Surgeon General of the United States Air Force
| Surgeon General of the Air Force | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 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 |
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.
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. | Name | Dates of Tenure | Military Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malcolm C. Grow | July 1, 1949–November 30, 1949 | Major General |
| 2 | Harry G. Armstrong | December 1, 1949–June 30, 1954 | Major General |
| 3 | Dan C. Ogle | July 1, 1954–November 30, 1958 | Major General |
| 4 | Oliver K. Niess | December 1, 1958–December 1, 1963 | Major General |
| 5 | Richard L. Bohannon | December 2, 1963–November 30, 1967 | Lieutenant General |
| 6 | Kenneth E. Pletcher | December 1, 1967–April 30, 1970 | Lieutenant General |
| 7 | Alonzo A. Towner | May 1, 1970–July 31, 1972 | Lieutenant General |
| 8 | Robert A. Patterson | August 1, 1972–July 31, 1975 | Lieutenant General |
| 9 | George E. Schafer | August 1, 1975–July 31, 1978 | Lieutenant General |
| 10 | Paul W. Myers | August 1, 1978–July 31, 1982 | Lieutenant General |
| 11 | Max B. Bralliar | August 1, 1982–July 31, 1985 | Lieutenant General |
| 12 | Chesney, Murphy A. | August 1, 1985–July 31, 1988 | Lieutenant General |
| 13 | Monte B. Miller | August 1, 1988–July 31, 1991 | Lieutenant General |
| 14 | Sloan, Alexander M. | August 1, 1991–July 11, 1994 | Lieutenant General |
| VACANT | July 12, 1994–September 25, 1994 | -- | |
| 15 | Edgar R. Anderson, Jr. | September 26, 1994–November 14, 1996 | Lieutenant General |
| 16 | Charles H. Roadman II | November 15, 1996–October 10, 1999 | Lieutenant General |
| VACANT | October 11, 1999–October 31, 1999 | -- | |
| 17 | Paul K. Carlton, Jr. | November 1, 1999–October 14, 2002 | Lieutenant General |
| 18 | George P. Taylor | October 15, 2002–July 31, 2006 | Lieutenant General |
| 19 | James G. Roudebush | August 1, 2006–August 11, 2009 | Lieutenant General |
| 20 | Charles B. Green | August 12, 2009– July 19, 2012 | Lieutenant General |
| 21 | Thomas W. Travis | July 20, 2012– June 5, 2015 | Lieutenant General |
| 22 | Mark A. Ediger | June 6, 2015– present | Lieutenant General |
See also
- Surgeon General of the United States
- Surgeon General of the United States Army
- Surgeon General of the United States Navy