History
Navy Medicine Fast Facts – Naval Medical Research and Development Command
BLUF – On Oct. 1, 2026, the Naval Medical Research Command (NMRC) was elevated to an Echelon III command under the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) and redesignated the Navy Medicine Research and Development Command (NMRDC). This milestone harkens back to 1974 when Navy medical R&D went through one of its most significant transformations. That year the Naval Medical Neuropsychiatric Research Unit (NMNPRU) was redesignated the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC), the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory (NAMRL) separated from the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI) becoming its own command, and the BUMED Research Division relocated to the 12th floor of Building 1 at the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) Bethesda, Maryland and became the Naval Medical Research and Development Command (NMRDC).
For 24 years, the original NMRDC was our research hub and responsible for Navy Medicine’s vast research and development enterprise. At its peak, NMRDC oversaw 11 R&D commands and activities worldwide. In this issue we look back at the original NMRDC.
From The Vault: WAVES Scrapbook
BLUF – Michael Rhode, the archivist for Navy Medicine, highlights a historical scrapbook kept by Dental Technician Adeline Angela Howard Oliver during an episode of the “From the Vault” video series, Oct. 2, 2026. The series, produced in commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, explores 250 years of U.S. Navy and military medical history by unlocking the Navy Medicine archives to highlight the enduring courage, innovation, and legacy of care provided by military medical professionals.
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/1024536/vault-waves-scrapbook
September 2026 Navy Medicine Fast Facts – USA Typhus Commission
https://www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/77758
In this issue, we look back at the United States of America Typhus Commission (USATC) and how its groundbreaking work paved the way for NAMRU-EURAFCENT.
Eighty years ago, the Naval Medical Research Unit EURAFCENT (originally NAMRU-3) began its storied history at the Abbassia Fever Hospital in Cairo, Egypt. During its tenure in Cairo, this command became the largest U.S. military-led biomedical research laboratory outside of the continental United States (OCONUS). But before charting an impressive record fighting, studying and tracking infectious and parasitic diseases, and even before there was a NAMRU-3, Navy Medicine had built a sturdy scientific foundation in Cairo with the Navy Epidemiological Unit #50 and the USATC.
USATC was a true joint-service success story. Established by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1942, it originally operated under the directorship of Rear Adm. Charles Stephenson, a Navy medical officer and a leading tropical medicine expert. The commission brought together personnel from the Navy, Army and Public Health Service, reported to the Secretary of War (Army), and operated in close coordination with the Department of State. Its teams spanned Africa, the Middle East, and Europe where they studied and worked to control typhus fever, helping to reduce its impact on warfighters, with Cairo serving as its primary base of operations.
From The Vault: BUMED Gazette
BLUF – Michael Rhode, the archivist for Navy Medicine, highlights the origins of the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery’s BUMED Gazette, an internal newsletter established during World War II, during an episode of the “From the Vault” video series, Sept. 3, 2026. The series, produced in commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, explores 250 years of U.S. Navy and military medical history by unlocking the Navy Medicine archives to highlight the enduring courage, innovation, and legacy of care provided by military medical professionals.
184 Years of BUMED
BLUF – The U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) celebrates its 184th anniversary, highlighting nearly two centuries of providing medical care and operational readiness to the fleet. Established in 1842, BUMED today relies on over 44,000 active duty, reserve, and civilian healthcare professionals safeguarding the Navy and Marine Corps team worldwide.
In the Line of Care: Stories from the Navy Medical Oral History Collection — How a Sigmoidoscope Saved America
BLUF – In 1976 aboard USS America, Navy surgeon Lt. Cmdr. Tom Minehan ingeniously used a medical sigmoidoscope to locate a wrench accidentally dropped inside a steam turbine and surgical forceps to remove it, restoring the carrier’s propulsion and potentially preventing about six months of repairs. For Navy Medicine, the remarkable story from BUMED’s Oral History Collection illustrates the adaptability and problem-solving skills of Navy medical personnel and how their expertise can contribute to the mission far beyond traditional patient care.
From The Vault: Vice Adm. Alexander G. Lyle, Navy Dental Corps
BLUF – Michael Rhode, the archivist for Navy Medicine, highlights the distinguished service of Vice Adm. Alexander G. Lyle through his commission and Medal of Honor citation during an episode of the “From the Vault” video series, Aug. 22, 2026. The series, produced in commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, explores 250 years of U.S. Navy and military medical history by unlocking the Navy Medicine archives to highlight the enduring courage, innovation, and legacy of care provided by military medical professionals.
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/1019531/vault-vice-adm-alexander-g-lyle-navy-dental-corps
Navy Medicine Fast Facts – Marine Raider Corpsmen of World War II
When we picture elite World War II military units, names like the Flying Tigers, the Big Red One, or Merrill’s Marauders may come to mind along with a recollection of a film very loosely inspired by their actions. Yet no list of elite fighting forces is complete without the legendary U.S. Marine Raiders. Formed in early 1942 under legendary leaders like Col. Merritt “Red” Edson and Col. Evans Carlson, the Raiders became the U.S. military’s first special operations force. Handpicked from volunteers, these individuals were trained in amphibious warfare, guerrilla tactics, and survival, carving out their place in history across the Solomons and Gilbert Islands campaigns. Their exploits even inspired two notable wartime films—Gung Ho! (1943) and Marine Raiders (1944).
Embedded in these WWII Raider units were true unsung heroes of the war: hospital corpsmen. Between 1942 and 1944, over 300 Navy hospital corpsmen volunteered to serve in the four Raider Battalions. The bar for these frontline field medics was high, and these corpsmen were held to the exact same rigorous standards as the Raiders they served with. As one naval medical officer assigned to the 1st Raider Battalion observed:
“[The] hospital corpsman has to be tougher than the toughest Marine. On patrols he moves up and down the line of movement to determine who is weakening, who needs salt tablets, whether anyone has any injuries, or needs treatment of any sort. As a result, he usually travels about twice as far as the Marines.”