44th Medical Brigade (United States)

The 44th Medical Brigade is a US Army unit located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, providing health care and medical services to the Fort Bragg community, and continuing training in its combat support mission.

Command Group

• Commander: Colonel Donald R. West
• Command Sergeant Major: CSM Iteago L. Felton

Lineage

• Constituted 1965-12-30 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 44th Medical Brigade.
• Activated 1965-12-30 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas
• Arrived in Vietnam on 1966-05-01, and was located at Saigon, Vietnam.
• Brigade became Operational on 1966-05-01.
• 44th Medical Brigade was Consolidated with the U.S. Army Medical Command, Vietnam (Provisional) at Long Binh on 1970-12-14.
• Command was reorganized and redesignated the U.S. Army Health Services Group, Vietnam on 1972-04-30 at Long Binh.
• Inactivated 1973-03-18 at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
• Redesignated as the 44th Medical Brigade and Activated 1974-09-21 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
• Redesignated 1976-06-21 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 44th Medical Brigade.
• Reorganized and Redesignated 44th Medical Command on 2001-10-16

Honors

Campaign participation credit

• Vietnam:

1. Counteroffensive;
2. Counteroffensive, Phase II;
3. Counteroffensive, Phase III;
4. Tet Counteroffensive;
5. Counteroffensive, Phase IV;
6. Counteroffensive, Phase V;
7. Counteroffensive, Phase VI;
8. Tet 69/Counteroffensive;
9. Summer-Fall 1969;
10. Winter-Spring 1970;
11. Sanctuary Counteroffensive;
12. Counteroffensive, Phase VII

• Southwest Asia:

1. Defense of Saudi Arabia;
2. Liberation and Defense of Kuwait

Decorations

• Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for:

1. VIETNAM 1968–1969
2. VIETNAM 1969–1970
3. SOUTHWEST ASIA

• Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class for:

1. VIETNAM 1969–1970

Insignia

Shoulder sleeve insignia

• Description: On a white shield within a 1/8 inch (.32 cm) white border 2 inches (5.08 cm) in width overall a four-pointed gold star (with longer vertical points) superimposed on a maroon four-pointed star (points saltirewise and all of equal length) between two maroon flanks.

• Symbolism:

1. Maroon and white are the colors used for the Army Medical Service.
2. The gold star superimposed over the maroon star is symbolic of the unit’s mission of command and control over medical units.
3. The four points of each taken together allude to the organization’s numerical designation.

• Background:

1. This insignia was originally approved for the 44th Medical Brigade on 1966-10-05.
2. The shoulder sleeve insignia was redesignated for the 44th Medical Command on 2001-08-06.

Distinctive unit insignia

• Description: A silver color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86 cm) in diameter consisting of a silver saltire (cross), the four arms equal and with straight ends, surmounted by a maroon cross, the four arms equal and with arched ends.

• Symbolism: Maroon and white (silver) are the colors used for the Army Medical Service and the two crosses refer to the medical and surgical mission of the organization while the four arms of each cross taken together allude to the organization’s numerical designation.

• Background:

1. This insignia was originally approved for the 44th Medical Brigade on 1966-08-12.
2. The distinctive unit insignia was redesignated for the 44th Medical Command on 2001-08-06.
3. Unit redesignated as 44th Medical Brigade on 2010-04-21.

History

The 44th Medical Brigade was formed on 30 December 1965 and was activated on 1 January 1966 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The brigade deployed to Vietnam, where it participated in 12 of the 17 campaigns, including Counteroffensive, Counteroffensive Phases II through VII, Tet Counteroffensive; Summer-Fall 1969; Winter-Spring 1970, and the Sanctuary Counteroffensive.

In March, 1970, the 44th Medical Brigade merged with the United States Army, Vietnam Surgeon’s Office to form the Medical Command, Vietnam (Provisional). The brigade's colors returned to the United States in December 1970. During the brigade’s Vietnam tour, it was awarded two Meritorious Unit Commendation Streamers embroidered “Vietnam 1969–1970” by the government of the Republic of Vietnam.

On 19 March 1973, the 44th Medical Brigade was inactivated at Fort Meade, Maryland. The brigade was reactivated on 21 September 1974 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps. The 44th Medical Brigade deployed in support of XVIII Airborne Corps operations in Grenada, Panama, and Iraq, the last of which earned the brigade a Meritorious Unit Commendation. On 16 July 1993, the brigade became a separate major subordinate command with a general officer commanding. Following the reorganization, the 44th Medical Brigade participated in Operation Uphold Democracy, Operation Enduring Freedom, and most recently, Operation Iraqi Freedom. The brigade has also participated in hurricane relief efforts, including those following Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Katrina, and Hurricane Rita. The brigade was converted to a Medical Command on 16 October 2001 and became a multi-component unit. While at Fort Bragg the brigade had become an Airborne unit, but as part of its conversion the 44th lost this designation. Only headquarters elements and a very limited number of its subordinate units had actually been on jump status, and the reorganization to a command removed headquarters elements from jump status. Currently the unit is redesignated as 44th Medical Brigade on 21 April 2010.

Subordinate units

Vietnam

• 43rd Medical Group
• 55th Medical Group
• 67th Medical Group
• 68th Medical Group
• 32nd Medical Depot

Current

Units of the 44th Medical Brigade:^[1]

• Headquarters & Headquarters Company, Fort Bragg
• 14th Combat Support Hospital, Fort Benning
• 28th Combat Support Hospital, Fort Bragg [1]
  • 240th Medical Detachment [2]
  • 274th Medical Detachment [3]
  • 541st Medical Detachment [4]
  • 759th Medical Detachment [5]
• 86th Combat Support Hospital, Fort Campbell
• 261st Multifunctional Medical Battalion, Fort Bragg, NC
• 1st Area Medical Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground
• 9th Area Medical Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground

References

External links

• Official home page
• GlobalSecurity.org home page