Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey signed an agreement establishing the San Antonio Military Health System, an office for overseeing clinical, educational, and business operations for all military medical treatment facilities in the San Antonio region. Maj. Gen. Byron Hepburn, 59th Medical Wing commander at Lackland AFB, Tex., has been named the first director of SAMHS, which is slated to open Sept. 15, according to Lackland officials. Army Brig. Gen. Joseph Caravalho, the Brooke Army Medical Center commander, will be SAMHS’ deputy director. The services will rotate the two positions biennially. Under changes mandated by BRAC 2005, the Air Force and Army are consolidating medical services in the San Antonio area, with the San Antonio Military Medical Center, formerly BAMC, for inpatient services and Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center for outpatient services. (Lackland report by Linda Frost)
Unit commanders are being told to separate service members who can’t shave their cheeks and chin for medical reasons for more than a year, according to new guidance from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
