant in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II During World War II, Cpl. Lena Derriecott learned a hard lesson about segregation in the U.S. military. Derriecott, an African-American woman, volunteered in 1943 for the U.S. Army Air Corps Women’s Army Corps. She reported for duty at Douglas Army Air Field in southern Arizona where she served as a
Jan. 4, 2019 From Just Cause to Iraqi Freedom: Nurse recounts time through three wars U.S. Air Force Capt. Carol Vermillion felt no fear while flying to Panama in December 1989 as part of Operation Just Cause, the first of three conflicts where she served as a nurse.“I was more excited and anxious,” recalled Vermillion, who retired as a colonel. “I felt more a part of the Air Force.”
Nov. 15, 2018 This Month in AFMS History: First Space Medicine Symposium On November 12, 1948, Air Force Brig. Gen. Harry Armstrong, commandant of the School of Aviation at Randolph Field, Texas, convened the first Air Force symposium on space medicine.
Nov. 8, 2018 76 years ago: Remembering medical support for Operation Torch Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa, hit the beaches 76 years ago on Nov. 8, 1942, including an American force led by Maj. Gen. George S. Patton that invaded the French protectorate in Morocco. With Patton was Lt. Samuel T. Moore, a flight surgeon with the 81st Fighter Group, who
Oct. 26, 2018 This Month in AFMS History: Twenty years ago, AF medical team responds to Hurricane Mitch in Honduras The 24th Medical Group at Howard Air Force Base, Panama, was a month away from decommissioning and returning to the U.S. when Hurricane Mitch slammed into Honduras on October 29, 1998.
Sept. 14, 2018 This Month in AFMS History: Kirtland opens first joint Air Force and VA health clinic On Sept. 8, 1989, the 377th Medical Group cut the ribbon on a joint Air Force and Department of Veterans Affairs clinic located on the VA campus in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Aug. 30, 2018 This Month in AFMS History: Air Force dentists responded to 1981 explosion at Ramstein Air Base Two bombs exploded in a parking lot outside the U.S. Air Forces in Europe headquarters building at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on August 31, 1981, injuring 15 people. When they heard the blasts, Air Force dentists and their staff ran out to help.
July 6, 2018 This Month in AFMS History: The air transportable “Flying Lung” On July 23, 1953, Airman Third Class Warren Beatty of Detroit, Michigan, became the first iron lung patient evacuated by air from the Korean War theater.
March 7, 2018 This Month in AFMS History: 75th Anniversary of the first body armor suits delivered to Eighth Air Force During World War II, small fragments of high-explosive shells traveling at relatively low velocities caused the majority of bomber air and ground crew casualties.
Nov. 17, 2017 This Month in AFMS History: 60th anniversary of Lackland Air Force Base hospital dedication Sixty years ago, in November 1957, Lackland Air Force Base dedicated its new, nine-story, 500-bed hospital, making it the largest hospital in the Air Force.
Oct. 26, 2017 This Month in AFMS History: Caribbean Air Command For more than 20 years, the Caribbean Air Command was one of the smallest Air Force Major Commands in terms of personnel and resources, although it effectively covered one of the largest geographical areas of operations in the world. Air Force Medical Service personnel were key players in the
Sept. 30, 2017 This Month in AFMS History: Spotlighting Lt. Gen. Alexander “Rusty” Sloan Dr. Alexander “Rusty” Sloan never entertained the idea of becoming the Air Force Surgeon General. Throughout his career, Sloan even tried to avoid serving at the Pentagon; however, he excelled at every assignment, pushing him quickly up into the ranks and putting him on the path to becoming the 14th
Sept. 21, 2017 World War I and the beginnings of aviation medicine United States involvement in World War I began April 6, 1917. For the U.S. military, aviation medicine began in May 1917 when the U.S. Army appointed Lt. Col. (Dr.) Theodore C. Lyster, often called the father of aviation medicine, as the first service member dedicated to aviation-related medicine.