The 3rd Medical Command (Deployment Support) (MCDS) or "Desert Medics" is headquartered in

Atlanta, GA Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and manages all the

Army Reserve A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...

deployable field medical units east of

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

. While the 807th MCDS covers the MTOE medical units to the west and ARMEDCOM provides command and control for all the Table of Distribution and Allowance (TDA) medical units within

CONUS ''Conus'' is a genus of predatory sea snails, or cone snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2015). Conus Linnaeus, 1758. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species a ...

. Units of the 3rd MCDS provide general, surgical, dental, ambulance, behavioral health, preventive maintenance, and veterinary support to Army units and to civilian populations.

Order of battle

World War II

Operation Desert Storm

*3rd Medical Command **566th Medical Company **45th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) **173rd Medical Group ***8th Evacuation Hospital ****663rd Medical Detachment (Surgical) ***85th Evacuation Hospital ****420th Medical Detachment (Orthopedic) ***201st Evacuation Hospital ***207th Evacuation Hospital ****386th Medical Detachment (Neurosurgery) ***47th Field Hospital ***300th Field Hospital ***120th Medical Battalion ****675th Medical Detachment (Dispensary) ****1291h Medical Company (Clearing) ****216th Medical Company (Ambulance) ****348th Medical Detachment (Air Ambulance) ****872nd Medical Detachment (Air Ambulance) **202nd Medical Group ***129th Evacuation Hospital ***311th Evacuation Hospital ***365th Evacuation Hospital ***927th Medical Company **244th Medical Group ***50th General Hospital ****423rd Medical Laboratory (Veterinary Services) ****996th Medical Laboratory ***316th Station Hospital ****989th Medical Detachment (Surgery) ***382nd Field Hospital ****467th Medical Detachment (Psychiatry) ****357th Medical Detachment (Neurosurgery) ***144th Evacuation Hospital ***217th Evacuation Hospital ***92nd Medical Battalion ****17th Medical Detachment (General Dispensary) ****947th Medical Company (Clearing) ****134th Medical Company (Ambulance) ****336th Medical Detachment (Air Ambulance) **803rd Medical Group ***114th Evacuation Hospital ***251st Evacuation Hospital ****181st Medical Detachment (Thoracic Surgery) ****395th Medical Detachment (Orthopedics) ****904th Medical Detachment (Neurosurgery) ****424th Medical Laboratory ***350th Evacuation Hospital ***109th Medical Battalion ****75th Medical Detachment (Dispensary Small) ****914th Medical Detachment (Dispensary Small) ****477th Medical Company (Ambulance) ****812th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) ****343rd Medical Detachment (Air Ambulance) ****986th Medical Detachment (Air Ambulance) **2nd Medical Detachment (Dental Headquarters) ***122nd Medical Detachment (Dental Services) ***123rd Medical Detachment (Dental Services) **379th Medical Detachment (Blood Headquarters) ***448th Medical Detachment (Blood Processing) **320th Medical Detachment (Veterinary Headquarters) ***356th Medical Detachment (Veterinary Service) ***422nd Medical Detachment (Veterinary Service) ***483rd Medical Detachment (Veterinary Small Animal) ****888th Medical Detachment (Veterinary Small Animal) **12th Medical Detachment (Preventive Medicine) ***714th Medical Detachment (Entomology) ***105th Medical Detachment (Environmental Engineering) ***983rd Medical Detachment (Environmental Sanitation) **US Army Medical Materiel Center, Saudi Arabia (USAMMCSWA) ***47th Medical Supply, Optical, and Maintenance (MEDSOM) Battalion ****980th MEDSOM Battalion ****249th Medical Detachment (Supply Team ) ****49th Medical Detachment (Medical Maintenance) ****153rd Medical Detachment (Inventory Control) ****605th Medical Detachment (Blood Distribution) ****655th Medical Detachment (Blood Storage) ***145th MEDSOM Battalion ****402nd Medical Detachment (Inventory Control) ****220th Medical Detachment (Medical Maintenance)

Subordinate units

3rd Medical Command (Deployment Support) is responsible for all operational reserve medical units east of the Mississippi river and in Louisiana. * 5th MED BDE

5th Medical Brigade, in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% f ...

** 810th Hospital Center, in

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population o ...

*** 75th Field Hospital, in

*** 306th Field Hospital, in Gillem Enclave, Georgia ** 429th Multifunctional Medical Battalion, in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

8th Medical Brigade, in

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and ...

** 865th Combat Support Hospital, in

Utica, New York Utica () is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the fo ...

** 439th Multifunctional Medical Battalion, at

Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst (JB MDL) is a United States military facility located southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. The base is the only tri-service base in the United States Department of Defense and includes units from all six armed ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

332nd Medical Brigade, in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

** 411th Hospital Center, in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which th ...

***301st Field Hospital, in

Saint Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

***345th Field Hospital, in

338th Medical Brigade, in

Horsham, Pennsylvania Horsham is a home rule municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,842 at the 2010 census. Horsham is located entirely within Horsham Township, and it is home to the Horsham Air Guard Station at the fo ...

** 410th Hospital Center, in

Fort Meade, Maryland Fort Meade is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,327 at the 2010 census. It is the home to the National Security Agency, Central Security Service, United States Cyber Command and t ...

*** 18th Field Hospital, in

Fort Story, Virginia Joint Expeditionary Base-Fort Story, commonly called simply Fort Story is a sub-installation of Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek–Fort Story, which is operated by the United States Navy. Located in the independent city of Virginia Beach, ...

***48th Combat Support Hospital, at

** 424th Multifunctional Medical Battalion, in

Edgemont, Pennsylvania Edgemont is an unincorporated community in Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States and is part of the Harrisburg-Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area, bordering the state capital of Harrisburg to the northeast, and t ...

804th Medical Brigade, in

Devens, Massachusetts Devens is a regional enterprise zone and census-designated place in the towns of Ayer and Shirley (in Middlesex County) and Harvard (in Worcester County) in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is the successor to Fort Devens, a military post t ...

** 803rd Hospital Center, in

***399th Field Hospital, in Devens, Massachusetts *** 405th Field Hospital, in

West Hartford, Connecticut West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The ...

Lineage

3rd Medical Command Headquarters and Headquarters Company was constituted 21 December 1928, in the Regular Army as the 3rd Auxiliary Surgical Group. Activated 5 May 1942, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Reorganized and redesignated 1 August 1945, as the 896th Medical Professional Service. Inactivated 6 October 1945, in Germany. Redesignated 16 March 1991, as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Medical Command. Activated in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

with personnel from Headquarters Company, 3rd Medical Command (Provisional) organized 16 September 1990 in Saudi Arabia. The ARCENT Medical Group (Provisional) was established on 5 or 6 December 1990 by ARCENT Permanent Order 262-1 (Dinackus writes 5 December 1990). On 29 December 1990 ARCENT Permanent Order 273-1 amended that order to create the United States Army Forces Central Command Medical Command (Provisional). It appears the order was issued on 26 March, to be made effective (implemented) on 29 December. In order to provide the additional staff required for Headquarters, ARCENT Medical Command (Provisional), the staff of the 202nd Medical Group, an Army National Guard unit from Florida, was combined with the staff of the ARCENT Medical Group (Provisional). On 5 March 1991, Forces Command Permanent Order 31-1 activated the 3rd Medical Command effective 15 March 1991. While not technically a re-designation, the personnel and equipment of the ARCENT Medical Command (Provisional) were 'reflagged' as the 3rd Medical Command.

Unit insignia

Shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI)

Description

:On a maroon triangle, one point down, with a yellow border, in height and in width overall, two yellow serpents with maroon eyes entwined upon a yellow staff with a white

Maltese cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which develope ...

at top.

Symbolism

:Maroon and white are colors traditionally associated with the

Medical Corps A medical corps is generally a military branch or officer corps responsible for medical care for serving military personnel. Such officers are typically military physicians. List of medical corps The following organizations are examples of medica ...

. The designation of the Command is denoted by the triangular shape of the insignia. The staff and serpents refer to medical service and the Maltese cross recalls the unit's heritage of support in combat. Yellow/gold stands for excellence.

Background

:The shoulder sleeve insignia was authorized on 12 June 1992. (TIOH Drawing Number A-1-800)

Distinctive unit insignia (DUI)

Description

:A gold color metal and enamel device in height overall, consisting of a maroon cross surmounted by a white

; on either side a gold spring of laurel conjoined at top and surmounted at top by two brown

scimitars A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different ...

crossed diagonally points down with red tassels; at bottom an arced red scroll inscribed "FRONT LINE SURGEONS" in gold letters.

Symbolism

:Maroon and white are colors traditionally associated with the Medical Corps. The maroon cross stands for Army medicine while the Maltese cross recalls the 3rd Medical Command's heritage of service and sacrifice in the field. The laurel sprigs, signifying honor and achievement, recall the unit's

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

campaigns and service. They simulate an arrowhead recalling the unit's assault landing in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, while forming a triangle highlighting the unit's numerical designation. The scimitars represent the unit's participation in the two Southwest Asia Campaigns. Gold stands for excellence, red for courage and sacrifice.

Background

:The distinctive unit insignia was authorized on 27 July 1992

Unit honors

World War II

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

(with

Arrowhead An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, as well as to fulfill some special purposes such as sign ...

) *

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

(with

) * Northern France * Ardennes-Alcase *

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...

Southwest Asia

*Liberation and Defense of Kuwait *Southwest Asia Cease-Fire *Defense of Saudi Arabia 2 August 1990-16 January 1991

Global War on Terrorism

*Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) *Iraqi Freedom (OIF)

Iraq

*National Resolution *Iraqi Surge *Iraqi Sovereignty

Unit awards

Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...

: *EUROPEAN THEATER 1944 *SOUTHWEST ASIA 1990–1991 *SOUTHWEST ASIA 2009–2010 *SOUTHWEST ASIA 2012–2013 (Detachment)

References

External links

* GlobalSecurity.org
3rd Medical Command, miscellaneous details
{{US Army MEDCOM navbox 003 003 Military units and formations established in 1942