Military medicine has a long and celebrated history. We apply lessons from our past to improve the care of military personnel and their families today and in the future. New surgical techniques, powerful painkillers, antibiotic drugs, and triage and evacuation procedures have revolutionized military medicine.
In this section, you'll find featured stories and information about the history of military medicine.
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Apr 3, 2023
She just wouldn't take "no" for an answer, and that's how this wife and mom made history as the first female pilot-physician in the Air Force.
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Mar 31, 2023
Twenty years later, hospital corpsmen share memories of their deployments in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Find out how those experiences shaped their their chosen Navy Medicine professions, in their own words.
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Mar 30, 2023
National Doctors Day is March 30 to honor physicians for their dedication and contributions to the health and wellbeing of society and the community in which they serve.
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Mar 28, 2023
Meet some of the pioneers of women in military medicine and how they changed the course of American medical history.
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Mar 17, 2023
It was on March 3, 1871, that 153 U.S. Navy physicians were officially recognized as a staff corps to parallel their professional status with other naval officers. That date was readily acknowledged 152 years later on March 3, 2023, at Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton with an anniversary celebration for Navy Medical Corps officers ...
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Mar 6, 2023
Newly promoted U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paula Lodi gives credit to family, mentors, and friends as she becomes the first female medical service corps active duty service member to be promoted to Two-Star General.
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Feb 28, 2023
Nearly 80 years later, the battle of Iwo Jima is remembered as a memorial to the fallen, their service, and the sheer grit and resilience of those Navy corpsmen who answered the call.
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Feb 27, 2023
The Ireland Army Health Clinic, in Fort Knox, Kentucky, was recently awarded The Join Commission Gold Seal accreditation in both ambulatory services and behavioral health and human services. The primary care home was also awarded an additional certification.
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Feb 24, 2023
The Military Health System and AMSUS, the society of federal health professionals, presented a series of awards.
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Feb 14, 2023
Completing four years of renovations calls for a ceremony! Find out more about the inauguration of the Fort McNair U.S. Army Health Clinic and its rich history—dating back to the Civil War era.
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Feb 13, 2023
At military medical facilities all over the world, there's a good chance that a beneficiary will be treated by female physicians, but it wasn't always like that. Feb. 3 is National Women Physician Day. We'll take a look at how Naval Medical Center San Diego is honoring the history of women in military medicine and their role in how far medicine has ...
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Feb 8, 2023
Blanchfield Army Community Hospital team members gathered to observe the 122nd anniversary of the Army Nurse Corps. The observance was more poignant because it was held in a hospital named for one of the most revered nurses in the history of the Army.
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Feb 3, 2023
The new Defense Health Agency director pinned on her third star during a ceremony at Fort Myer Memorial Chapel, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2023.
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Feb 1, 2023
This Historical Perspective discusses catastrophic casualties among U.S. and Japanese forces due to failed supply lines during World War II in the Pacific.
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Jan 27, 2023
The work of one of the Department of Defense’s foremost experts on the treatment of traumatic brain injury was recently honored with the department's highest award given to career DOD civilian employees.
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Last Updated: August 29, 2025