United States Air Force Medical Service

Seal of the United States Air Force Medical Service

Air Force Surgeon General

In 1949, US Air Force Major General Malcolm C. Grow approached President Harry S Truman with the notion that the Air Force needed its own medical facilities and personnel. By that summer, Air Force General Order Number 35 was enacted to establish a multi-component system of medical care for US airmen and women. Grow himself was appointed the Force’s first Surgeon General of this newly formed US Air Force Medical Service (AFMS).

Some of the major components making up the medical system for the US Air Force include:

Biomedical Sciences Corps – This most diversified wing of the AFMS is commanded by a brigadier general. All members of the Biomedical Sciences Corps are commissioned officers.

Dental Corps – The Dental Corps is under the command of a major general. All commissioned officers in the corps must hold a Doctor of Dental Surgery or Doctor of Dental Medicine degree prior to commission.

Dental Corps – The Dental Corps is under the command of a major general. All commissioned officers in the corps must hold a Doctor of Dental Surgery or Doctor of Dental Medicine degree prior to commission.

Medical Service Corps – A brigadier general commands the AF Medical Service Corps. All personnel in the corps hold bachelor’s or master’s degrees in healthcare, economics, finance, operations, or some similar field of study before undertaking a healthcare administration course specialized for Air Force needs.

Other components of the AFMS include the Women’s Medical Specialist Corps and the Veterinary Corps

Headquartered at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, DC, the AFMS serves all Air Force personnel, including all members of the Active Air Force, the Air National Guard, and the US Air Force Reserve.

The backbone of the AFMS is its enlisted medical personnel, who work under the command of a chief master sergeant. The enlisted military medics assist in all phases of medical care to the Air Force, with responsibilities as diverse as emergency medical care, optometry, surgery, dispensing pharmaceuticals, and aeromedical evacuation.

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