history
Military medical heroes of World War I
BLUF – The article profiles six Navy medical personnel who received the Medal of Honor for lifesaving actions during World War I, including physicians, dentists, and corpsmen who treated and evacuated wounded Marines under machine-gun fire, artillery bombardment, and gas attacks. Their actions established an enduring Navy Medicine legacy of courage, clinical skill, and service alongside the Fleet Marine Force that continues to shape operational medical readiness today.
https://www.health.mil/News/Dvids-Articles/2026/07/28/news570917
Military medical heroes of the Korean War
BLUF – The Military Health System commemorates National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day by highlighting the extraordinary courage of Army medics and Navy corpsmen who received the Medal of Honor for risking—and often sacrificing—their lives to treat wounded service members under intense enemy fire during the Korean War, while also recognizing the lasting medical innovations that emerged from the conflict. For Navy Medicine, the article reinforces the enduring legacy of Hospital Corpsmen serving alongside Marines in combat and emphasizes that today’s expeditionary medicine, casualty care, and operational readiness are built upon the courage, sacrifice, and clinical innovation demonstrated by these Korean War medical heroes.
https://health.mil/News/Dvids-Articles/2026/07/24/news570652
Navy christens new destroyer named for corpsman who earned Medal of Honor
BLUF – The Navy christened the future USS William Charette (DDG 130), honoring Hospital Corpsman Master Chief William Charette, the only Navy corpsman to receive the Medal of Honor during the Korean War after shielding wounded Marines from a grenade and continuing to provide lifesaving care despite his own injuries. For Navy Medicine, naming a frontline warship after a hospital corpsman underscores the enduring legacy of Navy medicine in combat and recognizes the courage, sacrifice, and operational importance of corpsmen serving alongside Marines in the most demanding environments.
https://taskandpurpose.com/history/uss-william-charette-christened
From The Vault: Marean Collection
BLUF – Michael Rhode, the archivist for Navy Medicine, highlights the history of the Navy Nurse Corps through photos from the Marean Collection during an episode of the “From the Vault” video series, July 28, 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/1016540/vault-marean-collection
Navy Medicine Fast Facts, July 2026 (Medical Tactics in Naval Warfare)
Leaders,
Good day and I hope this note finds you all well. For your interest, listed below is the link to the latest edition of Navy Medicine Fast Facts.
In this issue, we are taking a slightly different approach to what we typically spotlight. Rather than highlighting specific commands, regions, events or milestones, we are turning the spotlight onto a classic and often overlooked piece of U.S. Navy medical literature: Medical Tactics in Naval Warfare.
Written 100 years ago by Cmdr. (later Rear Adm.) William Leake Mann as a 3-part study, this book examines the evolution of Navy Medicine and its critical role in operational environments. Mann’s insights on improving medical readiness, streamlining shipboard care, reducing casualty rates at sea, and executing efficient evacuations remain as relevant today as they did a century ago. As Mann notes, while naval technology continuously evolves, the fundamental physical and operational challenges facing Sailors have remained a constant across the history of Navy Medicine.
During his day, the author was viewed by some as Navy Medicine’s answer to Alfred Thayer Mahan, a visionary thinker who, as Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal noted, was instrumental in developing the “foundational principles of modern naval medicine.” We cannot agree more and think this book, and the author’s efforts to advance Navy Medicine, are deserving of another “look.”
Listed below is a link to Fast Facts as well as to Mann’s book. PDF copies of both are available, if interested.
Fast Facts, July 2026 (click on “view online” or “download”):
https://www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/77338
Medical Tactics in Naval Warfare Link:
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.72675639&seq=9
We hope you enjoy!
V/r,
André
André B. Sobocinski
Historian
History and Archives (N00Z12)
Office of Public Affairs and Outreach
U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED)
Course Through History – The US Navy at 250
There is a chapter on Navy Medicine in this PDF:
Military Medicine 250 video podcast: Episode One – Evolution of Military Medicine
BLUF – In the first episode of the Military Medicine 250 video podcast, Air Force Medical Service Senior Historian Dr. Joseph Frechette traces the evolution of U.S. military medicine from George Washington’s decision to inoculate troops against smallpox through Civil War medical reforms and the development of flight medicine and aeromedical evacuation, illustrating how wartime innovation has repeatedly transformed both military and civilian healthcare. For Navy Medicine, the discussion reinforces that operational challenges have historically driven advances in trauma care, preventive medicine, evacuation, and medical readiness, underscoring the enduring role of military medicine as a source of innovation that strengthens the future joint force.
America’s Navy at 250 – The Historic Collections of Naval History and Heritage Command
You can download the PDF here:
Zimble’s Rubber Chicken: An Overlooked Symbol in a Navy Surgeon General’s Portrait
BLUF – The article recounts how Vice Adm. James Zimble, the 30th Navy Surgeon General, famously kept a rubber chicken in his desk and used it during meetings to defuse egos, encourage humility, and remind leaders not to take themselves too seriously—a tradition preserved by including the chicken in his official portrait at BUMED. For Navy Medicine, the story illustrates how leadership culture extends beyond policy and strategy, highlighting Zimble’s belief that humility, approachability, and humor are essential traits for building cohesive teams and leading a high-performing medical organization.
From wagons to air ambulances: Medevac keeps the fight alive
BLUF – The article traces the evolution of military medical evacuation from improvised battlefield transport during the American Revolution and Civil War to today’s dedicated air ambulance and advanced en route care capabilities, emphasizing how innovations in evacuation have dramatically improved survival for wounded service members. For Navy Medicine, the history reinforces that rapid casualty evacuation remains a cornerstone of combat casualty care, highlighting the continued importance of integrating corpsmen, flight medicine, trauma systems, and expeditionary medical capabilities to support distributed maritime and joint operations.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/569426/wagons-air-ambulances-medevac-keeps-fight-alive