Surgeon General of the United States Air Force
The Surgeon General of the Air Force is the senior-most Medical Service officer in the United States Department of the Air Force. In recent times, this has been a lieutenant general who serves as head of the United States Air Force Medical Service (AFMS). The Surgeon General is usually the senior Medical Corps officer, but acting surgeons general have been from other branches of the medical service.
Surgeon General of the Air Force | |
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Seal of the US Air Force Medical Service | |
Air Staff Air Force Medical Service | |
Reports to | Chief of Staff of the Air Force |
Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 8036 |
Formation | 1948 |
First holder | Malcolm C. Grow |
Website | Official Website |
History
In September 1947 the combat elements of the Army Air Forces separated from the U.S. Army, forming the United States Air Force. But a few Air Force support functions, such as medical care, remained U.S. Army responsibilities for the next two years. Starting in 1948, the Air Force and the Air Surgeon, Maj. Gen. Malcolm C. Grow (1887-1960), began to convince the U.S. Army and the administration of President Harry S. Truman that the Air Force needed its own medical service. In the summer of 1949, Air Force General Order No. 35 established a medical service with the following officer personnel components: Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Veterinary Corps, Medical Service Corps, Air Force Nurse Corps, and Women’s Medical Specialist Corps.
List of Surgeons General of the United States Air Force
No. | Surgeon General | Term | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | |
1 | Major General Malcolm C. Grow | July 1, 1949 | November 30, 1949 | 152 days | |
2 | Major General Harry G. Armstrong | December 1, 1949 | June 30, 1954 | 4 years, 211 days | |
3 | Major General Dan C. Ogle | July 1, 1954 | November 30, 1958 | 4 years, 152 days | |
4 | Major General Oliver K. Niess | December 1, 1958 | December 1, 1963 | 5 years | |
5 | Lieutenant General Richard L. Bohannon | December 2, 1963 | November 30, 1967 | 3 years, 363 days | |
6 | Lieutenant General Kenneth E. Pletcher | December 1, 1967 | April 30, 1970 | 2 years, 150 days | |
7 | Lieutenant General Alonzo A. Towner | May 1, 1970 | July 31, 1972 | 2 years, 91 days | |
8 | Lieutenant General Robert A. Patterson | August 1, 1972 | July 31, 1975 | 2 years, 364 days | |
9 | Lieutenant General George E. Schafer | August 1, 1975 | July 31, 1978 | 2 years, 364 days | |
10 | Lieutenant General Paul W. Myers | August 1, 1978 | July 31, 1982 | 3 years, 364 days | |
11 | Lieutenant General Max B. Bralliar | August 1, 1982 | July 31, 1985 | 2 years, 364 days | |
12 | Lieutenant General Murphy A. Chesney | August 1, 1985 | July 31, 1988 | 2 years, 365 days | |
13 | Lieutenant General Monte B. Miller | August 1, 1988 | July 31, 1991 | 2 years, 364 days | |
14 | Lieutenant General Alexander M. Sloan | August 1, 1991 | July 11, 1994 | 2 years, 344 days | |
- | Major General Robert A. Buethe Acting | July 12, 1994 | September 25, 1994 | 75 days | |
15 | Lieutenant General Edgar R. Anderson Jr. | September 26, 1994 | November 14, 1996 | 2 years, 49 days | |
16 | Lieutenant General Charles H. Roadman II | November 15, 1996 | October 10, 1999 | 2 years, 329 days | |
- | Major General Michael K. Wyrick Acting | October 11, 1999 | October 31, 1999 | 20 days | |
17 | Lieutenant General Paul K. Carlton Jr. | November 1, 1999 | October 14, 2002 | 2 years, 347 days | |
18 | Lieutenant General George P. Taylor | October 15, 2002 | July 31, 2006 | 3 years, 289 days | |
19 | Lieutenant General James G. Roudebush | August 1, 2006 | August 11, 2009 | 3 years, 10 days | |
20 | Lieutenant General Charles B. Green | August 12, 2009 | July 19, 2012 | 2 years, 342 days | |
21 | Lieutenant General Thomas W. Travis | July 20, 2012 | June 5, 2015 | 2 years, 320 days | |
22 | Lieutenant General Mark A. Ediger | June 6, 2015 | June 4, 2018 | 2 years, 363 days | |
23 | Lieutenant General Dorothy A. Hogg | June 5, 2018 | Incumbent | 2 years, 249 days |