The ca. 1863 Medical Corps Coat of Arms

The 1986 Army Medical Department Regimental Insignia

2014 Coat of Arms

The 2014 Army Medical Department Regimental Insignia

The new AMEDD Regimental Insignia is based on an old design, one of the oldest coats of arms used by the United States Army. Developed during the Civil War and approved by Surgeon General William Hammond, the symbolism of the Medical Corps Coat of Arms was selected to represent the medical profession, the Union, and the year of the Medical Department’s creation, 1818. The coat of arms was placed on items that had been inspected and approved for use by departmental personnel, such as medicine bottles and medical textbooks.

In 1986 the Army established the US Army Regimental System. Combat Service Support (now Sustainment) Soldiers were affiliated with their newly established regiments and regimental distinctive insignia were created to represent those regiments. The AMEDD Regimental Insignia incorporated the shield from the Medical Corps Coat of Arms and the motto, To Conserve Fighting Strength, of the Medical Field Service School’s distinctive unit insignia (est. 1920).

In 2014 The Surgeon General received permission for the Medical Department to adopt the former Medical Corps coat of arms as the AMEDD’s Regimental Insignia. The central part of the insignia is a silver shield with a representation of the national flag on the left side of the shield. The flag’s union contains 20 stars for the 20 states in the Union in 1818, the date of the establishment of the Medical Department. On the right of the shield is the symbol of medicine, the Staff of Aesculapius, a rod wrapped by a single serpent.

Above the shield is the crest, with a rooster, also a symbol of Aesculapius and ancient medicine, moving forward (to the viewer’s left), but looking backwards. This symbolizes the department’s motto, Experientia et Progressus, Latin for Experience and Progress. The Medical Department provides world-class medical care, grounded in the centuries of medical experience passed down to each successive generation, while constantly moving forward to improve the quality of the care we provide, in service to the nation.