FORT SAM HOUSTON, TEXAS -- The Army's 44th Surgeon General, Lt. Gen. Nadja West, assumed command of the U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) at a ceremony held today at Ft. Sam Houston.
This past December, the U.S. Senate confirmed West to serve as the new Army Surgeon General, a position in which she is dual hatted as the Commanding General of the MEDCOM.
During his remarks to the crowd, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Daniel B. Allyn stated, "Like so many of our leaders in the Army today, Nadja West comes from a great lineage of service to our nation. In fact, the West family is a veritable joint force, with 10 of their 12 children choosing to serve their country in uniform."
MEDCOM is one of 11 direct reporting units in the Army. It manages a budget of more than $12.8 billion and provides medical care for approximately 3.95 million eligible beneficiaries worldwide - active duty Service members, retirees and their Family members. The command also oversees graduate medical education, health professional education, medical research and training of all combat medics.
Lt. Gen. West commented, "As I look across the field, I am inspired by the magnificent soldiers in the formation and what they represent. These soldiers represent those who are training and will go forward." To Gen. Allyn, she said, "We are only sending you the best."
West previously served as the Joint Staff Surgeon to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Doctorate of Medicine from George Washington University School of Medicine.
Her previous assignments were as Commanding General, Europe Regional Medical Command; Commander of Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, N.C.; and Division Surgeon, 1st Armored Division, Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany.
Raised in the Washington, D.C. area, West is the first African-American to serve as the Army Surgeon General, a three-star billet. West pinned on her third star in a ceremony that took place on Feb. 9. This promotion makes West the Army's first black female to hold the rank of lieutenant general and the highest ranking female of any race to graduate from West Point.
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