Gale Pollock

Major General Gale S. Pollock has served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the United States Army since October 2006, and also as chief of the Army Nurse Corps. She became acting Surgeon General of the United States Army on 20 March 2007 following the retirement of her predecessor, Kevin C. Kiley, due to fallout from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal.

She is the first woman and the first non-physician to hold the position. She has 30 years of service in the Army and is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.

Note that the Surgeon General of the United States Army is a different office than the Surgeon General of the United States.

Education

Pollock received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She attended the U.S. Army Nurse Anesthesia Program and is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). She received her Master of Business Administration from Boston University, a Master's in Healthcare Administration from Baylor University, a Master's in National Security and Strategy from the National Defense University, and an honorary Doctorate of Public Service from the University of Maryland. She is also a Fellow in The American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).

Pollock's military education includes the Department of Defense CAPSTONE Program; the Senior Service College at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces; the Air War College; the Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives; the Military Health System CAPSTONE program; the Principles of Advanced Nurse Administrators; and the NATO Staff Officer Course.

Military career

Pollock's last position was Commanding General of Tripler Army Medical Center of the Pacific Regional Medical Command. She was also and Lead Agent of TRICARE Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Her past military assignments include Special Assistant to the Surgeon General for Information Management and Health Policy; Commander, Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning, Ga.; Commander, U.S. Army Medical Activity, Fort Drum, N.Y.; Staff Officer, Strategic Initiatives Command Group for the Army Surgeon General; Department of Defense Healthcare Advisor to the Congressional Commission on Service Members and Veterans Transition Assistance; Health Fitness Advisor at the National Defense University; Senior Policy Analyst in Health Affairs, DoD; and Chief, Anesthesia Nursing Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.

Awards

Pollock's awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with 2 oak leaf clusters), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (with 4 oak leaf clusters), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal. She also earned the Expert Field Medical Badge, and the Parachutist Badge. She received the Army Staff Identification Badge for her work at the Pentagon and earned the German Armed Forces Military Efficiency Badge (Leistungsabzeichen) in gold.

Criticism

According to ABC News and The Nation journalist Joshua Kors, Pollock covered up a scandal involving personality disorder discharges from the military. . Pollock released a memo claiming that her office had conducted a careful review of a series of personality disorder discharges from Fort Carson, Colorado. According to Kors the review was "a sham". According to Kors, Pollock's office did not contact a single soldier, and merely checked with officials who made the official diagnoses at Ft. Carson and asked if they got it right the first time. When the officials naturally said yes, Pollock's office closed the review. Pollock's actions have been criticized by the Iraq War Veterans Organization and Veterans for America.

Reference

• Article adapted from official public domain military biography released by the United States Army.

External links

• Official Army Medicine Command (USAMEDCOM) / The Surgeon General site
• Interview with Major General Gale S. Pollock when she was U.S. Army Deputy Surgeon General
• PDF of Gale Pollock's statement before the House Armed Services Committee, 27 March 2007
• The Nation report from Joshua Kors criticizing Pollock's review of PDD's at Ft. Carson hosted by senate.gov

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