1914

16 January

to 3 October 1918, Maj. Gen. William C. Gorgas, The Surgeon General.

1917

19 July

The Surgeon General authorizes establishment of a Neurology and Psychiatry Division in the Office of the Surgeon General.

1918

15 July

General Pershing sends his famous telegram to the Chief of Staff, concerning ineffectuals sent to AEF overseas.

30 November

Neurology and Psychiatry Section under Medical Service.

1920

1 September

Medical Field Service School established at Carlisle Barracks, Pa. (Moved to Fort Sam Houston, Tex., as the Army Medical Service School, 1945.)

1939

1 June

to 31 May 1943, Maj. Gen. James C. Magee, The Surgeon General.

1 September

Germany invades Poland.

1940

10 May

Germany invades the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Churchill becomes British Prime Minister.

1 August

Col. Patrick J. Madigan, MC, appointed psychiatrist in the Surgeon General's Office. (Served until 15 Aug. 1942.)

16 September

Selective Training and Service Act adopted.

1 November

Position of division psychiatrist omitted from T/O 8-21, Medical Regiment.

1941

22 June

Germany attacks U.S.S.R.

1 December

Enlisted psychologists authorized (MOS 289).

7 December       

Japan attacks Pearl Harbor.

8 December 

United States and Great Britain declare war on Japan.

10-11 December

United States declares war on Germany and Italy. Germany and Italy declare war on the United States.

22 December

Japanese bomb Manila.

1942

February

Neuropsychiatry Branch established in the Surgeon General's Office with Colonel Madigan as chief.

9 April

U.S. Army Forces on Bataan surrender.

10 April

Lt. Col. Malcolm J. Farrell, MC, appointed as Assistant Chief of Neuropsychiatry Branch (later Neuropsychiatry Consultants Division). (Served until 15 Sept. 1945.)

28 May

Letter, The Surgeon General to Commanding General, Services of Supply (later Army Service Forces), requesting approval and appointment of consultants to the 9 corps areas (later service commands).

3-4 June

Battle of Midway.

28 July

Letter, The Surgeon General to Commanding General (all service commands), establishing the policy governing the activities of service command consultants.

7 August

U.S. Marines land on Guadalcanal.

17 August

to 10 November 1943, Col. Roy D. Halloran, MC, Chief Consultant in Neuropsychiatry to The Surgeon General.

24 October

Psychiatrists approved for Mental Hygiene Consultation Centers.

7-8 November

U.S. Army Forces land in North Africa.

20 December

School of Military Neuropsychiatry established at Lawson General Hospital, Atlanta, Ga., with Col. William C. Porter, MC, as Director.

1943

14-23 January

Casablanca Conference

23 January

British Eighth Army enters Tripoli

2 February

German forces surrender at Stalingrad

March

Public Law No. 10, 78th Congress, removes many restrictions on line-of-duty status

24 March

Lt. John W. Appel, MC, appointed to the Neuropsychiatry Branch for program in preventive psychiatry.

22 April

Maj. Walter E. Barton, MC, appointed to the Neuropsychiatry Branch, for treatment program; reassigned to Reconditioning Division, 19 August 1943.

1 June

to 31 May 1947, Maj. Gen. Norman T. Kirk, The Surgeon General. (Retired 31 July 1947.)

9 July

Invasion of Sicily.

14 July

WD Circular No. 161, opens door for easy discharge and eliminates 'Limited Service' category.

31 July

WD Circular No. 176, permits administrative discharge "for the convenience of the Government."

5 August

General Patton orders "cowards" to be excluded from hospitals.

10 August

'Patton slapping incident.'

21 August

First neuropsychiatric directive issued in an oversea army (Fifth U.S. Army).

3 September

Invasion of southern Italy.

October

The School of Military Neuropsychiatry moves to Mason General Hospital, Brentwood, Long Island, N.Y. (Closes on 22 December 1945.)

3 October

Maj. William H. Everts, MC, transferred to the Neuropsychiatry Branch as Chief of Neurology.

18 October

MOS 263 obtained for enlisted psychiatric social workers.

18 October

Medical survey program of Selective Service System published as 'Selective Service System Medical Circular No. 4.'

9 November

WD Circular No. 290 restores position of division psychiatrist to the table of organization of infantry units.

10 November

Colonel Halloran dies suddenly.

11 November

WD Circular No. 293 rescinds WD Circular No. 161.

3 December

Circular Letter No. 194, Office of The Surgeon General, U.S. Army, subject: Disposition of Neuropsychiatric Disorders. (This is the first official letter by the Surgeon General's Office on conservation manpower.)

10 December

Lt. Col. William C. Menninger, MC, appointed as Chief Consultant in Neuropsychiatry and Chief of the Neuropsychiatry Branch.

1944

1 January

Neuropsychiatry Branch made a separate division of The Surgeon General's Office.

22 January

Fifth U.S. Army makes amphibious assault landing at Anzio.

22 February

TB MED 12, 'Lecture Outlines for Officers on Personnel Adjustment Problems,' issued.

15 March

TB MED 21, 'Lecture Outlines for Enlisted Men on Personal Adjustment Problems,' issued.

12 May

ASF Circular No. 138 returned to The Surgeon General the responsibility for proper assignment of Medical Corps officers and nurses.

4 June

Fifth U.S. Army enters Rome.

6 June

D-day; Allied invasion of Normandy.

July

Lt. Gen. Brehon B. Somervell, Commanding General, ASF, directs The Surgeon General to train sufficient psychiatrists and psychologists to meet the overall need of the Army (Service Command Conference, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.).

3 July

Commissioned psychologists authorized.

21 July

U.S. Forces occupy Guam.

25 August

Neuropsychiatry Consultants Division created as a separate division directly responsible to the Deputy Surgeon General and the Executive Officer.

25 August

Paris is liberated.

12 September

WD Circular No. 370, section II, again opens door for easy discharge.

15 September

Maj. Manfred S. Guttmacher, MC, assigned to Neuropsychiatry Consultants Division, for mental hygiene consultation services.

21 September

TB MED 94, 'Neuropsychiatry for the General Medical Officer,' issued.

23-26 October

Battle of Leyte Gulf.

7 December

Memorandum for Assistant Chief of Staff, G-1, from The Surgeon General, subject: Psychoneuroses. This marks the beginning of acceptance by G-1 and the War Department of command responsibility for ineffective soldiers. (See appendix E, pp. 807-821.)

16 December

Germans begin Battle of the Bulge.

1945

9 January

U.S. Forces begin offensive on Luzon, Philippines.

3 February

U.S. Forces attack Manila.

19 February

U.S. Forces attack Iwo Jima.

1 April

U.S. Forces assault Okinawa.

12 April

President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies; Vice President Harry S. Truman sworn in as President.

27 April

ASF Circular No. 151 directs rotation of personnel with no previous oversea duty.

7 May

Germany surrenders.

8 May

V-E Day (Victory in Europe).

July

Lt. Col. Frederick R. Hanson, MC, assigned to the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-1. (This appointment signals the serious attempt of the War Department to improve the manpower crisis.)

1 July

Psychiatric Social Work Section established in the Neuropsychiatry Consultants Division, with Maj. Daniel E. O'Keefe, MAC, appointed as chief, while on loan from the Adjutant General's Office.

6 August

First atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

9 August

Second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki.

14 August

Japan surrenders unconditionally.

1 September

Clinical Psychology becomes a branch of the Neuropsychiatry Consultants Division.

2 September

V-J Day (Victory over Japan). Japan signs surrender terms.

10 September

Psychiatric Social Work Section established in the Neuropsychiatry Consultants Division.

16 November

Report by Maj. Gen. F. H. Osborne to Chief of Staff, on training of Reserves.

1946

10 January

The School of Military Neuropsychiatry authorized to move to Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam

Houston, Tex.

12 January

WD Circular No. 12, Section II, 'Appointment of Consultants.' (This is the first circular to specifically authorize The Surgeon General to appoint professional consultants.)

4 April

WD Circular No. 101, Section III, outlines the functions of consultants.

27 May

Doolittle's report to the Secretary of War on officer?enlisted man's relationships.

1 June

The School of Military Neuropsychiatry moves to Brooke Army Medical Center.