| 59th Medical Wing | |
|---|---|
Emblem of the 59th Medical Wing Part of Air Education and Training Command |
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| Active | 21 August 1941 – present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Air Force |
| Type | Medicine |
| Part of | Air Education and Training Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Lackland Air Force Base |
| Decorations | AFOUA |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Major General Byron Hepburn |
The 59th Medical Wing (59 MDW) is a wing of the United States Air Force assigned to Air Education and Training Command, stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
The 59 MDW is the Air Force's premier medical unit. It operates Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, which is now part of the San Antonio Military Healthcare Systems (SAMHS). The wing provides global medical readiness capability and comprehensive peacetime healthcare benefits through education, training and research. Previously referred to as SAMMC-South, this designation was dropped under agreement with the Army, and its name changed to Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgery Center.
The wing's original unit, the 59th Observation Group was formed in 1941 under 1st Air Support Command. Originally an antisubmarine patrol unit, the group later became a replacement training unit (RTU) for fighter pilots with its graduates assigned to another group for overseas assignment. The organization's official lineage begins in 1941, and by taking on the shield and ancestry of the 59th Tactical Fighter Wing in 1993, the center was able to save the history of a World War II unit and preserve its own World War II service.
Contents |
59th Clinical Support Group
59th Dental Group
59th Inpatient Operations Group
59th Medical Operations Group
59th Medical Support Group
359th Medical Group (former 12th) at Randolph
559th Medical Group (former 37th) at Lackland
Clinical Departments
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Non-Clinical Departments
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The 59th Observation Group was established at Newark, New Jersey, in 1941. It moved to Fort Dix, New Jersey, later in the year. Following the US entry into World War II the Group engaged in antisubmarine patrols along the East coast of the United States from December 1941 – October 1943. Initially during 1941–42 the Group operated a wide range of aircraft, including the BC-1A, L-59, O-46, O-47, O-49 Vigilant, and O-52 Owl During 1943 and 1944 the group trained pilots using P-39 Airacobra aircraft and later, in 1944, the P-40 Warhawk as well. The unit was redesignated the 59th Reconnaissance Group on 2 April 1943, and again as the 59th Fighter Group on 11 August 1943. The 59th was deactivated on 1 May 1944.[2] On 31 July 1985, the unit was redesignated the 59th Tactical Fighter Wing, but remained inactive. Finally, it was reactivated and consolidated with the Wilford Hall U.S. Air Force Hospital on 1 July 1993.
During the Korean War, the 3700th Medical Squadron developed a program to train basic trainees as medical corpsmen to ease shortage of medical personnel.
From 1983, Wilford Hall offered centralized outpatient care, a clinical investigation facility, the Air Force's largest dispensary system, and the only eye bank and organ transplant centers. The hospital accomplished important research work in neonatal medicine, surgical transplants, orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, immunology, and maxillofacial surgery. Clinical investigations research kept the wing at the forefront of development of high-frequency ventilation and extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation; new techniques for the care of premature infants; improved cancer treatments; bone banking and transplantation; laser photocoagulation; and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In December 1989, it provided medical support to casualties returning from operations in Panama. From 4 January to 21 March 1991 Wilford Hall deployed over 900 personnel to RAF Little Rissington, England, to establish a 1500-bed hospital in support of expected casualties from the Gulf War. In 1993 the Medical Center was redesignated the 59th Medical Wing, taking the lineage of the never-active 59th Tactical Fighter Wing.
The current building is projected for demolition in 2015, when it will be replaced with a state-of-the-art 680K square foot facility. Starting on September 15, Wilford Hall Medical Center was officially renamed to Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, the largest outpatient surgical center in the Air Force. Inpatient services are no longer provided at Lackland Air Force Base, but are centralized at nearby San Antonio Military Medical Center – formerly known as Brooke Army Medical Center, or BAMC, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Both facilities and all other military treatment facilitites in the San Antonio area fall under the San Antonio Military Healthcare System (SAMHS). Design of the four phase project is underway, and construction is for the new surgical center has already commenced.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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