MEDCOM History
Module 2 Homework (MEDCOM History), ALC
1. Utilizing a MS Word document, answer the following questions in paragraph format
with a minimum of 4-5 sentences per question. • What date did Congress authorize the
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1. What date did Congress authorize the establishment of a Medical Service? In your own
words, explain the importance of this move.
On 27 July 1775, Congress authorized the establishment of a “hospital” or Medical
Service. This date is known as the Anniversary of the Army Medical Department. This step
made provisions for a Director General and Chief Physician, four surgeons, one apothecary, 20
surgeon’s mates, one clerk, two storekeepers, one nurse per every 10 sick and laborers as needed.
The establishment of a Medical Service supports the United States national defense missions,
during times of peace and war. The evolution of the U.S. Army Medical Corp includes
Revolutionary War apothecaries, Civil War Ambulance Corps, World War I Sanitary Corps, all
as a temporary part of the Medical Department. The expansion of this Corp, during war time,
allowed physicians relief from not only administrative, technical and scientific responsibilities,
but also freed physicians for patient care responsibilities. During the inter-war years, it became
evident that the Army required a permanent Medical Service. The importance of this move is to
ensure the Army maintains a staffed medical capability prepared to execute its mission during
times of peace and/or war.
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2. What is General Order #29? What is the significance of this order to you?
General Oder #29, published in April of 1887, assigned enlisted members to the Hospital
Corps and permanently attached them to the Medical Department. This was an act of Congress
that allowed for the organization of the Hospital Corp of the Army of the United States. The
significance of General Order 29 was Congress’s acknowledgment of the Hospital Corp as part
of the Medical Department. This Act outlines assignment, pay, skill qualifications, personnel
strength requirements, and career and promotion opportunities of hospital stewards and privates
assigned to the Hospital Corp. This Act is part of the evolution of today’s AMEDD NCO and
was an important step by congress to acknowledge the importance of the enlisted members at
that time.
3. Explain the lineage of the “Hospital Steward” (Medical NCO) in the U.S. Army and give
some significant milestones.
At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, insufficient care for the wounded and lack of
treatment and prevention of the diseases led to the establishment of a “Hospital”. Congress
authorized the employment of Hospital Stewards as early as December 1775. From 1777-1813,
authorization of a Hospital Steward increased from one for every hundred sick or wounded to
one for each military hospital. Their responsibilities expanded from receiving, dispensing and
maintaining accountability of articles of diet from the hospital commissary to purchasing
anything necessary for the care of the sick and wounded and handling major administrative and
logistical functions. Additionally, during this time, the first manual on hospital administration
was published and the Secretary of War authorized the enlistment of individuals and NCOs who
were taken from the line and learned patient care by “on the job training” to become Hospital
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Stewards. From 1851-1856, the need grew as Hospital Stewards began to accompany surgeons
into battle (Civil and India Wars) and Congress issued an addendum that authorized a “Half
Chevron” to denote the rank of the Hospital Steward and authorized the Secretary of War to
appoint as many Hospital Stewards as needed in the Army and mustered onto the hospital rolls as
“NCO’s”. This action permanently attached the stewards to the Medical Department. In 1885,
the Surgeon General’s recommended that a “Hospital Corps” be formed and on 1 March 1887,
the Hospital Corps was finally established and expanded by 1891 with the formations of
“Companies of Instructions” for the training of the enlisted of the Hospital Corps. By 1903-1945,
the Corps replaced the term Hospital Stewards with what we know as today, the Medical NCO.
4. Explain the advancement of training for the “Hospital Steward”(Medical NCO)
throughout its history.
Prior to 1851, Hospital Stewards gained their knowledge and training by working with
the surgeons and physicians they were assigned to. Much what they learned and how they
learned by an approach we used today called, “on the job training”. The knowledge gained was
basic compared to today’s standards. There was no formal school, thus, Hospital Stewards were
required to take tests. After the Civil War and during the Indian War era, only individuals who
served as hospital stewards for over 25 years were exempted from the exams. All other stewards
were required to take written tests, testing math, chemistry and writing skills. After one year of
service with Hospital Corps, privates were eligible for appointment as acting hospital stewards.
After one year of probation and passing of another examination, they could be appointed
“Permanent” hospital stewards. The Surgeon General made great efforts to establish a formal
school to train Hospital Stewards, and this effort was eventually supported by the Army in 1851.
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In 1891, the “Companies of Instruction” were established to ensure the newly formed corps had
the necessary skills to perform their duties. Under this concept, Infantry drill regulations were
integrated with medical training in the areas of anatomy and physiology, nursing, pharmacy and
first aid. In 1924, the first formal course of instruction for Noncommissioned Officers of the
active, National Guard and Reserves was conducted at Medical Field Service School, Carlisle
Barracks, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In 1944, enlisted female soldiers of the “Women’s Army
Corps” (WAC)” were trained as pharmacy, laboratory and x-ray technicians. The availability of
trained female soldiers in the United States reduced the critical shortages overseas. In 1946, the
Medical Field Service School (MFSS) was relocated to Fort Sam Houston, Texas and all
specialized training for enlisted personnel was consolidated except for the line medic. In 1950,
the Surgeon General directed that a 48-week course in practical nursing for enlisted soldiers be
established at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In 1950, the Medical Readiness Training
Centers increased their training capacity to meet the needs of the Korean Conflict. In Vietnam,
personnel who volunteered to become Flight Medics received their training on the job gaining
experience with each mission. The Medical Training Center (MTC), Fort Sam Houston, Texas,
increased their training capacity due to the shortage of enlisted medical personnel and in 1969,
the MTC trained 25,982 medics, 24,135 enlisted men in other specialties and 1,846 female
soldiers. Over 225,000 medics were trained since 1954. Today the training has expanded its
curriculum, testing to include examinations before boards, internships and specialized training to
receive an additional skill identifier (ASI) today’s category of CMF 68 Medical Specialist.
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5. Aside from combat duties and support of Soldiers, the “Hospital Steward” (Medical
NCO) provided service during humanitarian missions. Give a historical account of one
such mission.
In July 1958, the Medical Department sent several units to support the US Operations
“Eisenhower’s Operation Blue-Bat” in Lebanon during the Lebanon Crisis. The Lebanese Crisis
was a political crisis, caused by political and religious tensions in the country that required a U.S.
military intervention. Lebanon was threatened by a civil war between the Maronite Christians
and Muslims. The units included the 58th Evacuation Hospital, Medical Platoon of the 187th
Airborne Battle Group, Medical Detachments of the 3d Tank Battalion and 299th Engineer
Battalion, 100th Veterinary Food Inspection Detachment and the 485th Preventive Medicine
Company. This dispatch of U.S. Armed Forces to Lebanon provided the first real test since the
Korean War of how well the Army Medical Department was accomplishing one of its basic
missions-combat readiness. The number of participating troops ashore was approximately
13,000, including marines, and the operation lasted slightly more than 3 months (July-October
1958). No combat was involved; instead a “semi garrison” situation was encountered, with most
of the medical problems being in the field of preventive medicine. Nevertheless, the incident did
provide a test of the capability of the Army Medical Department to deal with a sudden,
unexpected situation in an overseas area. Subsequent detailed analysis established that Army
Medical Department personnel performed their basic mission in a creditable manner. Early
deficiencies were resolved, and the effectiveness of the Medical Department increased as the
operation progressed. Several important lessons were learned during the Lebanon Operation
which were later incorporated in operational plans: (1) was that medical support, particularly
preventive medicine support, must accompany the first contingent of troops, since medical
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problems are greatest at the onset of a campaign; (2) that sanitary orders must be prepared for
issue before troops are committed. These orders should be sufficiently comprehensive and
detailed to assure maximum protection from disease; (3) preventive medicine units included in
the task force must have balanced and complementing organic elements reflecting all their
capabilities when they are committed. Survey and control sections should be committed
simultaneously to be effective; (4) that, in planning phased shipment of organizational
equipment, adequate insect and rodent control materiel must be included in the first or second
phase; (5) that The Surgeon General must be provided with timely and comprehensive statistical
and sanitary reports from any joint commands in which Army troops are involve; (6) in planning
for operations of this type, an appropriate medical staff must be assigned to assure preparation of
adequate medical plans and to coordinate, control, and supervise the execution of these plans; (7)
that planning for any task force operation must provide for sufficient surgical capability
concurrent with the arrival of troops in the area; (8) that plans should be developed whereby
individuals are not only designated for deployable units but are also indoctrinated and trained
with the unit for their assigned mission; (9) that careful study must be made to ascertain that the
troop lists and the equipment lists will satisfy anticipated requirements; and finally, automatic
supply shipments must be augmented with adequate quantities of any unusual items that might
be required because of the nature of the country in which the task force is to operate. Though, no
combat was incurred, had there been, the U.S. would have had a medical disaster on its hands.
References:
AMEDD/NCO Enlisted Soldier History. 2011. Retrieved from http://medicalservicecorps.amedd.army.mil/about/history.html
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U.S. Army Medical Department, Army Medical Department Regiment, General Order #29,
Retrieved from http://history.amedd.army.mil/corps/nco/order.html
Reidinger, P. (2009, March 6). Hospital corps celebrates 122 years of service – year of the NCO.
Retrieved February 6, 2017, from US Army,
https://www.army.mil/article/17864/hospital-corps-celebrates-122-years-of-service—-
year-of-the-nco
U.S. Army Medical Department, Meeting the Challenge in War and Peace, Combat Readiness,
Emergency Missions, Lebanon Operation, July1958, Retrieved from
http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/histories/adecadeofprgss/chapter9.html
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1. What date did Congress authorize the establishment of a Medical Service? In your own words, explain the importance of this move.
1A.27 July 1775 is when congress authorized the establishment of medical service. This date is known as the Anniversary of the Army Medical department. The establishment of a Medical Service supports the United States missions during times of peace and war. During the inter-war years, it became apparent that the Army required a permanent Medical Service .The importance of this move is to ensure the Army maintains a staffed medical capability ready to execute its mission during times of peace and/or war.
22. What is General Order #29? What is the significance of this order to you?
General order #29 assigned enlisted members to the hospital corps permanently attaching them to the medical department. General order #29 was published April of 1887 This act of congress allowed the organization of the United States Army Hospital Corp. This act acknowledged the Hospital corps as part of the medical field and Outlined qualifications, personnel requirements, and career specifics for the Hospital corps.
3.Explain the lineage of the “Hospital Steward” (Medical NCO) in the U.S. Army and give some significant milestones