Video produced by: Gabriel Archer Sarah Marek LN1 John Acebu Established September 11th, 1950, USNMRTC Yokosuka has stood to project medical power throughout the INDOPACOM AOR. The mission started even before officials established the hospital. At the end of World War Two, American Occupational Forces used the facility as a 250-bed hospital dispensary. Because of the hospital’s strategic location, five years later, at the start of the Korean War, in 1950, Navy Medicine recognized the hospital as an official U.S. Navy medical facility giving birth to USNMRTC Yokosuka. Since the very beginning, USNMRTC Yokosuka has played a vital role in treating Korean War casualties. From December 1950 to January 1951 USNMRTC Yokosuka’s medical staff treated nearly 6,000 patients earning the hospital its first Navy Unit Commendation. Throughout the decades of war and peace, the U.S. and Japan alliance was established. This alliance took the dedication of servicemembers and civilians to understand new values, beliefs, and customs. This alliance was strengthened on May 1st, 1952, through the inception of the Japanese Fellows program, a yearlong internship for Japanese Doctors to work alongside USNMRTC Yokosuka Sailors and staff. This partnership continues to enrich our shared effectiveness and projection of Medical Power in the INDOPACOM region. The late 1960s and early 1970s once again saw hospital staff treating casualties from an armed conflict, this time in Vietnam. USNH Yokosuka became a major evacuation hub for casualties from Southeast Asia. The hard work of hospital staff during this period earned the command its second Navy Unit Commendation. With the arrival of the USS Midway to Fleet Activities Yokosuka in 1973, the start of the family residency program and the increased importance of the middle and far east theaters, Navy Medicine authorized construction of a new hospital. Crews broke ground on the new facility in 1979, and on February 10th, 1981, what is now known as the core hospital, opened its doors to the public. Today’s Command actualizes the values of those that came before us by exceeding Navy Medicine standards and embodying the 4Ps—People, Platforms, Performance, and Power. USNMRTC Yokosuka is continually recognized for its excellence time and time again. In 2022 alone, this excellence was reinforced through the receiving of numerous Navy Surgeon General’s Power Awards to include its COVID-19 response, Circuit Rider program, and other exceptional programs and initiatives. Today we commemorate the past 72 years of excellence held by USNMRTC Yokosuka to include all Units and Detachments and the countless servicemembers who have given their all to serve the Warfighter and the overall greatness of the United States Navy.

Tags

birthdayNavyhistory