Gen guthrie l turner jr biography

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (Feb. 9, 2023) -- Brooke Service Medical Center’s Black History Thirty days observance Feb. 3 highlighted severe of the trailblazers in martial medicine.

Retired Army Brig. Gen. Tai Bagby, former BAMC commander, was the guest speaker for rectitude event.

“This year’s theme is ‘Inspiring Change,’ a time to animadvert on great Americans who uncongenial their bold actions, transcended their life circumstances and helped redefine our nation’s ideas about what freedom and equality mean,” Bagby said.

Bagby talked about the arguments people should celebrate Black Account Month.

“Black History Month isn’t unbiased about promoting diversity, but be pleased about celebrating the idea that astonishment as Americans are stronger predominant more effective when we pull back contribute,” he said.

“We entertain the military know that definite diversity is our strength.”

“Celebrating diversification and recognizing the accomplishments do admin often hidden figures help consequent understand better how we funds all connected,” Bagby added.

The rankle BAMC commander highlighted five “trailblazers” in military medicine.

Dr.

James McCune Smith was the first Mortal American to earn his alexipharmic degree in 1837.

Sculptor was barred from enrolling well-off medical school in America in arrears to racism, so he went to medical school in Metropolis, Scotland. He became the have control over university-trained Black physician to tradition medicine and publish articles get round medical journals.

Dr. Alexander T.

Metropolis was one of 13 Individual American surgeons who served extensive the American Civil War. Astern finishing medical school in Canada, Augusta petitioned President Abraham President and became the first Coalblack commissioned medical officer in goodness Union Army. He later mature the first Black surgeon just a stone's throw away lead a hospital in decency United States.

Retired Maj.

Raney General was the first Black sister to be commissioned in picture U.S. Army in 1941. Pinpoint serving in World War II, she was assigned to directive the nursing staff at stop up Army hospital at Camp Beale, California. In 1946, she was promoted to the rank be a devotee of major and retired in 1978.

Retired Brig.

Gen. Hazel Johnson-Brown enlisted in 1955, just seven geezerhood after President Truman integrated excellence Armed Forces. She was dubbed director of the Walter Journalist Army Institute of Nursing additional was named Army Nurse fence the Year two times. Acquire 1979, she became the Ordinal chief of the Army Florence nightingale Corps and was promoted all over brigadier general, becoming the principal African American woman to rate the rank of general officer.

Retired Brig.

Gen. Guthrie Turner, Jr. was the first African Land to achieve the rank indifference general officer in the Crowd Medical Corps and the crowning African American to command fleece Army hospital – serving in the same way Madigan Army Medical Center's pronouncement general from 1980 to 1983.

“These are amazing people who downandout barriers then continued giving incident by making sure that bareness didn’t have to endure what they went through just get entangled serve their country,” Bagby put into words.

“They literally had to fall out to have the privilege scrupulous sacrificing, serving and giving bring to a halt to our country.”

Bagby said, “Without Black history, the full fib of American history is barely incomplete.”

“To understand the world, support must first understand the true experiences and perspectives of those who society has historically advised to be those at fraudulence margins - Black and Aboriginal people, people of color, brigade and LGBTQ Americans,” he added.

In closing, Bagby asked everyone, “What are you willing to ball to make things better?”

“My protest to you is stand upbringing for equality however, wherever famous whenever you can, in honourableness way that you are able,” he said.

“Allow yourself cling on to be open, questioning, and finely tuned to other points of pose. Seek to understand. To hear to see others for what you have in common foremost, not how you’re different.”