United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officer rank insignia
The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps uses the same commissioned officer rank structure as the United States Navy and Coast Guard: from ensign to admiral (O-1 through O-10). While the Commissioned Corps is authorized to use warrant officer ranks W-1 to W-4 under the U.S. Code of law,[1] it does not currently use these ranks.
Rank insignia
| US DoD Pay Grade | O-1 | O-2 | O-3 | O-4 | O-5 | O-6 | O-7 | O-8 | O-9 | O-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NATO Code | OF-1 | OF-2 | OF-3 | OF-4 | OF-5 | OF-6 | OF-7 | OF-8 | OF-9 | |
| Rank Insignia |  |
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| Rank | Ensign | Lieutenant (junior grade) |
Lieutenant | Lieutenant commander |
Commander | Captain | Rear admiral (lower half) |
Rear admiral | Vice admiral | Admiral |
| Rank Abbreviation | ENS | LTJG | LT | LCDR | CDR | CAPT | RADM[2] | RADM | VADM | ADM |
| Title | Junior assistant | Assistant | Senior assistant | Full | Senior | Director | Assistant surgeon general | Deputy surgeon general or Assistant surgeon general | Surgeon general | Assistant Secretary for Health |
History
The present-day Commissioned Corps has its origins in the career corps of the Marine Hospital Service, which was established by federal legislation on January 4, 1889.
1889–1902
Initially, the officer ranks and insignia of the Marine Hospital Service were as follows:
| MHS rank | Shoulder strap insignia | Dress uniform sleeve insignia | USN officer equivalent | USA officer equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supervising Surgeon General | Five-pointed gold star[3] | Five bands of 1/4th inch gold braid[3] | Commodore[4] | Brigadier General |
| Surgeon (20 years service and over) | Silver oak leaf[3] | Four bands of 1/4th inch gold braid[3] | Commander | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Surgeon (below 20 years service) | Gold oak leaf[3] | Four bands of 1/4th inch gold braid[3] | Lieutenant Commander | Major |
| Passed Assistant Surgeon | Two gold bars[3] | Three bands of 1/4th inch gold braid[3] | Lieutenant | Captain |
| Assistant Surgeon | Gold bar[3] | Two bands of 1/4th inch gold braid[3] | Lieutenant (junior grade) | First Lieutenant |
Officers of the Marine Hospital Service wore the same rank devices as officers in the armed forces, apart from the star of the Surgeon General and the bars of Passed Assistant Surgeons and Assistant Surgeons being gold instead of silver.[3]
Effective October 1, 1893, the Supervising Surgeon General wore gold epaulettes in place of shoulder straps, while Surgeons who had formerly been Surgeon Generals were also authorized to wear silver oak leaf insignia regardless of years of service.[5]
The rank structure was further revised with effect from July 1, 1896:[6]
| MHS rank | Shoulder strap insignia | Dress uniform sleeve insignia | USN officer equivalent | USA officer equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supervising Surgeon General | Five-pointed gold star[3] | Five bands of 1/4th inch gold braid[3] | Commodore | Brigadier General |
| Surgeon (20 years service and over) | Silver oak leaf[6] | Four bands of 1/4th inch gold braid (with 20 years service and over)[6] |
Commander | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Surgeon (below 20 years service) | Gold oak leaf (silver if previously served as Surgeon General)[6] |
Three bands of 1/4th inch gold braid[6] | Commander or Lieutenant Commander | Lieutenant Colonel or Major |
| Passed Assistant Surgeon | Two gold bars[6] | Three bands of 1/4th inch gold braid[6] | Lieutenant | Captain |
| Assistant Surgeon | Gold bar[6] | Two bands of 1/4th inch gold braid[6] | Lieutenant (junior grade) | First Lieutenant |
1902–1912
By Act of Congress, on July 1, 1902 the Marine Hospital Service became the United States Public Health and Marine Hospital Service. The rank structure was correspondingly expanded, with the creation of the rank of Assistant Surgeon General.[7]
The rank structure of the new USPHS & MHS was as follows:[7]
| PHMHS rank | Shoulder strap insignia | Dress uniform sleeve insignia | USN officer equivalent | USA officer equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surgeon General | Five-pointed gold star[7] | Band of 2-inch gold braid with band of 1/2 inch gold braid above[7] | - | Brigadier General |
| Assistant Surgeon General | Silver eagle[7] | Three bands of 1/2 inch gold braid with two bands of 1/4th inch gold braid interspersed[7] | Captain | Colonel |
| Surgeon (20 years service and over) | Silver oak leaf[7] | Four alternating bands of gold braid, two of 1/2 inch and two of 1/4th inch diameter[7] | Commander | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Surgeon (below 20 years service) | Gold oak leaf[7] | Two bands of 1/2 inch gold braid with band of 1/4th inch gold braid between[7] | Lieutenant Commander | Major |
| Passed Assistant Surgeon | Two gold bars[7] | Band of 1/2 inch gold braid, with band of 1/4th inch gold braid above[7] | Lieutenant | Captain |
| Assistant Surgeon | Gold bar[7] | Band of 1/2 inch gold braid[7] | Lieutenant (junior grade) | First Lieutenant |
From 1912
The United States Public Health Service was established by Act of Congress on August 14, 1912. In March 1914, the five-pointed gold star worn by the Surgeon General was changed to silver, with the new rank of Senior Surgeon introduced between the ranks of Surgeon and Assistant Surgeon General. The sleeve rank insignia were also altered to match those worn by Navy officers, with shoulder loops replacing straps.[8] With effect from March 20, 1918, the gold bars worn by Passed Assistant and Assistant Surgeons became silver, the same as the equivalent Army and Navy rank insignia.[9] At the end of World War I, the rank insignia of the Commissioned Corps were as follows:
| PHS rank | Shoulder loop insignia | Dress uniform sleeve insignia | USN officer equivalent | USA officer equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surgeon General | Five-pointed silver star | Band of 2-inch gold braid with band of 1/2 inch gold braid above | - | Brigadier General |
| Assistant Surgeon General | Silver eagle | Four bands of 1/2 inch gold braid | Captain | Colonel |
| Senior Surgeon | Silver oak leaf | Three bands of 1/2 inch gold braid | Commander | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Surgeon | Gold oak leaf | Two bands of 1/2 inch gold braid with band of 1/4th inch gold braid in between | Lieutenant Commander | Major |
| Passed Assistant Surgeon | Two silver bars | Two bands of 1/2 inch gold braid | Lieutenant | Captain |
| Assistant Surgeon | Silver bar | Band of 1/2 inch gold braid with band of 1/4th inch gold braid above | Lieutenant (junior grade) | First Lieutenant |
By an Act of April 9, 1930, the grade of Surgeon General was raised to two-star rank.[10]
A further Act in 1943 raised the four existing Bureau Chiefs to the grade of Assistant Surgeon General with the rank of Brigadier General. With the Public Health Service Act of 1944, the grade of Passed Assistant was redesignated Senior Assistant, and the new grade of Junior Assistant established to rank as a second lieutenant or ensign. The 1944 Act further established the grade of Director, to rank with a colonel or captain, along with the one-star graded post of Deputy Surgeon General, also raising Assistant Surgeon Generals to one-star rank.[11][10] At the end of World War II, the ranks and insignia of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps were:
| PHS rank | Shoulder loop insignia | Dress uniform sleeve insignia | USN officer equivalent | USA officer equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surgeon General | Two five-pointed silver stars | Band of 2-inch gold braid with band of 1/2 inch gold braid above | Rear Admiral | Major General |
| Deputy Surgeon General Assistant Surgeon General |
Five-pointed silver star | Band of 2-inch gold braid | Commodore | Brigadier General |
| Director | Silver eagle | Four bands of 1/2 inch gold braid | Captain | Colonel |
| Senior | Silver oak leaf | Three bands of 1/2 inch gold braid | Commander | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Full | Gold oak leaf | Two bands of 1/2 inch gold braid with band of 1/4th inch gold braid in between | Lieutenant Commander | Major |
| Senior Assistant | Two silver bars | Two bands of 1/2 inch gold braid | Lieutenant | Captain |
| Assistant | Silver bar | Band of 1/2 inch gold braid with band of 1/4th inch gold braid above | Lieutenant (junior grade) | First Lieutenant |
| Junior Assistant | Gold bar | Band of 1/2 inch gold braid | Ensign | Second Lieutenant |
A further act of February 28, 1948 authorized two grades for officers graded Assistant Surgeon Generals, with not more than half of the authorized number to rank as Major Generals or Rear Admirals (upper half).[10] With effect from October 22, 1965, Public Law 89-288 established the grade of Surgeon General as a three-star rank.[12]
Notes
References
- 42 U.S.C. § 204 - Commissioned Corps and Ready Reserve Corps
42 U.S.C. § 207 - Grades, ranks, and titles of commissioned corps
42 U.S.C. § 209 - Appointment of personnel - "HHS Promotion Letter" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
- U.S. Marine Hospital Service: Regulations Concerning Uniforms. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1891. pp. 8–9.
- The rank of Commodore was abolished in the Navy from March 1899, leaving the service with no one-star ranks.
- Regulations regarding the uniform of officers and employés of the United States Marine Hospital Service. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1893. pp. 9–10.
- Regulations governing the uniforms of officers and employees of the United States Marine-Hospital Service. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1896. pp. 12–13.
- Regulations governing the uniforms of officers and employees of the Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service of the United States. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1903. pp. 13–15.
- Regulations governing the uniforms of officers and employees of the Public Health Service of the United States. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1914. pp. 13–15.
- Amendment No. 3 to Uniform Regulations 1914, Public Health Service. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1918.
- Williams, Ralph Chester (1950). The United States Public Health Service, 1798-1950. Washington, D.C.: Commissioned Officers' Association of the United States Public Health Service. pp. 497–498.
- "An act to consolidate and revise the laws relating to the Public Health Service, and for other purposes". of July 1, 1944 (PDF). U.S. Congress. p. 682-719.
- "An act to amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for the rank of lieutenant general or vice admiral of officers of the Army, Navy, and Air Force while serving as Surgeons General". of October 22, 1965 (PDF). U.S. Congress. p. 1050-1051.