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18th Medical Command

The 18th Theater Medical Command is a US Army medical theater enabling command, which provides operational medical support to United States Army, Pacific. The headquarters was located on the Korean peninsula from 1984 until 2008, when it was relocated to Fort Shafter, Hawaii.

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18th Medical Command
Shoulder sleeve insignia
Active1967 - present
CountryUnited States United States
Branch United States Army
Part of United States Army Pacific
Garrison/HQFort Shafter, Hawaii
MottoTrust - Labor - Courage
Commanders
Current
commander		MG E. Darrin Cox
Notable
commanders		LTG James B. Peake
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

The 18th Theater Medical Command (18 TMC) is a US Army medical theater enabling command, which provides operational medical support to United States Army, Pacific. The headquarters was located on the Korean peninsula from 1984 until 2008, when it was relocated to Fort Shafter, Hawaii.

Originally activated at Fort Lee, Virginia in 1967 as the 18th Medical Brigade, it was the U.S. Army's third field army level medical headquarters activated, following the 7th Medical Brigade in 1965 and the 44th Medical Brigade in 1966.

Lineage and Honors

Lineage

  • Constituted 10 May 1967 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 18th Medical Brigade1
  • Activated 18 August 1967 at Fort Lee, Virginia1
  • Inactivated 16 December 1970 at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland1
  • Redesignated 16 August 1984 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 18th Medical Command, and activated in Korea1
  • Reduced to Zero Strength 15 October 2008 in Korea1
  • Transferred, less Personnel and Equipment, 16 October 2008 to Fort Shafter, Hawaii and assigned to United States Army Pacific1
  • Redesignated 17 July 2025 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 18th Theater Medical Command.1

Honors

Campaign Participation Credit

  • None1

Decorations

Insignia

Shoulder sleeve insignia

Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, 18th Theater Medical Command
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, 18th Theater Medical Command source ↗

Description

On a shield, oblong in shape and arched at both sides, 3 inches (7.62cm) in height and 2 inches (5.08cm) in width, within a 1/8 inch (.32cm) white border a field of blue having a white-edged maroon sword throughout the center with point down and entwined about the blade two white zig-zag bands in the form of a figure eight.3

Symbolism

The sword is in the color maroon, suggestive of human blood, and symbolic of the medical needs of an army. The zig-zag bands are in pure white to suggest bandaging and the antiseptic requirements of medical practice; by entwining the sword, they signify the support provided by the organization.3

Background

The shoulder sleeve insignia was originally approved for the 18th Medical Brigade on 25 October 1967. It was redesignated for the 18th Medical Command on 16 February 1984. (TIOH Drawing Number A-1-469)3

Distinctive unit insignia

Distinctive Unit Insignia, 18th Medical Command
Distinctive Unit Insignia, 18th Medical Command source ↗

Description

A device of gold color metal and enamel 1 1/8 inches (2.86cm) in height consisting of a gold sun of eighteen rays bearing in center a maroon Maltese Cross all centered on a gold disc scored with concentric rays and enclosed by a maroon motto scroll bearing the words "Trust, Labor, Courage" in gold letters; over the lower half of the scroll a wreath of gold oak leaves entwined by two white serpents their tails crossed in center, their heads raised at either side and facing outward.3

Symbolism

The gold sun and maroon cross are symbolic of the support provided by the organization. The Maltese Cross is the symbol of the Knights of Malta, also called Knights Hospitaler, Knights of St. John, and Order of the Hospital of St. John, which grew out of a hospital established in the 11th Century to care for pilgrims in the Holy Land. The eighteen rays of the sun allude to the unit's numerical designation. The serpents reference the Staff of Aesculapius of the Medical Corps insignia, and the oak symbolizes strength.3

Background

The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 18th Medical Brigade on 29 February 1968. It was redesignated on 16 February 1984 for the 18th Medical Command.3

History

Commanders

Image Rank Name Branch Begin date End date Notes
Colonel Charles R. Kinney MS 18 August 1967 14 March 1968 First Medical Service Corps officer to command a medical brigade
Colonel Jack W. Gwin MS 15 March 1968 19 June 19694 Assumed command when brigade was transferred to Fort Meade, less personnel
Colonel William R. Knowles4 MS 19 June 19694 2 July 19704
Colonel Leigh F. Wheeler, Sr.4 MS 3 July 19704 16 December 19704 Colonel Wheeler assumed command of the 44th Medical Brigade when the 18th Medical Brigade was reflagged as the 44th.4
Inactive 17 December 1970 15 August 1984
Richard T. Travis Colonel Richard T. Travis5 MC 16 August 19845 June 19855 Commanded 8th Medical Command (Provisional) from June 1983 to 15 August 1984. Also commanded 7th Medical Command in Germany. Retired as a Major General.5
Colonel D. G. Tsoulos MC June 19855 June 1987 Later commanded 3rd Medical Command during Operation Desert Storm
Colonel Thomas E. Bowen6 MC June 19876 June 19886 Retired as a Brigadier General6
Colonel James B. Peake7 MC June 19887 July 19907 Later served as 43rd Surgeon General of the United States Army and Secretary of Veterans Affairs7
Colonel James J. James8 MC July 19908 December 19918 Retired as a Brigadier General8
Harold L. Timboe Colonel Harold L. Timboe9 MC December 19919 August 19939 Later commander 44th Medical Brigade, Brooke Army Medical Center, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Retired as a Major General.9
Colonel Elmer Michael Casey, Jr. MC August 19939 July 199610
Colonel Daniel F. Perugini10 MC July 199610 July 199810 Retired as a Brigadier General10
Colonel James Kirkpatrick MC July 199810
Colonel Edward C. Huycke MC July 200211
Colonel Phillip Volpe11 MC July 200211 July 2004 11 Retired as a Major General11
Colonel Brian D. Allgood12 MC June 200412 23 June 200613 Killed in action in Iraq, 20 January 2007. Namesake of the Brian D. Allgood Community Hospital, Yongsan Garrison12
Colonel James Gregory Jolissaint13 MC 23 June 200613 June 2008
Colonel Jeffrey B. Clark14 MC June 200814 15 October 20081 Assumed command of the 65th Medical Brigade when the 18th MEDCOM moved to Hawaii. Retired as a Major General.14
Relocated to Hawaii1 15 October 20081 16 October 20081 Transferred less personnel and equipment1
Lieutenant Colonel Chad Bowers MS 16 October 20081 July 2009
Colonel Erin Edgar MC July 2009 June 2011
Colonel Judith Bock AN June 2011 3 July 2013
Colonel Brett Ackerman MC 3 July 2013 10 July 2014
Colonel Ann Sammartino AN 10 July 2014 3 March 201815
Colonel Edward H. Bailey15 MC 3 March 201815 20 October 201816 Retired as a Brigadier General15
Brigadier General Tracy L. Smith16 MS 20 October 201816 July 202016 USAR Officer on extended active duty16
Major General Michael L. Place MC July 2020 June 2022
Major General Paula C. Lodi17 MS June 2022 July 202417

Organization

Fort Meade, Maryland, 1 January 1970

  • HHD, 18th Medical Brigade4
  • 10th Evacuation Hospital4
  • 28th General Hospital (inactivated 28 December 1970)4
  • 29th Surgical Hospital (Mobile) (Army) (Inactivated 15 May 1970)4
  • 157th Medical Laboratory (Inactivated 28 December 1970)4
  • 591st Medical Company (Ambulance)4
  • 702d Medical Company (Clearing)4
  • 888th Medical Company (Ambulance) (Inactivated 1 February 1970)4
  • 177th Medical Detachment (Orthopedic) (Inactivated 30 April 1970)4
  • 212th Medical Detachment (RA) (Helicopter Ambulance)4
  • 232d Medical Detachment (Surgical) (Inactivated 30 April 1970)4
  • 249th Medical Detachment (Supply)4
  • 630th Medical Detachment (Medical Maintenance)4

Korea, 23 June 2006

  • HHC, 18th Medical Command13
  • 618th Theater Dental Command13
  • 121st General Hospital13
    • 127th Forward Surgical Team13
    • 135th Surgical Team13
  • 106th Theater Veterinary Command13
  • 168th Medical Battalion (Area Support)13
  • 52nd Medical Battalion (Evacuation)13
  • 16th Medical Logistics Battalion13
References

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army.

  1. "18th Medical Command SSI, Lineage, and Honors". Army Medical Department Center of History and Heritage. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  2. "Department of the Army General Order 2009-08, Subject: Individual and Unit Awards, dated 29 December 2009" (PDF). Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  3. "18th Medical Command Shoulder Sleeve Insignia and Distinctive Unit Insignia". The Institute of Heraldry, United States Army. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  4. "Annual Historical Supplement, 44th Medical Brigade, 1970" (PDF). Army Heritage and Education Center. 1 April 1970. Retrieved 28 January 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. Official General Officer Biography of Major General Richard Thomas Travis, United States Army General Officer Management Office, 31 March 1994
  6. Official General Officer Biography of Brigadier General Thomas Edwin Bowen, United States Army General Officer Management Office, 31 May 1993
  7. "Lieutenant General James B. Peake". Office of Medical History. U.S. Army. January 3, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  8. Official General Officer Biography of Brigadier General James Janorious James, United States Army General Officer Management Office, 31 January 1995
  9. Official General Officer Biography of Major General Harold L. Timboe, United States Army General Officer Management Office, 1 August 2002
  10. Official General Officer Biography of Brigadier General Daniel F. Perugini, United States Army General Officer Management Office, 1 December 2004
  11. Official General Officer Biography of Major General Phillip Volpe, United States Army General Officer Management Office, 1 June 2013
  12. "Brian D. Allgood". Fallen Heroes Prohect. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  13. 18th Medical Command & 121st General Hospital Change of Command Program, Outgoing Commander COL Brian D. Allgood / Incoming Commander James G. Jolissaint. Location: Knight Field, Yongsan Garrison, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Date: 23 June 2006
  14. Official General Officer Biography of Major General Jeffrey B. Clark, United States Army General Officer Management Office, 1 July 2019
  15. Official General Officer Biography of Brigadier General Edward H. Bailey, United States Army General Officer Management Office, 1 October 2024
  16. Official General Officer Biography of Major General Tracy L. Smith, United States Army General Officer Management Office, July 2023
  17. Official General Officer Biography of Major General Paula C. Lodi, United States Army General Officer Management Office, July 2024