2

Surgeon General of the Navy 

Chief, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

Vice Adm. Matthew L. Nathan

Deputy Surgeon General of the Navy

Deputy Chief, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

Rear Adm. C. Forrest Faison III

Force Master Chief

FORCM (SS/SW/FMF) Sherman E. Boss

Public Affairs Officer

Capt. Dora Lockwood

Deputy Public Affairs Officer

Jessica Alexander

Managing Editor

Lisa Johnson

 | Admiral’s Call 4 

 | FORCE’s Corner 5

 | Navy Medicine Priorities 6

 | Bureau of Medicine and 

 Surgery 8

 | Navy Medicine East 10

 | Navy Medicine West 12

 | Global Health 14

 | Navy Medicine Around the 

 Globe 16

 | Research and Development 18

 | Public Health 20

 | Education and Training 21

 | World-Class Care... Anytime, 

 Anywhere 22 

 | Medical Corps 24 

 | Dental Corps 25

 | Nurse Corps 26

 | Medical Service Corps 27

 | Hospital Corps 28

 | Navy Medicine Heritage 30 

 | Logistics 31

Please send all address changes (please include old address) to: 

NAVY MEDICINE Almanac

U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine 

and Surgery

Public Affairs Office

7700 Arlington Blvd. 

Falls Church, VA 22042-5122

For questions or comments,

e-mail: BUMED-PAO@med.navy.mil

NAVY MEDICINE ALMANAC is the annual professional magazine of the U.S. Navy 

Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. Its purpose is to educate its readers on Navy Medicine 

missions and programs. This magazine will also enhance reader awareness of the 

increasing relevance of Navy Medicine in and for our nation’s defense.

The opinions and assertions herein are the personal views of the authors and do not 

necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, 

or the Department of the Navy.

The use of a name of any specific manufacturer, commercial product, commodity or 

service does not imply the endorsement by the Department of the Navy or the Bureau of 

Medicine and Surgery.

CONTENTS

COVER ART

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31

LOGISTICS

 The success of Navy Medicine’s day-to-day operations 

depends heavily on having all readily-available supplies, 

material and equipment, sometimes at a moment’s notice.

 Naval Medical Logistics Command 

(NAVMEDLOGCOM), located at Fort Detrick, Maryland, 

is Navy Medicine’s center of logistics expertise. It supports 

Navy objectives by designing, executing and administering 

individualized, state-of-the-art, solutions to meet customers’ 

medical materiel and health care service needs. 

 NAVMEDLOGCOM’s mission is to deliver patientcentered logistics solutions for military medicine and its 

vision is to continue as the premier DOD medical logistics 

support activity. 

 NAVMEDLOGCOM is dedicated to helping customers 

define their requirements, understanding the marketplace 

to support the requirements, and providing cost-effective, 

efficient contracts to satisfy those requirements. 

A representation of an expeditionary medical unit. (Courtesy photo)

Personnel from Navy Expeditionary Medical Support Command 

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systems. (Courtesy photo)

3
4

ADMIRAL’S CALL

 Welcome to the 2015 Navy Medicine Almanac! It is my 

honor to share with you the great things Navy Medicine 

does around the globe, every day. Within these pages, you 

will be introduced to our mission and our people. You will 

get a glimpse of the places we serve. You will witness some 

of the history we’ve made and get a snapshot of where we are 

headed in the future. 

 The reach of Navy Medicine spans around the globe. Our 

organization is unique in that our practitioners are called 

upon to operate in many environments. That’s one of the 

things I find most professionally rewarding about Navy 

Medicine. We serve in every environment -- not only on 

land, but also on, above and below the sea. From rendering 

medical aid to friend or foe in austere locations, to delivering 

babies at our military hospitals, to developing vaccines to 

protect our forces against disease, to providing humanitarian 

assistance around the 

world, Navy Medicine is 

ready.

 Every day, no matter 

what environment, Navy 

Medicine is there to 

care for those in need, 

providing world-class 

care, anytime, anywhere. Our infectious disease experts 

joined the Centers for Disease Control in fighting the Ebola 

Virus Disease outbreak in West Africa. By setting up two 

labs in Liberia, we helped identify possible Ebola cases and 

contain the spread of the disease. Although our mission 

leading the NATO hospital in Afghanistan is coming to 

an end as troops continue to withdraw, we stand ready to 

support our Sailors and Marines wherever they are serving. 

Over the past 11 plus years of combat, our nation has 

witnessed the highest survivability rates of any previous war.

 It’s a dynamic time in military health care. As part of an 

evolving Military Health System (MHS), we too must adjust 

the way we conduct our business while not losing sight of our 

Navy Medicine priorities -- Readiness, Value, Jointness. The 

bottom line is maintaining the readiness of our Sailors and 

Marines is our top priority and why our organization exists 

– medically ready forces, ready medical forces. While at the 

same time, we must continue to provide exceptional value to 

those we serve by ensuring we’re maximizing our available 

resources. By working jointly with our sister services, other 

health care institutions, non-governmental organizations, 

the private sector and 

academic partners, we 

are building a stronger 

team by leveraging 

each of our strengths. 

As we go forward, 

I’m confident Navy 

Medicine will continue 

to maintain the highest 

state of medical 

readiness for our 

Navy and Marine 

Corps team, while 

increasing the value and jointness of our operations.

 As you browse through this almanac, you will see an 

organization that continues to step up to the challenge 

and look for ways to 

improve. You will see 

an organization that is 

excelling in our priorities 

of readiness, value and 

jointness. 

 Our people are our 

most precious asset and 

they continue to join the Navy to serve in one of our many 

corps. Whether serving as physicians, nurses, dentists, 

clinicians, allied health professionals, administrators, or 

hospital corpsmen, their unparalleled commitment to the 

mission always inspires me. Regardless of the position, there 

are opportunities to serve on a ship, at a hospital, in a research 

lab, with the Marines, or even in a submarine.

 I am incredibly proud of the Navy Medicine military and 

civilian team that continues to step up when called upon and 

step forward when needed. I am truly grateful for the work 

Navy Medicine does every day in support of those whom our 

care is entrusted. It is our responsibility to ensure the care we 

give each and every beneficiary -- Sailors, Marines and their 

families -- is the best we can possibly provide. It is my honor 

and privilege to serve as the Navy’s surgeon general.

“Our people are our most precious asset 

and they continue to join the Navy to serve 

in one of our many corps.”

Surgeon General of the Navy 

Chief, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and 

Surgery

Vice Adm. Matthew L. Nathan
5

FORCE’S CORNER

Anywhere Sailors and Marines serve you will find 

a hospital corpsman (HM). HMs assist health care 

professionals in providing medical and dental care to Navy 

and Marine Corps personnel and their families and perform 

other duties that aid in the prevention and treatment of 

disease and injury. 

The Hospital Corps is the largest and most diverse Navy 

enlisted community. There are currently 39 specialties an 

HM can attain through further training. They may function 

as clinical or specialty technicians, medical administrative 

personnel, and health care providers at military treatment 

facilities. 

They may also serve as battlefield corpsmen with the 

Marine Corps, rendering emergency medical treatment to 

include initial treatment in a combat environment. 

Qualified corpsmen may also be assigned the 

responsibility of 

independent duty corpsman 

(IDC). IDCs serve aboard 

ships and submarines, with 

expeditionary units, special 

warfare, and at isolated duty 

stations where no medical 

officer is available. 

On June 17, 1898, President William McKinley approved 

the establishment of the HM rating which has served under 

various names and positions since 1775. 

We acknowledge the lineage that led to HM through 

their previous names: surgeon's mate, loblolly boy, surgeon's 

steward, nurse, apothecary, bayman, hospital steward, 

hospital apprentice, and pharmacist's mate. 

Whether on the sea, under it, flying high above, or in the 

most austere environments on our planet, HMs have either 

been there or more likely are there now, becoming the single 

most decorated enlisted unit in the military. 

As of Dec. 1, 2014, corpsmen have been awarded 22 

Medals of Honor, 178 Navy Crosses, 30 Navy Distinguished 

Service Medals, 956 Silver Stars, and innumerable Purple 

Hearts. Seventeen ships have also been commissioned in 

honor of corpsmen.* 

Thirteen of 14 Silver Stars and three of the eight Navy 

Crosses awarded since 2001 to Navy Medicine personnel 

have been HMs. Also, in 2014 the Hospital Corps rating was 

awarded the Armed Forces Award by the Veterans of Foreign 

Wars and a highway in Kentucky was dedicated to the men 

and women of the 

Navy Hospital Corps. 

Corpsmen provide 

excellent health care 

because of their 

intensive training, 

desire to succeed, and 

tools of trade. For a 

corpsman, the most 

well-known tool of the 

trade is the “corpsman’s 

medical kit.” 

The cover of this almanac shows an example of a medical 

kit, the haversack. Before the development of the corpsman’s 

medical kit, also known as a field medical unit, the medical 

tools of a corpsman were initially carried in haversacks and 

first aid pouches, and later first aid belts during World War 

I. A few other symbols 

that remain close to the 

hearts of corpsmen past 

and present are the Red 

Cross and the caduceus. 

One of the many 

differences that separate 

the HM rate from others is the oath that we take. We do 

not take an oath because of a requirement to do so; we take 

an oath because we place an extremely high value on what 

we do...every day. It’s our tradition to pass on that value to 

every new HM. 

Our tradition of service with value and honor are what we 

must ensure to pass along to our Sailors: a tradition that was 

started long before 1898 and was only made stronger by the 

establishment of the Hospital Corps. 

*Editor’s note: Be sure to check out the ‘Navy Medicine 

Heritage” on page 30 to find out more about the 17 ships 

commissioned in honor of hospital corpsmen.

“We take an oath because we place an 

extremely high value on what we do... 

every day.”

Force Master Chief

Sherman E. Boss
6

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7

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7
8

BUREAU OF MEDICINE 

AND SURGERY 

The Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) 

is the headquarters for Navy Medicine and has a long 

and proud history. Under the leadership of Navy Surgeon 

General, Vice Adm. Matthew L. Nathan, Navy Medicine 

provides high-quality health care to beneficiaries in wartime 

and peacetime. 

BUMED develops the policies and direction for Navy 

Medicine to ensure its vision for patient and family-centered 

care is carried out throughout the world. It exercises 

direct control over naval hospitals, medical centers, dental 

battalions, preventive medicine units and technical schools 

for medical department personnel both inside the U.S. and 

around the world. BUMED also oversees support commands 

and their subordinate commands that are not directly 

involved with patient care but are important contributors to 

Navy and Marine Corps medical readiness. 

BUMED was established as part of the Department 

of the Navy by an Act of Congress on Aug. 31, 1842. It 

is the centralized administrative organization of the 

medical department, and was located adjacent to the State 

Department on a hilltop in Foggy Bottom, D.C. for 170 

years. BUMED moved to its current location at the Defense 

Health Headquarters (DHHQ) in Falls Church, Virginia, in 

June 2012, as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure 

Commission. The DHHQ is also home to the surgeons 

general from the other military services. 

In October 2013, the Defense Health Agency was 

Architectural drawing of the Defense 

Health Headquarters front entrance. 

(Courtesy of Navy Medicine historian)
9

Vice Adm. Matthew L. Nathan, U.S. Navy surgeon general, meets Dr. Lon Chanrasmey, former Kampong Cham Provincial Health Department 

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partner with regional governments, international health organizations and U.S. government agencies to detect, prevent and control infectious 

diseases throughout Southeast Asia. (Courtesy photo)

created to streamline health care among the Navy, Army, 

and Air Force medical communities. The DHA manages 

the execution of policy issued by the assistant secretary of 

defense for Health Affairs and oversees ten shared support 

functions for common business and clinical processes 

across the Military Health System. The establishment of the 

DHA was an important milestone, and Navy Medicine will 

continue to work with the other military services in order to 

maintain the medical readiness of our forces. 

Outstanding care for the sick and injured, international 

contributions to the sciences of medicine and dentistry, and 

personal sacrifices and valor of its personnel in peace and 

combat, continue to earn the Navy medical department a 

prominent place in the Navy’s historical pages.

Highly-trained Navy Medicine personnel deploy 

with Sailors and Marines worldwide – providing critical 

mission support aboard ship, in the air and under the sea. 

At the same time, Navy Medicine’s military and civilian 

health care professionals are providing care for uniformed 

services’ family members and retirees at military treatment 

facilities around the globe. Every day, no matter what the 

environment, Navy Medicine is ready to care for those in 

need, providing world-class care anytime, anywhere. 
10

NAVY MEDICINE EAST

 Navy Medicine East (NME) is Navy Medicine’s health 

care system on the East Coast which includes the Gulf 

Coast, the Great Lakes and Europe. 

 NME is comprised of 17 military treatment facilities, one 

dental battlion and 39 branch clinics.

 NME staff totals nearly 26,000 active duty, civilians, 

contractors and volunteers. 

 In FY 2014, NME had more than 5.3 million outpatient 

visits, nearly 30,000 admitted inpatients, delivered nearly 

6,000 babies, and filled close to 7 million prescriptions.

 NME is anchored by Naval Medical Center Portsmouth 

(NMCP), Virginia. The construction of two operating room 

suites was completed following a 17-month, $3.15 million 

modernization. Operating Room 1 is now the largest robotic 

suite on the east coast, where surgeons use the DaVinci Si 

robotic surgical system to perform complex procedures 

that require absolute precision. Operating Room 2 has been 

transformed into a state-of-the-art urology suite.

 NMCP leads the Tidewater Multi-Service Markets 

(eMSM), a joint venture which incorporates McDonald 

Army Health Center and Air Force Hospital Langley in 

a three-hospital system to recapture patients and fill all 

available appointments in the military treatment facilities.

 NMCP staff totals more than 6,600 active duty, civilians, 

contractors and volunteers working at the medical center 

and its nine branch health clinics and TRICARE Prime 

clinics in southeastern Virginia.

 In 2014, NMCP and its branch clinics had more than 

1.5 million outpatient visits, admitted more than 14,000 

inpatients, delivered more than 3,800 babies, and filled 

nearly 1.9 million prescriptions. 

 USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), the Navy’s East Coast hospital 

ship, completed it fifth Comfort exercise since relocating 

to Norfolk in 2013. Comfort provides rapid, flexible, and 

mobile acute health service support to Marine Corps, Army 

and Air Force units deployed ashore, and naval amphibious 

task and battle forces afloat. Their secondary mission is to 

provide mobile surgical hospital service and acute medical 

care in disaster or humanitarian relief.

 Nearly 200 NMCP staff participated in the week-long 

exercise which trains the “critical core” crew responsible 

for preparing the hospital to get underway for a mission 

like Continuing Promise 2015, which is expected to include 

approximately 600 NME staff members. 

AT A GLANCE

5.3 million annual outpatient visits

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30,000 annual inpatients

FACILITIES 

Naval Medical Center Portsmouth

James A. Lovell 

Federal Health Care Center

Naval Hospital Beaufort

Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune

Naval Hospital Jacksonville

Naval Hospital Pensacola

U.S. Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay

U.S. Naval Hospital Naples

U.S. Naval Hospital Rota

U.S. Naval Hospital Sigonella

Naval Health Clinic Annapolis

Naval Health Clinic Charleston

Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi

Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River

Naval Health Clinic Quantico

Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point

Naval Health Clinic New England

2nd Dental Battalion, Naval Dental Center Camp 

Lejeune
11

Cmdr. Kristin Foster, Naval 

Medical Center Portsmouth 

Musculoskeletal Radiology 

Fellowship Program director, 

examines radiological scans of a 

patient’s wrist. 

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12

 Navy Medicine West (NMW) is Navy Medicine’s health 

care system in the Western Pacific providing medical care to 

more than 675,000 beneficiaries. 

 NMW is comprised of ten military treatment facilities, 

two dental battalions and 51 branch clinics. 

 NMW staff totals more than 16,000 active duty, 

civilians, contractors and volunteers working in California, 

Washington, Hawaii, Guam, Okinawa and Yokosuka, Japan. 

In FY2014, NMW had 4.5 million outpatient visits, admitted 

nearly 37,000 inpatients, delivered more than 8,200 babies, 

and filled 3.1 million prescriptions.

 NMW is anchored by Naval Medical Center San Diego 

(NMCSD). NMCSD is accredited by the Joint Commission 

and has the only Navy Medicine amputee center in the 

Western Pacific. It is also the only MRI center employing 

four state-of-the-art “3T-Tesla” magnetic resonance imaging 

(MRI) units in San Diego. NMCSD recently renovated its 

Cardiac Cather Laboratory making this unique hybrid lab 

the first one of its kind in California, and seventh in the 

nation, allowing NMCSD to care for all structural heart and 

endovascular consults for patients from across California 

and neighboring states. 

 NMCSD staff totals more than 6,500 active duty, 

civilians, contractors and volunteers working throughout 

the southern California region. In 2014, NMCSD had 

more than 1.2 million outpatient visits, more than 19,000 

admitted inpatients, delivered more than 3,200 babies, and 

filled more than 1.6 million prescriptions.

 NMW supports the USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), the Navy’s 

West Coast hospital ship. Mercy provides rapid, flexible, and 

mobile acute health service support to Marine Corps, Army 

and Air Force units deployed ashore, and naval amphibious 

task and battle forces afloat. Their secondary mission is to 

provide mobile surgical hospital service and acute medical 

care in disaster or humanitarian relief.

 Nearly 300 NMW personnel deployed aboard Mercy 

in support of the world’s largest international maritime 

exercise, Rim of the Pacific.

 In addition, nearly 100 NMW personnel deployed in 

support of Pacific Partnership 2014 and also augmented a 

Japanese ship, JS Kunisaki (LST 4003), in support of the 

multinational humanitarian effort. 

 

NAVY MEDICINE WEST

AT A GLANCE

4.5 million annual outpatient visits

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37,000 annual inpatients

FACILITIES

Naval Medical Center San Diego

Naval Hospital Bremerton

Naval Hospital Camp 

Pendleton

Naval Hospital Twenty-nine Palms

Naval Hospital Oak Harbor

Naval Hospital Lemoore

U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka

U.S. Naval Hospital Guam

U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa

Naval Health Clinic Hawaii

1st Dental Battalion, Naval 

Dental Center Camp Pendleton

3rd Dental Battalion, U.S. Naval 

Dental Center Okinawa
13

Sailors assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) march during the San Diego Veteran’s Day Parade with the theme, A tribute to 

Veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. More than 160 NMCSD Sailors marched in the parade to honor the service of all our nation’s veterans. 

(Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Pyoung K. Yi)

Lt. Cmdr. Corinne 

Devin, orthodontist 

assigned to the 

dental department at 

U.S. Naval Hospital 

Yokosuka, shows a 

student how to bend 

dental wire used in 

braces. Devin visited 

the middle school to 

speak with students 

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a naval career. (Photo 

by Mr. Tim Jensen)
14

Royal Canadian Navy Lt. Alan Ng, translates for Cmdr. Robert 

Durant, aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS 

Mercy (T-AH 19), as Vice Adm. Weilie Jiang, commander of the 

People's Republic of China, People's Liberation Army South Sea 

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by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Justin W. Galvin)

GLOBAL HEALTH

 Whether providing medical care through humanitarian 

assistance efforts, partnering with local ministries of health 

and non-government organizations, or conducting disease 

research and surveillance at a lab 

around the world; Navy Medicine 

is making a significant impact 

on operational forces and global 

health worldwide, helping to 

enhance national security. 

There are several medical research 

labs around the world that play a 

vital role in global health threat 

mitigation. Navy Medicine’s U.S. 

Naval Medical Research Unit 

(NAMRU) Three in Cairo, Egypt, 

NAMRU Six in Lima, Peru, and 

U.S. Naval Medical Research 

Center-Asia in Singapore are 

three overseas labs.

 Navy Medicine’s two labs 

in the U.S., Naval Medical 

Research Unit San Antonio 

and Naval Medical Research 

Unit Dayton, Ohio, provide 

support to the overseas labs and conduct groundbreaking 

medical and environmental health research. The NAMRUs 

Lt. Kimberly Edgel, right, and 

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malaria blood smear at U.S. Naval

Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) 6. 

NAMRU-6 studies malaria infection,

diagnosis and treatment and is 

the only U.S. command in South 

America. (U.S. Navy photo)

are all unique and invaluable forward-deployed extensions 

of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) infectious disease 

research and public health preparedness network. They 

also play a key role in national 

defense by addressing emerging 

and re-emerging infectious 

disease threats; evaluating 

new DOD-sponsored drugs, 

vaccines, and diagnostics, 

and responding to combatant 

command interests. Navy 

Medicine supports annual 

enduring missions worldwide, 

building relationships with 

partners and allies to help 

improve their health care and 

increase our strategic alliances. 

During these missions, such 

as Pacific Partnership 

and Continuing Promise, 

personnel visit a variety of 

different countries to help 

build capacity so troops are 

ready to respond when a 

 disaster occurs.
15

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NAVY MEDICINE AROUND THE GLOBE

17
18

headquarters for Navy Medicine’s research and development 

enterprise that includes the NMRC laboratory and 

affiliated laboratories in the U.S. and overseas. The NMRC 

laboratory’s research focuses on potential mission aborting 

infectious disease agents and infectious disease vaccine 

development; operational and 

undersea medicine; bone 

marrow research and registry, 

and biological defense. 

NMRC supported 

Department of Defense’s 

(DOD) participation in 

Operation United Assistance 

with two mobile labs in 

Liberia. The two sites were 

Island Clinic Lab, Bushrod 

Island and Bong County lab, 

Cuttington University. The 

mobile labs in Liberia were 

rapidly deployable detection 

laboratories incorporating 

molecular analysis 

techniques. The staff received 

patient blood samples from 

Ebola Treatment Units and 

health care facilities, and 

analyzes them using real 

time PCR (Polymerase Chain 

Reaction) to determine if the 

Ebola virus was present. The 

results were reported to health 

care providers and authorized 

international health authorities 

as designated by the Liberia 

Ministry of Health.

Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) strategically 

located in San Diego, is uniquely positioned to respond to 

the bio-medical research requirements of the expeditionary 

forces of all of the military services and special operations 

communities. 

RESEARCH AND 

DEVELOPMENT

Navy Medicine’s research and development laboratories 

are engaged in a broad spectrum of activity, from basic 

science in the laboratory, to field studies at sites in remote 

areas of the world and other operational environments. 

Their goal is delivering high value, high impact research 

products to support 

and protect today’s 

deployed warfighters. 

The researchers are also 

focused on the readiness 

and well-being of future 

forces. 

The diverse capabilities 

and the geographical 

locations of the 

laboratories reflect the 

broad mission and vision 

of Navy Medicine’s 

research and development 

enterprise. With a cadre 

of scientific leadership 

and technical expertise 

focused on force health 

protection and enhancing 

deployment readiness, the 

research teams represent 

years of experience in 

science, medicine and the 

military. 

In support of the Navy, 

Marine Corps, and joint 

U.S. warfighters, researchers 

study infectious diseases; 

biological warfare detection 

and defense; combat casualty care; environment health 

concerns; bone marrow research and registry; aerospace 

and undersea medicine; medical modeling, simulation 

and operational mission support; and epidemiology and 

behavioral sciences. 

Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) is the 

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19

Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory is DOD’s 

center of undersea research focused on protecting the health 

and enhancing the performance of warfighters through 

submarine, diving and surface biomedical research efforts. 

Naval Medical Research Unit – San Antonio conducts 

medical, dental, and directed energy bio-medical research 

focused on ways to enhance the health, safety, performance, 

and operational readiness of Navy and Marine Corps 

personnel and addresses their emergent medical and dental 

problems in routine and combat operations.

Naval Medical Research Unit – Dayton is focused on 

maximizing warfighter performance and survivability 

through aero-medical and environmental health research 

that delivers solutions to the field and the fleet. 

An integral part of Navy Medicine’s research and 

development is its three overseas infectious disease research 

and surveillance activities: U.S. Naval Medical Research 

Unit (NAMRU)-3, Cairo, Egypt, with a major field site 

in Accra, Ghana; NAMRU-6, Lima, Peru, with a field 

laboratory in Iquitos, Peru; and U.S. Naval Medical Research 

Center-Asia, located in Singapore with a field site in Phnom 

Penh, Cambodia. 

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San Antonio Military Medical Center, Texas. The team is training to 

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20

PUBLIC HEALTH

Public health is the science of protecting and improving 

personnel health through promotion, research, prevention, 

detection and control. 

The Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center 

(NMCPHC), located in Portsmouth, Virginia, does its 

part to protect and improve personnel health of others by 

providing expertise in industrial hygiene, health analysis, 

radiation health, health risk communication, health risk 

assessment and much more. The functional experts at 

NMCPHC develop, manage and coordinate programs, 

advise policy makers, consult on health risk issues, and 

monitor and analyze disease data. 

NMCPHC’s operational components ensure the health 

readiness of Navy and Marine Corps personnel through 

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various services provided directly to the organizations 

within the Navy. These include laboratory services (Navy 

drug screening laboratories, comprehensive industrial 

hygiene laboratories, Navy Blood-borne Infection 

Management Center), vector-borne disease control (Navy 

Entomology Center of Excellence), radiation health safety 

(Naval Dosimetry Center) and, operational public health 

support (Navy Environmental Preventive Medicine Units). 

NMCPHC personnel deploy in direct support of 

operational forces and humanitarian missions world-wide. 

No matter how small or large a community or region is, 

NMCPHC subject matter experts and technicians provide 

the full range of public health services to DOD, the Navy, 

allied forces, and other agencies. 
21

EDUCATION AND 

TRAINING

 The Navy Medicine health care team of professionals 

is comprised of military and civilian experts who are 

constantly looking for ways to improve their skills and 

increase their knowledge. 

 Navy Medicine Education and Training Command 

(NMETC), located in San Antonio, Texas, provides and 

supports continuums of medical education, training and 

qualifications that enable health services and force health 

protection executed by four subordinate commands.

 Navy Medicine Professional Development Center, 

(NMPDC) located in Bethesda, Maryland, is the hub for 

Navy Medicine’s health services support professional 

development training and education mission, spanning 

the globe through collaborative relationships with more 

than 200 military and civilian activities. It oversees the 

Naval Dental Postgraduate School and courses that focus 

on the practice and business of Navy medicine in both the 

operational and military treatment facility settings delivered 

via classroom and web-based Navy e-learning systems. 

 Navy Medicine Training Support Center (NMTSC) is the 

Navy Medicine command center in San Antonio, Texas that 

provides administrative and operational control over Navy 

staff and students assigned to the Medical Education and 

Training Campus (METC). METC is the primary command 

responsible for initial hospital corpsman medical training 

and other medical programs in the San Antonio area. 

Additionally, NMTSC has two detachments (Naval Medical 

Center San Diego and Naval Medical Center Portsmouth) 

supporting clinical phases of advanced corpsman schools. 

 Navy Medicine Operational Training Center, 

headquartered in Pensacola, Florida, consists of six 

detachments and nine training centers at 14 locations 

throughout the country that provide training for operational 

medicine and aviation survival.

 Naval Reserve Navy Medicine Education and Training 

Command (NR-NMETC), headquartered in Pensacola, 

Florida, provides enterprise-wide education and training 

support by developing and coordinating the readiness 

training continuum for the Navy Medicine Reserve 

Component (RC). The unit coordinates preparation and 

execution of training evolutions to ensure RC readiness. 

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and Training Command 

(NMETC) optometrist 

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Louisiana. (Courtesy photo)
222
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24

MEDICAL CORPS

A Brief History

On March 3, 1871, the 41st Congress enacted the 

Appropriations Act which established the Medical Corps 

as a separate entity and as a staff corps of the Navy. 

However, the term “Medical Corps” and the existence of 

Navy physicians pre-date this Congressional Act. Early 

in 1798, the first physicians were awarded commissions 

in the Navy as “surgeons” and “surgeons mates.” Their 

mission was simple: provide medical care aboard ships 

and shore stations.

The Medical Corps’ scope has grown in complexity 

since 1871. Navy physicians now serve with the Marine 

Corps, in the attending physician’s office to Congress 

and the White House. They also serve in the aviation 

and undersea medical communities, and as astronauts 

exploring the frontiers of space. The Navy Medical Corps 

continues to pave new frontiers in biomedical research, 

medical education and training, and patient care delivery 

at clinics, hospitals, aboard afloat platforms, and in combat 

theaters.

Primary Responsibilities of 

Medical Corps Officer

The Navy Medical Corps is currently comprised of more 

than 3,800 active duty and approximately 540 Reserve 

physicians who are practicing or training in dozens 

of medical and surgical specialties with over 200 subspecialties. 

Navy physicians are stationed at military treatment 

facilities, medical education institutions, clinics, and 

hospitals located within the United States and various 

overseas locations, at research units, and in various joint 

commands. Navy physicians are assigned as operational 

medical officers providing direct support to Navy and 

Marine Corps commands, squadrons, battalions and units. 

Navy physicians deploy in support of combat operations, 

disaster relief, and humanitarian assistance missions, 

providing patient care ashore and afloat. 

t Family Medicine

t Internal Medicine

t Pediatrics

t General Surgery

t Orthopedics

t Otolaryngology

t Ophthalmology

t Emergency Medicine

t Radiology

t Psychiatry

t Obstetrics/Gynecology

t Preventive Medicine

t Occupational Medicine

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 U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

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t Aerospace Medicine

t Undersea Medicine

t Plastic & Reconstructive 

Surgery

t Neurosurgery

t Neurology

t Anesthesiology

t Urology

t Pathology

t Physical & Rehabilitative 

Medicine

t Dermatology

t Over 200 sub-specialties

Specialties
25

DENTAL CORPS

A Brief History

The Navy Dental Corps was established as a unique 

staff corps on August 22, 1912, when President William 

Taft signed a bill into law authorizing the secretary of the 

Navy “to appoint not more than 30 acting assistant dental 

surgeons to be part of the medical department of the U.S. 

Navy.” This legislation held that all Navy dentists appointed 

must be “trained in several branches of dentistry, of good 

moral character, of unquestionable professional ability” 

and “shall pass a satisfactory physical and professional 

examination.” Just over one year later, the surgeon general 

reported to the secretary of the Navy that the medical 

department now had the ability to provide dental care 

that would allow the Navy to accept recruits who would 

otherwise be rejected for defective teeth. 

Dental Corps officers have been active in every wartime 

engagement since World War I, which saw the first 

deployment of dentists with Marine Corps units. World 

War II saw the Navy Dental Corps swelling to its highest 

levels ever – ultimately reaching 7,000 dental officers and 

11,000 dental technicians by war’s end. The Korean War 

saw new approaches to front-line dental care with the 

use of mobile dental and dental laboratory units. During 

the Vietnam War, dental companies deployed in support 

of Marine ground and air combat units; in addition to 

caring for Marines, dental personnel participated in many 

civic action programs rendering humanitarian aid to 

Vietnamese civilians. Today, the Dental Corps continues 

to maintain high operational readiness, while it trains 

for all contingencies. Navy dentists routinely deploy with 

Marine expeditionary units and aboard ships, where beyond 

their dental duties they assume roles in triage and surgical 

support at Marine battalion aid stations and battle dressing 

stations. 

Primary Responsibilities of 

Dental Corps Officer

 The Navy Dental Corps is comprised of more than 1,000 

active duty and nearly 270 Reserve dentists who ensure 

dental readiness while optimizing dental health. Navy 

dentists are stationed at military treatment facilities, with 

Marine battalions, clinics, and hospitals located within the 

U.S. and various overseas locations. Navy dentists provide 

direct support to Navy and Marine Corps commands, 

squadrons, battalions and Seabee detachments. They 

deploy in support of combat operations, disaster relief, and 

humanitarian assistance missions, providing patient care 

ashore and afloat.

“The Navy Dental Corps provides many 

educational opportunities for dentists after 

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Lt. Teresa A. Capristo, 

 USS Germantown (LSD 42) 

 Head, Dental Department

t Comprehensive Dentistry

t Dental and Biomedical Research

t Dental Public Health

t Endodontics

t Forensic Odontology

t Maxillofacial Prosthetics

t Operative Dentistry

t Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology

t Oral Medicine and Radiology

t Orofacial Pain

t Orthodontics

t Pediatric Dentistry

t Periodontics

Specialties
26

NURSE CORPS

A Brief History

Nurses have contributed to the care of the ill and 

wounded in the Navy long before the establishment of 

the corps. During the Civil War, Catholic nuns served 

as volunteers aboard the Red Rover, the Navy’s first 

commissioned hospital ship. In 1898, nurses were employed 

by the Naval Hospital Norfolk, Virginia, to care for the sick 

and wounded from the Spanish-American War. Finally, 

after years of effort, the bill to establish the Navy Nurse 

Corps was approved by Congress and became law on May 

13, 1908. By October of that year, the first nurses, later 

called “The Sacred Twenty,” reported for duty at the Naval 

Medical School Hospital, Washington, D.C., formerly the 

home of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.

Primary Responsibilities of 

Nurse Corps Officer

A primary mission of the Navy Nurse Corps is to teach 

and develop hospital corpsmen. The Navy Nurse Corps is 

currently comprised of nearly 3,000 active duty and nearly 

1,300 Reserve nurses who provide care or support either 

through direct patient care at the bedside or as a provider, 

in an administrative role, as an instructor, recruiter, quality 

management manager, or researcher.

Navy nurses are stationed at military treatment facilities, 

medical education institutions, clinics, recruiting centers, 

hospital corps school, expeditionary medical facilities, 

forward operating bases, fleet surgical teams, aircraft 

carriers and various overseas locations and joint commands. 

The Navy Nurse Corps accesses about 200 new nurses 

each year. The majority enters through student programs 

such as the Nurse Candidate Program, the Naval Reserve 

Officer Training Corps, and enlisted to officer programs. 

There are Navy nurses assigned to support 11 aircraft 

carriers, nine Fleet Surgical Teams on amphibious ships, 

seven Marine Expeditionary Units, the Guantanamo Bay 

Joint Medical Group, and Marine Air Ground Task Force 

operations. Navy nurses also support the Continuing 

Promise and Pacific Partnership humanitarian missions 

aboard USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) and USNS Mercy (T-AH 

19). 

The Reserve nurses not only support operational 

missions but strategic missions at military treatment 

facilities which may require support in the maternal and 

child, labor and delivery areas, as well the National Intrepid 

Center of Excellence sites in Bethesda, Maryland and Camp 

Lejeune, North Carolina. 

t Medical-Surgical

t Manpower

t Education and Training

t Nursing Researcher

t Maternal/Infant 

t Pediatrics

t Public Health

t Mental Health

t Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

t Emergency Room/Trauma

t Perioperative

t Critical Care

t Certified Nurse Anesthetist

t Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

t Family Practice Nurse Practitioner

t Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner

t Nurse Midwife

Specialties

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 U.S. Transportation Command

 Patient Movement Clinical Coordinator 
27

A Brief History 

The need for an all officer category comprised of 

individuals trained in administrative, professional, and 

scientific specialties traditionally allied with medicine had 

long been recognized. During World War II 1,429 officers 

were given temporary appointments in the Hospital Corps 

during the war. In addition, a total of 845 pharmacists, 

optometrists, and other specialists and scientists allied to 

medicine were given temporary appointments as Naval 

Reserve officers. 

The Navy Medical Service Corps had its formal origin 

in the Army-Navy Medical Service Corps Act of 1947, 

which provided for the corps to be comprised of four 

sections: supply and administration, medical allied sciences, 

optometry and pharmacy. The act further authorized the 

secretary of the Navy to create other sections, as necessary, 

to meet the needs of the service. 

Primary Responsibilities of 

Medical Service Corps Officer

 The Medical Service Corps is Navy Medicine’s most 

diverse corps with 31 specialties and more than 3,000 active 

and Reserve officers serving in virtually every location and 

MEDICAL SERVICE CORPS

environment where our nation’s military operates. Since 

1947, the development and growth of the Medical Service 

Corps parallels the advancements in military medicine and 

the ever-changing challenges presented in a global world. 

Medical Service Corps officers serve at military treatment 

facilities, on ships, with the fleet Marine force, with 

Seabee and special warfare units, in research centers and 

laboratories, and in many other positions with the Navy 

and Marine Corps. They also serve alongside the other 

military services around the world. The Medical Service 

Corps team of professionals remains trained, ready and 

focused to ensure our warfighters are medically ready to 

carry out their missions wherever they are called upon to 

serve in support of Navy Medicine’s readiness and health 

benefits mission. Since WWII, Medical Service Corps 

officers have deployed in support of all major contingencies, 

disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, and other 

contingency operations around the world in support of our 

nation’s national security, patient care ashore and afloat. 

“I have had the privilege to serve with 

scientists who are developing cutting edge 

research, providers who are highly sought out 

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Lt. Cmdr. Janiese Cleckley, 

 U.S. Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay 

 Director for Administration

Healthcare Administrators 

t Financial 

Management 

t Education/Training 

Management 

t Patient Administration 

t Health Care Info Systems 

t Manpower, Personnel 

t Healthcare Facility 

Planning 

t Operations Analysis 

t Plans, Ops, & Med Intel 

t Healthcare Administration 

t Material Logistics 

Clinicians 

tAudiology 

tClinical Psychology 

tOccupational Therapy 

tOptometry 

tPharmacy 

tDietetics 

tPhysical Therapy 

tPhysician Assistant 

tPodiatry 

t Social Work 

Scientists 

tEntomology

tEnvironmental Health 

tIndustrial Hygiene 

tMedical Technology 

tAerospace Physiology 

tAerospace Experimental 

Psychology 

tResearch Psychology 

tRadiation Health

tPhysiology 

tMicrobiology

tBiochem/Toxicology 

Specialties
28

HOSPITAL CORPS

A Brief History

Established by Congressional Law on June 17, 1898, the 

Hospital Corps is the only enlisted corps in the military. 

They are the most decorated group of enlisted men and 

women. In the early 1900’s the Hospital Corps numbered 

less than 2,000, but that is a stark contrast to the more than 

26,000 of today, honorably serving in support of the Navy 

and Marine Corps. The essence of a hospital corpsman 

(HM) is the honor they carry of the sacred trust of treating 

their fellow injured and ill service members, an unspoken 

bond. 

The HM rating is the largest in the Navy. All corpsmen 

attend boot camp for 10 weeks followed by HM ‘Apprentice’ 

School for 14 weeks. After completion of school, corpsmen 

may go directly to fleet, military treatment facilities, or 

field medical training battalion (eight weeks) for duty 

with the fleet Marine force. Within the rating, there are 38 

occupational specialties, which require further technical 

training. Most specialty training is long and intense; many 

are at least one year in length. Some of the most demanding 

specialties, such as independent duty corpsmen, go through 

a series of schools as their career progresses. One of the 

specialties, morticians, requires civilian licensing prior to 

entry into the Navy. The HM rating has more than 600 

full-time support personnel and more than 4,500 selective 

Reservists. 

Primary Responsibilities of Hospital Corps

The primary mission of the HM spans from the 

operational environments of Afghanistan, to under the sea, 

to the most advanced hospitals in the world, utilizing the 

most advanced technology and sciences, and scores of other 

environments. 

Where ever there are Sailors and Marines, a corpsman is 

present.

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29

Specialties

t Medical-Surgical

t Manpower

t Education and Training

t Search and Rescue Medical Tech

t Submarine IDC

t Reconaissance IDC

t Fleet Marine Force

t Aerospace Medicine Tech

t Radiation Health Tech

t Cardiovascular Tech

t Aviation Physiology Tech

t Biomedical Equipment Tech

t Nuclear Medicine Tech

t Surface Force IDC

t Reconaissance Corpsman

t Preventative Medicine Tech

t Hemodialysis Tech

t Radiographer

t Electronneurodiagnostic Tech

t Optician

t Physical Therapy Tech

t Occupational Therapy Tech

t Pharmacy Teach

t Surgical Tech

t Behavior Tech

t Urology Tech

t Orthopedic Castroom Tech

t Dive Medicine Tech

t Dive IDC

t Morticians

t Histology Tech

t Medical Lab Tech

t Respiratory Therapy Tech

t Dental Assistant

t Advanced Dental Assistant

t Dental Hygienist

t Basic Dental Lab Tech

t Advanced Dental Lab Tech

t Maxillofacial Tech

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Chief Hospital Corpsman Monica M. Reeves

 Naval Hospital Jacksonville

 Senior Enlisted Leader, Directorate of Public Health
30

NAVY MEDICINE HERITAGE

USS Benfold (DDG-65) commissioned March 30, 1996

Named after Medal of Honor recipient 

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class 

Edward C. Benfold 

USS Caron (DD-970) commissioned Oct. 1, 1977

Named after Medal of Honor recipient 

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class 

Wayne M. Caron 

USS Dewert (FFG-45) commissioned Nov. 19, 1983

Named after Medal of Honor recipient

Hospitalman 

Richard Dewert

USS Frament (DE-677/APD-77) commissioned Aug. 15, 1943

Named after Pharmacist’s Mate 2nd Class

Paul Stanley Frament

USS Hammond (DE-1067) commissioned July 25, 1970

Named after Medal of Honor recipient

Hospitalman 

Francis C. Hammond

USS Halyburton (FFG-40) commissioned Jan. 7, 1984

Named after Medal of Honor recipient

Pharmacist’s Mate 

William D. Halyburton, Jr. 

USS Jobb (DE-707) commissioned July 4,1944 

Named after Pharmacist’s Mate 2nd Class 

Richard P. Jobb

USS Joy (DE-585) commissioned April 28, 1944

Named after Pharmacist’s Mate 2nd Class

Daniel Joy

USS Lester (DE-1022) commissioned June 14, 1957

Named after Medal of Honor recipient

Hospital Apprentice Fred F. Lester 

 The following 17 ships have been commissioned in honor of hospital corpsmen 

USS Liddle (DE-206) (never commissioned in the U.S. Navy) 

Launched May 31, 1943 and transferred to the 

United Kingdom as HMS Bligh (K-467) 

She was to be named after Hospital Apprentice First Class 

W.A. Liddle, Jr.

USS Litchfield (DD-336) commissioned May 12, 1920

Named after Pharmacist’s Mate 3rd Class

John R. Litchfield

USS Parker (DE-369) commissioned Oct. 25, 1944

Named after Pharmacist’s Mate 2nd

Class Thaddeus Parker

USS Ray (DD-971) commissioned Nov. 19, 1977 

Named after Medal of Honor recipient

Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class 

David R. Ray

USS Valdez (DE-1096) commissioned July 27, 1974

Named after Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class 

Phil I. Valdez

USS Walter Wann (DE-412) commissioned May 2, 1944

Named after Pharmacist’s Mate 2nd Class

Walter C. Wann

USS Jack Williams (FFG-24) commissioned Sept. 19, 1981

Named after Medal of Honor recipient 

Pharmacist’s Mate 2nd Class 

Jack Williams

USS Woods (DE-721/Redesignated APD-118)

commissioned May 28, 1945 

Named after Hospital Apprentice 1st Class 

Don O. Woods

Archive photo of Hospitalman Richard DeWert courtesy of Navy History and Heritage Command