TABLE 2.-Authorizedand actual strengths of Army Medical Department officers, worldwide, bycorps, fiscal years 1959-68-Continued
 

Despite the favorable overall growth, the decade was markedby a chronic shortage of officers in the Army Nurse Corps and, to a lesserdegree, the Army Medical Specialist Corps.

Measures To Overcome Critical Shortages

In the past decade, the Army Nurse Corps under its fourable chiefs-Colonel Inez Haynes, Colonel Margaret Harper, Colonel MildredI. Clark, and currently, Colonel Anna Mae McC. Hays-grew in professionalstature as one of the major corps of the Army Medical Department. Originallya female component of the Medical Department but now a co-ed corps, withapproximately 22 percent of its strength being male, the Army Nurse Corpsenjoyed the same privileges of rank, pay, and promotion as did the predominantlymale corps, even to the extent of being authorized the grade of briga-

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dier general for its chief. This prestige was achieveddespite the handicap of a perennial shortage of qualified personnel.

The chronic shortage of Army Nurse Corps officers on activeduty reflected the nationwide shortage of qualified nurses. General Heatonappreciated the complexity of the problem of attracting and retaining well-trainednurses for Army service under these circumstances. Recognizing the seriousnessof this shortage, he wholeheartedly supported the recruitment efforts ofthe Army Nurse Corps.

Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing.-When traditionalrecruiting methods and programs failed to reach their goals, General Heatonproposed a bold, new approach to the problem, recommending that the Armyreestablish a school of nursing to train men and women for a career inthe Army Nurse Corps.

Major General Conn L. Milburn, Jr., Deputy Surgeon Generalfrom July 1963 to May 1965, described General Heaton's great personal anduntiring efforts which led to the reestablishment of an Army school ofnursing. "General Heaton recalled," wrote General Milburn, "that the Armyhad conducted its own School of Nursing at Walter Reed from 1917 to about1931. This school was most successful in producing outstanding nurses forthe Army. It was discontinued when it became uneconomical to operate inlight of the fact that the Army could get as many nurses as it needed fromthe civilian schools and profession." With the knowledge, however, thatnational nurse resources were inadequate, General Heaton decided in mid-1963to reestablish the Walter Reed School of Nursing to help alleviate theshortage of Army nurses. He also decided that the school should offer a4-year degree course so that the best educated and trained nurses couldbe obtained for the Army.

Giving this essential program his full attention, GeneralHeaton personally pushed it successfully through the Department of theArmy and through the Congress

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and obtained the necessary authority, approval, legislation,and funds.

Since the military departments do not have the authorityto grant professional degrees, it was necessary to arrange an affiliationwith a college or university to grant the graduates of the school the degreeof bachelor of science in nursing. "Overcoming many hurdles," wrote GeneralMilburn, "including resistance from some circles of the civilian nursingprofession, an affiliation between the Army Medical Department and theUniversity of Maryland School of Nursing was finally achieved."

The nursing school program first became effective in thefall of 1964, and as a recruitment program, its objectives were long rangerather than immediate. It was believed, however, that as a superior schoolprogram it would focus attention on the many fine career opportunitiesavailable in the Army Nurse Corps and would attract increased numbers ofqualified nurses so greatly needed for leadership positions within theArmy. Those selected to enter the Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursingprogram were enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve and concurrently calledto active duty for 4 years.

For the first 2 years of study, the applicant might chooseany accredited 4-year college or university which offered a curriculumleading to a bachelor's degree. After successful completion of these first2 years, the student was transferred to the Walter Reed Army Instituteof Nursing to begin clinical and hospital professional training at WalterReed General Hospital, the second half of the 4-year nursing course. Thefaculty at Walter Reed was comprised of both Army nurse instructors andUniversity of Maryland School of Nursing instructors.

Upon completion of the 4-year course, the University ofMaryland awarded the graduate a bachelor of science degree in nursing,and the Army offered a commission as second lieutenant in the Army NurseCorps of the Regular Army. The newly appointed officer was obligated toserve on active duty in the Army Nurse Corps for 3 years.

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The first class of 58 students entered in the fall of1964 and was graduated in June 1968; each graduate accepted the Army commission.Since that first class, four additional classes entered each fall, withan annual enrollment calculated to assure that the Army Nurse Corps wouldacquire 100 registered nurses each year. That these nurses were trainedin an Army hospital provided better Army nurse personnel, in that upongraduation they were already familiar with Army methods and procedures.

Because of General Heaton's foresight and his imaginativeapproach to the resolution of a severe and chronic problem, the Army notonly had a superior school program but also was assured of a cadre of Army-orientedtrained nurses entering active duty each year. Furthermore, it was notunlikely that these nurses, already familiar with the Army milieu, wouldstay in service well beyond the 3 years for which they were obligated.This expectation was based upon experience with the medical internshipand residency training programs; young physicians trained in Army hospitalstended to remain in service beyond their required time at a greater ratethan those whose training was entirely in civilian facilities.

Recruitment program of the Army Medical SpecialistCorps.-Since its establishment by the Congress in 1947, the Army MedicalSpecialist Corps has well earned General Heaton's description of it as"a young and progressive corps." These qualities were reflected especiallyin its educational programs and in the ever-constant assessment of itsactivities to assure the highest professional standards.

In this last decade, the Army Medical Specialist Corpsmade marked scientific advances and achieved greater professional growthunder the able leadership of Colonel Harriet S. Lee, Colonel Ruth A. Robinson,Colonel Lois M. Forsythe, and Colonel Mary L. Hamrick. That it enjoyedthe same privileges of rank, pay, and promotion as did the other five corpsof the Medical De-

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partment was evidence of the full professional statureof its three component professions-dietetics, physical therapy, and occupationaltherapy. Initially a completely female component of the Medical Department,it is now, like the Army Nurse Corps, also co-ed, with approximately 28percent of its strength being male.

During the early part of the past decade, the Army MedicalSpecialist Corps was faced by a shortage of personnel qualified in itsthree professional fields. This, too, paralleled the problem faced by theArmy Nurse Corps and the known nationwide shortages of such professionalspecialists.

The Army Medical Specialist Corps recognized that themost effective means of meeting personnel requirements under such conditionswas through education and training programs, to which General Heaton wholeheartedlyagreed and to which he gave unstintingly of his support.

By the end of fiscal year 1968, as a result of a well-definedand progressive program, for the first time in many years, the Corps' actualstrength of 584 officers on active duty significantly exceeded its authorizedstrength of 550; this was not even matched during the Army buildup in supportof the fighting in South Vietnam, when the 460 actual strength of the Corpswas 17 short of its authorized 477 spaces.

Of the total Army Medical Specialist Corps strength, approximately25 percent was outside the continental United States in 1968, from Japanand South Vietnam, to Germany.

Career Planning

General Heaton recognized the particular importance ofcareer planning in advancing all professional capabilities and gave unreservedsupport to forward-looking training. During his tenure as The Surgeon General,each of the Corps developed a dynamic career planning program tailoredto its peculiar needs and requirements.

Medical Corps.-In consonance with General Heaton's

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dictum that "The physician is, and always will be, thecentral figure in the practice of medicine," policy changes in career-planningactivities for officers of the Medical Corps inaugurated a cohesive programof improvements and advancement. These policies soon began to attract thehighest caliber of personnel and to provide them the maximum opportunityto become outstanding physicians, soldiers, and leaders. Emphasis was placedon extended career planning, with assignments designed to achieve the long-rangeobjectives. Such opportunities were made available to the young MedicalCorps officer who was just starting his professional and military career,and in equal measure to the outstanding medical specialist, to increasethe depth of his qualifications with command and staff experience.

For the young Medical Corps officers, particularly thosefinishing residencies, who demonstrated and indicated a sincere desireto achieve status not only as medical specialists but also as soldiers,medical executives, and leaders, plans extending for 10 to 15 years weremade, with fairly firm commitments on specific assignments to achieve theirgoals.

The significance of this long-range career planning wasthat it ensured to the Medical Department a corps of medical officers ofexceptional motivation, who possessed specific training for both the militaryand the professional aspects of their dual responsibilities.

Indicative of General Heaton's deep concern and personalinvolvement in guiding and directing the development of promising youngerofficers in the Medical Corps was the fact that he or a representativefrom his office personally interviewed Medical Corps officers in the field.During these interviews, both in the United States and overseas, subjectsdiscussed included those bearing on future assignments, job-related problems,and career opportunities. This personal interest on the part of The SurgeonGeneral raised morale and stimulated esprit de corps, particularly amongthe medical officers in the combat zone. Equally indicative was the factthat a new

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position, Assistant Surgeon General for Medical CorpsAffairs, was established in the Office of The SurgeonGeneral to plan, program, and direct the activities of theCorps.

Dental Corps.-In working toward the objective ofproviding quality dentistry to every patient who was entitled to care,the Army Dental Corps reflected General Heaton's concept that the soldiermust go "first class" where medical service was concerned.

During the past decade, the Dental Corps, under the leadershipof three outstanding dental officers-Major General James M. Epperly, MajorGeneral Joseph L. Bernier, and Major General Robert B. Shira-strived toachieve this objective through the aggressive pursuit of activities aimedto enhance the professional and leadership qualities of its officers andto find new and better means of detecting and eliminating oral diseases.

Under General Heaton, the Education and Training Programof the Army Dental Corps expanded steadily during the past decade. By fiscalyear 1965, the goal of formal training for all outstanding career dentalofficers was in sight. Training programs were available in all recognizedspecialties, in allied disciplines, and in staff and administrative positions.The long-range training program made available further educational opportunities.

During this 10-year period, a significant change in thecareer planning of dental officers took place. Previously, only a smallpercentage of career officers could expect to attend the Army Medical Department'sCareer Course at Brooke Army Medical Center; under the revised policy everycareer dental officer was scheduled for the career course as soon as possibleafter completion of 3 years of service.

The former Dental Continuing Education Program ensuredthat each dental officer on active duty would continue his professionalcourses, short civilian courses, clinics, seminars, study clubs, and othereducational activities.

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Army Nurse Corps.-The basic concept of the ArmyNurse Corps career planning was to provide the Corps with officers whowere clinically qualified in patient care, capable of functioning in alltypes of medical facilities under all conditions and at various levelsof responsibility, and capable of training and directing enlisted and civilianpersonnel of the nursing service. Assignments were carefully planned toinclude clinical experience in teaching and nonteaching hospitals, andin field units whenever possible.

To assure progressive career-planning patterns, The SurgeonGeneral directed the reorganization of the Army Nurse Corps Branch to combinecareer planning and assignments. This reorganization increased individualizationand personalization of the career development of Army Nurse Corps officersand enabled personnel officers to follow through on career plans for individualofficers. These officers, while training and experience gained througha carefully planned career, will provide the Corps with replacements forretiring chief nurses and staff officers.

Medical Service Corps.-The development of the MedicalService Corps in the period since 1959 illustrated General Heaton's firmbelief in the importance of the paramedical elements of the Army MedicalDepartment in accomplishing its mission. Further, it reflected GeneralHeaton's profound understanding and appreciation of the interrelation ofall facets of the Medical Department to achieve his goals.

The Medical Service Corps, through allied sciences andmedical administration and management, assisted The Surgeon General inattaining the major objective of his office-to provide the American soldierand his dependents with the finest medical service possible.

The Corps comprised trained specialists in pharmacy, sanitaryand industrial hygiene engineering, physical reconditioning, clinical psychology,optometry, psychiatric social work, medical supply, and general and hospitaladministration. They were called upon to meet

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the same rigorous professional standards as demanded inthe other corps of the Army Medical Department. That they meet these standardswas evident in the mark the Medical Service Corps made in the field ofeducation. Commenting on the level of education of officers in the MedicalService Corps, Major General Laurence A. Potter said: "We have in the MedicalService Corps by far the highest percentage of officers with advanced degreesof any comparable group of officers,"-of course, with the exception ofthe doctors of medicine, dental science, and veterinary medicine. Fiscalyear 1968 statistics showed that approximately 91 percent of all MedicalService Corps officers had earned at least a bachelor's degree, about 20percent possessed master's degrees, and 3 percent held doctorates. Thiscompared to overall Army figures showing 67 percent of all commissionedofficers with bachelor's degrees or better, 8 percent with master's degrees,and less than 1 percent with doctorates.

Under General Heaton, the Medical Service Corps "cameof age" in 1962. On 20 August of that year, General Heaton authorized thechief of the Corps, then Colonel Roy D. Maxwell, toexercise managerial control over the Corps. The traditional role of thechief of the Medical Service Corps as an adviser to The Surgeon Generalwas thus changed to one of direct supervision of staff functions relatingto the recruitment, utilization, and career management of members of theCorps. By this action, General Heaton accorded official recognition tothe fully achieved professional stature of the Medical Service Corps-forthe first time, the chief of the Corps was on a par in authority as wellas in responsibility with the chiefs of the other corps in the Army MedicalDepartment.

With Colonel Maxwell's retirement in February 1963, ColonelWilliam A. Hamrick became the Corps chief. In 1966, as a result of hisuntiring efforts in behalf of the Army Medical Department, General Heatonachieved a major objective-legislation authorizing the Medical ServiceCorps one officer in the grade of brigadier gen-

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eral. The Corps chief was promptly promoted to the gradeof brigadier general and Brigadier General Hamrick became the first MedicalService Corps officer to hold general officer rank.

Concurrent with those actions taken to raise the MedicalService Corps to a par with the other corps in the Army Medical Department,General Heaton directed other organizational changes to achieve betterlong-range career planning and assignment, stable uniform personnel policies,and improved staff procedures. As a result, all aspects of the career-planningprogram, by which attrition rates for specialists were determined to assessneeds and shape training accordingly, were enhanced. All Medical ServiceCorps officers enjoyed excellent career-development opportunities throughinservice training or by acquiring advanced education at military or civilianinstitutions.

Of the 5,751 Medical Service Corps positions authorizedin fiscal year 1968, approximately 33 percent were in overseas locations,and a substantial proportion of these were in South Vietnam. There, MedicalService Corps officers made outstanding contributions to the war effort-theyprovided sophisticated medical supply support; served as Medical ServiceCorps aviators in evacuating casualties from the combat zone; and assistedcivilian paramedical personnel in support of relief and rehabilitationprograms.

The first Army Medical Department facility to memorializea Medical Service Corps officer was the Charles L.Kelly Heliport at the Brooke Army Medical Center, dedicated in April 1967.Major Charles L. Kelly, MSC, was the first Army Medical Department pilotto be killed in action in Vietnam.

Veterinary Corps.-Soon after he became The SurgeonGeneral, General Heaton paid tribute to the performance of the VeterinaryCorps in World War II in these words: "It is impossibleto overemphasize the contribution to the war effort made by the VeterinaryCorps in the maintenance of the health of the Army by its food inspection

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service." Since then, his directives-implemented successivelyby Corps chiefs Brigadier General Russell McNellis, Brigadier General GeorgeA. Kuhn, and Brigadier General Wilson M. Osteen-served to raise even higherthe capabilities of the Corps to carry out a wide variety of assignments.All activities of the Corps assisted the Army Medical Department in protectingthe health of men and animals.

During the past decade, the purpose of career planningactivities was to prepare Veterinary Corps officers to meet new commitments.Thus, from time to time, new courses were added to the curriculum of theArmy Medical Department's Veterinary School. One addition, for example,Veterinary Public Health, International Aspects, provided selected officerswith the knowledge of methods of preventing and controlling veterinary-relateddiseases occurring in areas where American troops were located. A new professionalshort course in biostatistics and experimental design was also added atthe Veterinary School, dealing with statistical methodology for biomedicalresearch.

The mission of the Veterinary School was expanded in fiscalyear 1967, when the school was directed to provide mobile veterinary teams,for assignment upon request of major commanders. These teams were preparedto give instruction in areas of urgent need, as determined by the command,or to perform special inspection duties in any part of the world.

In fiscal year 1968, 197 officers participated in variousofficer skill courses providing instruction in phases of veterinary medicineapplicable to a military environment. This included 144 officers who successfullycompleted Veterinary Preventive Medicine and Food Inspection, the basiccourse for newly inducted officers preparing for food-inspection assignments.

At the same time, 173 officers graduated from the officerprofessional courses, an aspect of the integrated career-planning programof the Corps. This training emphasized the role of the veterinarian asa military

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officer in the Army Medical Department and imparted generalmilitary skills.

Army Medical Specialist Corps.-A major objectiveof the well-defined and progressive career-management program of the ArmyMedical Specialist Corps, a program which provided professional, undergraduate,career-orientation, and graduate education and training, was to alleviatea shortage of personnel qualified in its three professional fields. Anotherwas to enhance the professional stature of the officers serving in itsthree component professions-dietetics, physical therapy, and occupationaltherapy.

Throughout the past decade, the Army hospital food serviceprogram, which was under the direct supervision of dietitians, was conductedin an outstanding manner. In recognition of this, General Heaton, in August1967, directed that dietitians be given new duties and responsibilities.Then for the first time in the history of the Corps, dietitians were officiallyauthorized to the personnel complement of field hospitals. Several weresent to South Vietnam, and a dietitian was also appointed to the staffof the U.S. Army surgeon in Japan.

Qualified dietitians for the Army Medical Specialist Corpswere selected mainly from graduates of the Dietetic Internship Program.By June 1967, because of the increased requirements of the war in Vietnam,this source was no longer adequate to meet dietetic personnel needs, forthe current interns had completed only about 9 months of their 12-monthinternship. The Surgeon General, therefore, requested the American DieteticAssociation, the approving authority for the internship program, to agreeto the assignment of interns to staff positions upon completion of 10 or11 months of training. This interim measure helped temporarily to alleviatethe shortages.

An indication of General Heaton's interest in providingthe best medical care to Army personnel was reflected in the revised organizationand administration of physical therapy clinics, which was introduced into

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Army hospitals with assigned physical therapists. By thisreorganization, the knowledge, skill, and understanding of administrationas it applied to physical therapy sections of Army hospitals increased.This in turn demonstrated the contribution physical therapists made toimprove patient care.

To continue improvement in the quality and quantity ofpatient care, physical therapists were encouraged to obtain more comprehensiveon-the-job training or advanced formal instruction. One physical therapytraining program grew, in part, out of the 2-week Advanced OccupationalTherapy Course conducted at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.The course as given in August 1963 was subsequently expanded to includephysical therapy, and designated as the Advanced Occupational Therapy-PhysicalTherapy Course. Physical therapists also attended both military and civiliancourses. Several in the latter category completed requirements for themaster's degree.

The growing need for physical therapists had a continuingeffect on training. In fiscal year 1965, the one-phase program for thePhysical Therapy Course went into effect and soon proved its merits. Asuccessful innovation was the complete integration of didactic and clinicalwork. The faculty of the Medical Field Service School was augmented bythe addition of the Chief, Physical Therapy Section, Brooke General Hospital,and the section supervisors.

At the end of the decade, the training program for physicaltherapists included active duty for training. In fiscal year 1967, 11 physicaltherapists participated in the active-duty-for-training program. Aftera month at the Medical Field Service School, these officers were assignedto Brooke, Walter Reed, Valley Forge, Letterman, Fitzsimons, and WilliamBeaumont General Hospitals for 5 additional months of training. The followingyear, 13 Reserve physical therapists participated in the training program,and after 6 months' service, seven of

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these officers applied and were accepted for 18 monthsof additional active duty.

During fiscal year 1968, 10 physical therapists were assignedto South Vietnam in response to a change in procedure there. At that time,the practice of evacuating patients immediately to hospitals in Japan orelsewhere was changed in favor of retaining them for a longer period inhospitals in South Vietnam. This immediately resulted in a demand for physicaltherapists and brought about these assignments. It was a case of demandoutracing organization, for the 10 therapists did not occupy authorizedtable of organization spaces. In addition, the therapists reached SouthVietnam before their equipment, and at first had to improvise facilitiesand equipment to fulfill their mission.

Occupational therapy measures for use in hospital andoutpatient treatment are designed, in part, for patients with a disabilitywhich will be directly benefited by the application of such measures; forpatients with psychiatric disability; and for those patients whose disabilitiesare directly affected by their emotional state. Significant in the developmentof occupational therapy was the increase in the number of outpatients beingtreated by occupational therapy measures, and the extension of the practiceof occupational therapy beyond the confines of the hospital environment.

An occupational therapy program, begun in fiscal year1966, within the framework of the Mental Hygiene Consultation Service atSchofield Barracks, Hawaii, demonstrated the efficacy of the treatmenttools of occupational therapy. Initially, this program was directed mainlyto children, adolescents, and female dependents of military personnel,but subsequently, active-duty personnel profited from the experience thusgained. At the same time, hospital facilities were, in effect, extendedby these methods, since they reduced the number of patients requiring hospitalization.

In the hospitals, occupational therapists continued toprovide meaningful and therapeutic work for patients

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suffering from various character disorders, and tested,evaluated, and treated dependent children with perceptual motor dysfunctions.

Noteworthy also was the expanded role of the occupationaltherapist. For the first time, occupational therapists were assigned tosurgical research units and biomechanical research laboratories to serveas liaison officers among patients, physicians, and laboratory personneland to contribute to the designing of prosthetic devices.

As with other segments of the Medical Department, occupationaltherapy programs were affected by the Army buildup in South Vietnam, withthree class I hospitals establishing such programs, thereby increasingassignment areas for occupational therapists.

To keep pace with the advances in medical and surgicalprocedures which had changed the character and time-span of treatment programs,occupational therapists were continually encouraged to obtain further educationand attend courses and conferences that would result in improved patientcare.

During the past 10 years, the development of the ArmyMedical Specialist Corps reflected The Surgeon General's keen personalinterest in building a complete, well-rounded Army medical establishment.The youngest of the six Army Medical Department corps, the Army MedicalSpecialist Corps is a valuable adjunct to the Army Medical Department team.

Measures To Retain Career Military Personnel

Recognizing that the possibility of improving the operationof the Army Medical Department diminished in direct relation to an increasein the rate of exodus of career officers, General Heaton sought in a varietyof ways to make long-term service more attractive. As one means towardthis end he sought to change, amend, and liberalize Department of the Armypromotion policies to fit the special needs of the Medical Department.One result was that members of the Medical Service

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Corps who held the doctoral degree in any of the alliedsciences were made eligible for promotion to the grade of captain 18 monthsahead of other officers with the same date of rank on the Army PromotionList. A second was an increase in the number of authorized spaces in thegrade of colonel in the Army Nurse Corps and the Army Medical SpecialistCorps from five to 20 and from one to four, respectively. In 1966, legislationauthorizing the Medical Service Corps one officer in the grade of brigadiergeneral was enacted. The Corps chief, then a colonel, was promptly promoted.In 1967, the Congress authorized the grade of brigadier general for thechief of the Army Nurse Corps and the Army Medical Specialist Corps. Aslate as March 1969, however, the chiefs of these corps had not been promotedto that grade.

Another measure was to press for legislation that wouldencourage talented personnel to remain with the Army Medical Department.These efforts resulted in Federal legislation which provided progressiveopportunities for advancement in the medical service. Apart from theseacts which have been discussed, several other laws enacted in the past10 years are of note.

Public Law 90-228, enacted in December 1967, excludedMedical Corps officers from the ceiling imposed by the Officer Grade LimitationAct. This allowed the creation of a separate and improved promotion systemfor Medical Corps officers, independent of promotion time for all othercorps. This new system, based on professional training and experience,provided automatic consideration for promotion to major after 8 years,or 3 years' time in grade; lieutenant colonel after 13 years' trainingand experience, or 5 years' time in grade; and colonel after 20 years'training and experience, or 7 years' time in grade. As a result, 187 lieutenantcolonels were promoted to colonel during July 1968.

Public Law 89-152, the Variable Reenlistment Bonus Program,became effective throughout the Army in January 1966. It provided a bonusfor enlisted personnel

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in certain critical military occupational specialities,several within the purview of the Army Medical Department, who reenlisted.

Public Law 90-207 was essentially an extension of thissame bonus concept to the Medical Corps. It provided for continuance payfor certain selected officers who would be difficult to replace. By obligatingtheir services an additional length of time, these specialists were awardedadditional compensation.

A third method used to encourage officers to remain inthe medical service was the prompt and explicit recognition of professionalproficiency. The degree of professional proficiency in a military occupationalspecialty is indicated by the use of letter prefixes, "A," "B," "C," and"D." "A," denoting attainment of the highest possible level of skill withinan occupational specialty, is awarded only to a select few. That 60 MedicalCorps officers were awarded the "A" prefix was indicative of the high degreeof professional excellence attained by Army physicians under General Heaton'sguidance.

The use of letter prefixes to denote professional proficiencyin the Army Nurse Corps was again authorized in November 1962 after havingbeen discontinued the year before. The prefix indicated the degree of proficiencygained by a combination of formal training, years of experience, and competencein a specialty within the field of nursing.

More than 28,000 civilian doctors, nurses, scientists,technicians, and clerical and administrative personnel were a part of theArmy Medical Department team by the end of the decade. Since he becamechief of the Army medical service, General Heaton sought to attract andretain civilians of quality and merit to complement and supplement themilitary component of the Medical Department.

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Recruitment Policies

The 10-year period during which General Heaton was TheSurgeon General was marked by sharp competition between Government andindustry and within the Government itself for qualified and experiencedscientists, technicians, administrators, and managers. Recruitment of well-trainedand experienced personnel for top-level medical research and scientificas well as managerial positions was a difficult and chronic problem. Atno time, for example, had the quota for supergrade positions allotted tothe Army Medical Department been completely filled.

Concurrently with his untiring effort to recruit matureand experienced personnel for higher grade positions, General Heaton directedhis attention to the recruitment of suitable candidates for a long-rangecareer development program. As a result of this effort, about 20 traineeswere hired by the Army Medical Department for career development in a varietyof fields ranging from comptroller functions to supply management, fromcivilian personnel administration to safety management.

Career Management Programs

Beginning in 1959, formal career management programs forcivilian employees in 12 major occupational groups-civilian personnel administration,comptroller functions, safety management, supply management, procurement,education and training, equipment specialist, librarians, information andeditorial, automatic data processing, intelligence, and engineers and scientists-werestarted in the Office of The Surgeon General and at class II activities.

The objective of these programs was to improve the effectivenessof the civilian work force by providing organized and systematic opportunitiesfor employees with demonstrated abilities to advance progressively to positionsof increasing importance and responsibility.

In another effort to develop the capabilities of civilian

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employees, the Medical Department Central Funding Programwas established in the Office of The Surgeon General in 1964. Similar tothe program for military personnel, it was designed to finance off-posttraining of civilian employees. Since the program was established in 1964,the number of civilians participating in off-post training programs doubled.

Support of Federal Employment Policies and Programs

General Heaton fully supported the Equal Employment OpportunityProgram. When it was inaugurated, he wrote personal letters to his installationcommanders, urging them to employ the mentally retarded and physicallyhandicapped as well as members of disadvantaged groups to the maximum extentpossible. Since its introduction throughout the Army Medical Department,the Equal Employment Opportunity Program has been progressively and successfullyexpanded by making more positions available to disadvantaged persons, bygiving wide publicity to job opportunities for minority groups, and byencouraging self-development and education. In 1967, Valley Forge GeneralHospital was awarded a citation by the President's Committee on the Employmentof the Handicapped for its outstanding efforts in developing job opportunitiesfor mentally retarded persons.

Army Medical Department participation in the Youth OpportunityProgram has also progressively increased. From a modest beginning in 1965,when 86 disadvantaged young people were employed during the summer months,the program has grown to the extent that the Medical Department hired about650 summer employees under the program in 1968, including about 200 inthe Washington area.

General Heaton described the practice of medicine in theArmy Medical Department as "a team effort in the broadest, and at the sametime, most exacting possible sense." The responsibility of medical administration,he added, was "to forge the separate elements into a perfectly balancedteam."

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As chief administrator of the Army Medical Department,General Heaton implemented that responsibility through actions broadlyplanned and closely coordinated throughout. The results of this effortwere evident everywhere; nowhere did they show to better advantage thanin his military and civilian personnel policy which was to recruit thebest and retain the finest.

Ten years of leadership by General Heaton produced a functionalentity of which it can be said, in truth, that the whole exceeded the sumof its parts.