The U.S. Army Health Services Command was activated on 1 April 1973 as part of a reorganization of the Army Medical Department. It took control of almost all Army medical facilities in the

continental US The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...

, including

medical education Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, including the initial training to become a physician (i.e., medical school and internship) and additional training thereafter (e.g., residency, fellowship, ...

Purpose

The Health Services Command answered directly to the

Chief of Staff of the United States Army The chief of staff of the Army (CSA) is a statutory position in the United States Army held by a general officer. As the highest-ranking officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, the chief is the principal military advisor and ...

. This allowed the

Office of the Surgeon General The surgeon general of the United States is the operational head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States. Th ...

to focus more on staff and technical supervisory duties as the principal adviser to the Chief of Staff of the Army on health and medical matters. In 1994, the HSC and Office of The Surgeon General were merged again.

Commanders

Commanders of the Health Services Command were the following: * Major General

Spurgeon Neel Major General Spurgeon Neel, MD, (September 24, 1919 – June 6, 2003) was a United States Army physician who pioneered the development of aeromedical evacuation of battlefield casualties. Biography Early life Spurgeon Hart Neel Jr, was born on ...

, April 1973 – October 1977 * Major General Marshall E. McCabe October 1977 – April 1980 * Major General Raymond H. Bishop, Jr., April 1980 – July 1983 * Major General Floyd W. Baker, July 1983 – July 1986 * Major General Tracey E. Strevey, Jr., July 1986 – September 1988 * Major General John E. Major, September 1988 0 28 December 1990 * Major General Alcide M. Lanoue, December 1990 – August 1992 * Brigadier General John J. Cuddy, August 1992 – October 1992 * Major General Richard D. Cameron, November 1992 – October 1994

References

{{Reflist Medical Commands of the United States Army Military units and formations established in 1973 Military units and formations disestablished in 1994