Army Surgeon General Receives Third Star; Thanks Family, Friends and CSA McConville

By Mr. Ronald W Wolf (Army Medicine)October 28, 2019

Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle, The Surgeon General
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – During an emotional ceremony that featured a large family, a lifetime of mentors and teachers, and about 500 friends, R. Scott Dingle, The Army Surgeon General, was promoted to lieutenant general on Oct. 17, 2019, at the Fort Myer Memorial Chapel, Jo... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James C. McConville
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – During an emotional ceremony that featured a large family, a lifetime of mentors and teachers, and about 500 friends, R. Scott Dingle, The Army Surgeon General, was promoted to lieutenant general on Oct. 17, 2019, at the Fort Myer Memorial Chapel, Jo... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE MEYER-HENDERSON HALL, VIRGINIA -- During an emotional ceremony that featured a large family, a lifetime of mentors and teachers, and about 500 friends, R. Scott Dingle, The Army Surgeon General, was promoted to lieutenant general on Oct. 17, 2019, at the Fort Myer Memorial Chapel.

The ceremony was hosted by Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James C. McConville who introduced and thanked the Dingle family.

"Today is a special day for Scott Dingle, and this is a special place," McConville said. "Scott's Dad was a technical sergeant in the United States Air Force for 21 years. He was a Vietnam Veteran. He was a father whose hopes and dreams were that his son Scott would someday receive a commission and become an officer in the military."

"Scott rose to the rank of general officer. You can only imagine how proud his Dad was," McConville said. "Scott's Dad promoted him to brigadier general, right here, in this chapel."

Since that promotion to brigadier general, the elder Dingle has passed on and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery only steps away from the chapel where the promotion took place. "Today," said McConville, "he is watching from above."

Dingle thanked McConville and said, "I am humbled and honored to lead Army Medicine."

Dingle began his remarks with two of his favorite sayings. "I am because we are, and we are because He is," and "I stand on the shoulders of giants, mentors, friends and teammates, and a family who He has placed in my life." Dingle called these people his "dream team."

Dingle personally thanked and recognized a long list of family, leaders, and friends from surgeons general to sergeants major, from football coaches to clergy, from university presidents to his church family.

The list of friends who deserved recognition took more than 10 minutes to finish. Recognition of immediate family lasted almost 10 minutes more.

The ceremony was an affair for family and friends alike to celebrate.

Dingle concluded his remarks by returning to his responsibilities as Surgeon General, stating to McConville, "We acknowledge the Army's priorities of readiness, modernization, and reform. We understand your number 1 priority -- people -- our Army's greatest strength and most valuable weapon -- winning not only matters it is non-negotiable because there is no second place."

"Bombs may rock the foundations of buildings, but nothing will rock the foundation of our Constitution," Dingle said.

"In conjunction with the Defense Health Agency, the other services, the Department of Defense and other institutions, we will establish a synergy of irreversible positive momentum in support of an integrated health system that ensures a readiness that meets the needs of our forces, Soldiers, families, and beneficiary population," said Dingle.

"We will not allow medical to fail," Dingle said.

"As the Army modernizes, as the MHS transitions and changes occur, Army Medicine will not be left behind, so that when we are called upon to ensure the strength of our warfighters, when we are called upon to ensure that life, limb and eyesight are saved, when we are called upon to ensure that when the cry for 'medic' is shouted out in combat, that Army Medicine's Soldiers and team from the foxhole to the fixed facility will be ready, reformed, reorganized, responsive and relevant."

"May the grace of God continue to bless you as we all live in the overflow of His blessings," Dingle said to those in attendance, "and may He bless our deployed servicemembers in harm's way."

"Army Medicine is and will continue to be Army Strong," Dingle concluded.

McConville explained why Dingle had been chosen as The Surgeon General. "Scott has the skills and talents to lead Army Medicine into the future," McConville said. "His career has been full of great achievements. He has had some of the hardest and most diverse assignments as an AMEDD officer. He's commanded at every single level. He is one of the best and brightest we have in the Army. He will ensure that there are no gaps, no decrease in the quality of healthcare for our Soldiers, families, civilians, and Soldiers for Life because people matter. They are our greatest strength and our greatest weapon system in the Army."

Dingle is "the right officer at the right time to be The Surgeon General," said McConville.