Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Sirrina E. Martinez | U.S. Army Reserve Capt. Janna Werley, an intensive care unit nurse, U.S. Army Reserve...... read more read more
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BAGHDAD DIPLOMATIC SUPPORT CENTER, Iraq- (Sept. 16, 2022) The 374th Hospital Center, Joint Task Force Medical 374, celebrated it’s one year anniversary of formation on Sept. 16, by hosting its first organizational day. The celebration was filled with activities, including a 5K walk/run.
The day started with a crowd of Task Force MED personnel, coalition forces and Department of State contractors gathering around while Task Force MED Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Hopkins welcomed participants and thanked those who helped to facilitate the event.
“Thank you to the state department for helping us celebrate the very first organizational day of the 374th Hospital Center," he said. “I also want to take this time and thank our morale team for putting this event on. I remember organizational days all the way back to basic training with the goal of promoting camaraderie and building esprit de corps.”
Hopkins shared the history of the organizations that preceded Task Force MED 374, and how the young task force came to be deployed here. Originally known as the 7th Convalescent Center, the organization was first activated on July 15, 1943, at Camp Ellis, Illinois. After initial training of the unit was completed, Hopkins said, the unit made its way to England.
After training, the unit left through the New York Port of Embarkation in late February 1944. Arriving in England in March 1944, the unit stayed in England until August 1944, when it moved to France--remaining there until April 1945.
In the following years, the unit made multiple moves: Germany in April 1945; a return to France until January 1946; and then back to the United States before it was inactivated on February 4, 1946, and received recognition for its campaign participation in Northern France, Rhineland, and Central Europe during World War II. Eventually, the unit was allotted to the Reserves and reorganized once again.
After the war, the unit was allotted to the Reserves, redesignated as the 374th Convalescent Hospital, and activated in Chicago, Illinois on August 13, 1947. Later that year, the unit was ordered to active duty serving at Fort Lewis between September 1950 and January 1952. Subsequently, the unit was moved back to Germany, where it served until January 1955.
After returning from Germany, the unit remained in Chicago until it was inactivated again on January 31, 1979. It would remain inactivated until September 16, 2021, when it was redesignated as the 374th Hospital Center, and tasked with providing mission command for the 801st Field Hospital and 452nd Field Hospital.
The battalion has been given the nickname ‘Great Lakes Medics,’ Hopkins said, because of its 12 subordinate units spanning across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
Today, Hopkins said, Task Force MED 374th is made up of over 200 personnel from the Active Duty Army, Army Reserves and the National Guard, the Navy, Air Force, and other coalition forces. Spread throughout the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve area of responsibility, Task Force MED 374th offers ‘world-class healthcare’ to serving in the area.
“They provide world-class healthcare to today’s warfighters and contractors in order to converse the fighting strength,” he said.
Colonel Robert Gregg, the commander of Task Force MED, called the organization ‘a true coalition and joint medical task force.’
“We have an Army reserve field hospital,” he said. “We have an Illinois National Guard Medical Company area support, a Navy expeditionary medical unit that is active duty, an active-duty Air Force Ground Surgical Team, and a reserve forward resuscitation surgical detachment. finally, we have an active-duty head and neck detachment. So, all of those components compiled to make us Task Force MED.”
The mission of the task force, according to Gregg, is non-doctrinal, making it a more challenging effort that is being carried out with professionalism by his ‘high quality’ staff.
They’re doing great,” he said. “This is a non-doctrinal mission. The hospital center staff typically would serve command and control over two field hospitals and several detachments, but never responsible for an element this size. Just like every other unit in OIR, we have multiple jobs. That’s why I have three jobs--as the hospital commander, task force commander and the OIR surgeon. It’s like everyone else, multiple non-doctrine roles. We were fortunate to get high-quality people on the staff, all are experienced and came on board for this mission.”
| Date Taken: | 10.10.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.10.2022 06:35 |
| Story ID: | 432552 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 515 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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