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"Ready, Reliable, and Relevant"
 (Updated 5-17-08)
The job of the 44th Medical Brigade, now the 44th Medical
Command, is to organize, train, deploy, command and control their subordinate
medical units to provide corps-level combat medical, and community health
support, across all levels of conflict and in peacetime garrison environment.
The 44th Medical Command is currently stationed at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
Fort Bragg subordinate units include the HHC 44th MEDCOM, the 28th Combat
Support Hospital, the 261st Medical Battalion (Multifunctional), the 51st MED
(VS), The 248th MED (VS) and the 257th MED (DS). The 44th Medical Command also
controls the 86th Combat Support Hospital at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, the 14th
Combat Support Hospital at Ft. Benning, Georgia, the 6th Medical Logistics
Management Center (MLMC) at Ft. Detrick, Maryland, and the 1st Area Medical
Laboratory (AML) and the 9th AML at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland.
The 44th Medical Brigade was formed on 30 December 1965 and
was activated on 1 January 1966 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the home of the
Army Medical Branch. 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 Headquarters was
merged with the United States Army, Vietnam Surgeon's Office to form the
Medical Command, Vietnam (Provisional). The 44th Medical Brigade's colors were
returned to the United States in December of 1970. During the Brigade's service
in Vietnam, it was awarded two Meritorious Unit Commendation Streamers. The
streamers are embroidered "Vietnam 1969-1970" by the government of the Republic
of Vietnam.
On March 19, 1973, the 44th Medical Brigade was inactivated at
Fort Meade, Maryland. The Brigade was reactivated on September 21, 1974 at Fort
Bragg, North Carolina. On July 16, 1993, the 44th Medical Brigade became a
separate major subordinate command reporting directly to the XVIII Airborne
Corps with a general officer commanding.
Since moving to Ft. Bragg, elements of the 44th Medical
Brigade have participated in Operation URGENT FURY in Grenada (October, 1983),
Operation JUST CAUSE in Panama (December, 1989), Operations DESERT SHIELD
(August, 1990) and DESERT STORM (February, 1991) in Saudi Arabia, and Operation
UPHOLD DEMOCRACY in Haiti (September, 1994). The Brigade has also participated
in humanitarian relief missions. Of note are the hurricane relief efforts in
the United States, including those following Hurricanes Andrew (1992), Katrina
(2005), and Rita (2005).
The Brigade was converted to a Medical Command on 16 October
2001 and became a multi-component unit. While at Fort Bragg the 44th Medical
Brigade had become an airborne unit, but as part of its conversion the 44th
Medical Command lost this designation. Elements of the 44th Medical Brigade
have deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the Global War on
Terrorism. During 2006 the 14th Combat Support Hospital deployed to Afghanistan
in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The 28th Combat Support Hospital and
the 86th Combat Support Hospital have both deployed to Iraq in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom 04-06. These two units served as the "Baghdad ER,"
which was highlighted by the 86th CSH in the HBO documentary of the same name.
The 44th Medical Command transferred their responsibilities as
the commanding medical unit in Multinational Corps-Iraq to the 30th Medical
Brigade from Heidelberg, Germany on October 18, 2005. During their tour the
44th Medical Command conducted more than 400 brain surgeries, nearly 7,000
general surgery procedures, 6,000 orthopedic procedures and close to 1,500
subspecialty surgical procedures.
The 44th MEDCOM's stated mission is to "Organize, resource,
train, sustain, deploy, command, control and support assigned and attached
healthcare capabilities to provide flexible, responsive and effective health
service support and force health protection to supported forces conducting
joint and simultaneous full spectrum operations." The professionals who are
assigned to this command perform this mission superbly, proving their motto,
that they are "Ready, Relevant, and Reliable."
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