Spurgeon Neel
Encyclopedia
Major General
Spurgeon Neel, MD, (September 24, 1919 - June 6, 2003) was a United States Army
physician
who pioneered the development of aeromedical evacuation of battlefield casualties.
. His parents were Spurgeon Hart Neel and Leola Pearl Neel.
Spurgeon Neel graduated from the Memphis State University in 1939, majoring in pre-med. He earned his Doctorate of Medicine in 1942 from the University of Tennessee
. Dr. Neel was a member of Phi Chi Medical Fraternity's Alpha Beta Chapter.
Neel completed an internship at the Methodist Hospital
in Memphis in 1943. He then entered military service, completing his residency
in radiology
at Santa Ana Army Air Base
in California in 1944.
Neel married his wife, Alice T. Neel, in 1940. They had a son, Spurgeon H. Neel, III, and daughter, Dr. Leah Neel Zartarian.
with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg
, North Carolina.
In 1949, Neel chaired a board that tested, evaluated, and recommended the use of the helicopter
in medical evacuation roles. The concept of utilizing rotary wing aircraft for the evacuation of seriously wounded casualties was not a new one. In 1936, at the Medical Field Service School at Carlisle Barracks
, Pennsylvania, an autogyro
was field-tested as an evacuation vehicle. The idea was discarded at that time for engineering and budgetary reasons more than any defect in the basic concept. During World War II the Air Force and Navy began to use helicopters for the rescue of pilots and other personnel lost at sea or in inaccessible terrain.
However, helicopters were still a novelty in 1949 when Neel began examining the idea of flying wounded soldiers out of war zones. Neel's widow, Alice Neel, told the San Antonio Express-News
that Neel had said, "My job is to take care of those boys. And I'm going to do it, and I want to be able to get them to the hospital as quickly as possible, and I want the helicopter to be dedicated for that purpose and to be available for that mission.'"
As part of his 1949 study, Neel tested an early Kaman
helicopter with forward clamshell doors.
Neel also explored other medical aspects of army aviation. In 1951, he published the paper "Medical Aspects of Military Parachuting," which was recognized by the Association of Military Surgeons as the best military medical essay of the year.
In March 1951, Neel became the first Army graduate of the U.S. Air Force School of Aviation Medicine at Randolph Air Force Base
in San Antonio, Texas
.
that helicopter evacuation became a reality. The helicopter had finally been accepted as an organic vehicle of the Army, and rugged terrain of Korea made surface transport arduous. In addition, the scarcity of hard-surface roads and harsh climate often made it extremely difficult to transport casualties from forward units.
Helicopter evacuation in Korea was not the result of any preconceived plan; it was the result of expediency. In the early days of the war, a U.S. Air Force helicopter detachment of the Third Air Rescue Squadron began to receive requests from ground elements for the evacuation of casualties from difficult terrain. Since this detachment was not fully occupied with its primary mission of rescuing downed pilots, it responded to these calls. By August 1950, this Air Force unit was answering so many calls that it found itself in the medical evacuation business.
Quick to note the advantages of helicopter evacuation in terrain such as Korea, the Eighth Army developed an increased interest in the program. During a significant test conducted by Army and Air Force representatives on August 3, 1950 in the school yard of the Taegu Teachers College, Army helicopters were adopted for the evacuation of casualties and the first procedures were established. On 22 November 1950 the Army's Second Helicopter Detachment arrived in Korea, equipped with four H-13 aircraft.
Army helicopter evacuation was officially established on 1 January 1951 when the Second Helicopter Detachment became operational and was attached to the 8055th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. In January 1951, two more helicopter detachments, the Third and Fourth, arrived in Korea with minimum operating personnel and four H-13 aircraft, followed in February by the First Helicopter Detachment. At this time all helicopter detachments used in medical evacuation were assigned to the 8085th Army Unit, Eighth Army Flight Detachment, and attached to forward surgical hospitals.
Before the armistice ended the war in 1953, army helicopters would fly 18,000 U.N.
casualties to hospitals, helping save seven of every 10 victims.
Neel spent most of the war in the U.S., first in Washington D.C., and then in San Antonio, Texas. From 1952 to 1953, Neel served as Chief of the Field Medical Service Branch of the Medical Field Service School at Fort Sam Houston
near San Antonio. He led the establishment of helicopter ambulance units and supervised the activation, training, and deployment of five helicopter ambulance detachments at Brooke Army Medical Center
.
Neel transferred to Korea in 1953 before the armistice ended active hostilities on July 27. Neel served as commander of the 30th Medical Group in Korea from 1953-1954. He established the Eighth Army aviation medical program in 1954, which became the prototype for the Army-wide aviation medical program.
The aeromedical evacuation doctrine espoused by Neel called for medical control of evacuation and the need for pilots and aircraft dedicated to that mission alone. Field maneuvers after Korea included use of aeromedical evacuation.
After the Korean War the Surgeon General's Office applied itself to assessing the potential of helicopter ambulances in future conflicts. In particular, Lt. Col. Neel, in a number of medical and aviation journals, publicized and promoted the Army's air ambulances. The Korean experience, he realized, could not serve as an infallible guide to the use of helicopters in other types of wars and different geographical regions, but it certainly showed that helicopters had made possible at least a modification of the first links in Letterman's chain of evacuation. A superior communications system would allow a well-equipped and well-staffed ambulance to land at or near the site of the wounding, making much ground evacuation unnecessary. If the patient's condition could be stabilized briefly, it might prove helpful to use the speed of the helicopter to evacuate the patient farther to the rear, to more complete medical facilities than those provided at a rudimentary division clearing station. Triage might be carried out better at a hospital than in the field.
Based on experience during the Korean War, Neel developed medical evacuation policies, procedures, and organizations which are the foundation of current aeromedical operations.
In 1954, Neel became the Army's first Aviation Medical Officer. In 1955 he served on the Department of the Army board which conducted a design competition to select the new standard Army utility helicopter, which ultimately became the UH-1. The same year he established flying status for Aviation Medical Officers and was the first Aviation Medical Officer to receive flying status.
In 1956, Neel established the Aviation Branch within the Office of The Surgeon General and became its first chief, later designing the Aviation Medical Officer Badge and becoming its first recipient. Neel also established a formal program for Board Certification of Army Medical Officers in Aviation Medicine and laid the groundwork for the Army Aviation Medical Training and Research Program.
Neel designed the Aviation Medical Officer badge in 1957. Neel was the first to be awarded the badge.
From 1957 to 1958, Neel was a student at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston
, where he received the degree Master of Public Health
.
Neel was a resident at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base from 1959 to 1960.
Neel assumed command of the U.S. Army Hospital at Fort Rucker
, Alabama in 1961. He established the Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory at Ft. Rucker. He also initiated construction of the Lyster Army Hospital, a modern facility with specialized aviation medicine capability.
Neel was awarded a Master's of Science in Business Administration from George Washington University
in 1965.
, Neel served as surgeon with the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
from 1965 to 1966. Neal served as Senior Medical Advisor to General William Westmoreland
.
Neal coordinated introduction of medical air ambulance units during the build-up. He also established the Saigon office of the Far East Joint Medical Regualting Office to manage patient movements within and from the Republic of Vietnam during the war. He coordinated U.S. Army aeromedical evacuation in support of U.S. and South Vietnam forces and Vietnamese civilians.
In Vietnam, the Army formed “dustoff” units, named for a radio call sign, which evacuated about 380,000 patients.
In recognition of his role in the development and execution of combat zone medical operations, Neel was awarded the Major Gary P. Wratten Award of the Association of Military Surgeons in 1967.
Neel returned to the U.S. in 1966 and was assigned to the U.S. Army's Office of the Surgeon General in Washington, D.C. as Director of Plans, Supply, and Operations.
Neel served a second tour in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. He served as Commanding General of the 44th Medical Brigade in Vietnam in 1968. In 1969, he served as Surgeon of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
and Senior Medical Advisor to General Creighton Abrams
.
Neels innovations in battlefield medicine greatly improved the survival rates for wounded soldiers. In World War I
, 8 percent of all injured men died of their injuries; in World War II, 4.5 percent; in Korea, 2.5 percent; and in Vietnam, 1.5 percent. Neel attributed the lowering mortality rate to (1) the helicopter, (2) whole blood
, (3) hospitals, and (4) highly trained personnel. As Neel pointed out, it was the medic under fire in whose hands rested the life-or-death decision for the wounded man.
The length of hospitalization for Vietnam victims was half of what it was for injured men in Korea-—48 days for Vietnam compared to 91 days for Korea. Neel attributed this improvement to the swiftness of helicopter evacuation and the advances in medical technology.
Neel wrote a book entitled Medical Support of the U.S. Army in Vietnam 1965-1970 that was published by the Department of the Army in 1973.
Neel moved to San Antonio in 1973 to become the first Commanding General of the U.S. Army Health Services Command
. Health Services Command was activated on 1 April 1973 as part of reorganizing the Army Medical Department. It took control of almost all Army medical facilities in the continental US, including medical education. It answered directly to the Chief of Staff of the Army. This allowed the Office of The Surgeon General to focus more on staff and technical supervisory duties as the principal adviser to the Chief of Staff of the Army on health and medical matters. In 1994, the HSC and Office of The Surgeon General were merged again.
Neel advocated civilian air ambulance systems and oversaw formation of the 507th Medical Company, which provided military assistance to safety and traffic. By rescuing more than 5,000 civilians from car wrecks, floods and trauma cases in and around San Antonio, the Military Assistance to Safety and Traffic (MAST) program further promoted air ambulance service.
.
Neel served as honorary colonel of the Army Medical Department Regiment from 1986 to 1994. The regiment was activated on 28 July 1986 as part of the creation of the Army Regimental System
to foster and cohesion. All medical officers and enlisted personnel were formally affiliated with the regiment, to include wearing the departmental crest on their uniforms. Neel was the first honorary colonel. Primarily a ceremonial position, Neel's role was to enhance morale and esprit de corps through the perpetuation of the regiment's traditions and customs.
During retirement, Neel also served as Medical Director of USAA
, the insurance association serving military personnel. He also served on the Board of Directors at Eisenhower National Bank for 10 years.
Neel helped establish the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Museum
at Fort Sam Houston. Neel served as chairman of the museum board that was responsible for the expansion of the museum.
. He was buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery
, Section A1, Site 526.
, the Legion of Merit
with four oak leaf cluster
s, the Bronze Star with one oak leaf cluster
, and the Purple Heart
.
Neel was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame in 1976.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Spurgeon Neel, MD, (September 24, 1919 - June 6, 2003) was a United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who pioneered the development of aeromedical evacuation of battlefield casualties.
Early life
Spurgeon Hart Neel, Jr, was born on September 24, 1919 in Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. His parents were Spurgeon Hart Neel and Leola Pearl Neel.
Spurgeon Neel graduated from the Memphis State University in 1939, majoring in pre-med. He earned his Doctorate of Medicine in 1942 from the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
. Dr. Neel was a member of Phi Chi Medical Fraternity's Alpha Beta Chapter.
Neel completed an internship at the Methodist Hospital
Methodist Hospital
Methodist Hospital is the name of numerous medical institutions.* The Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas* Methodist Medical Center of Illinois, Peoria, Illinois* Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana...
in Memphis in 1943. He then entered military service, completing his residency
Residency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
in radiology
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
at Santa Ana Army Air Base
Santa Ana Army Air Base
Santa Ana Army Air Base was an air base built during World War II that was decommissioned in 1946. The air base was used for basic training but did not have planes, hangars or runways. The base was and located in Costa Mesa between Baker Street on the north, Harbor Blvd. on the west, Wilson...
in California in 1944.
Neel married his wife, Alice T. Neel, in 1940. They had a son, Spurgeon H. Neel, III, and daughter, Dr. Leah Neel Zartarian.
Aeromedical evacuation
From 1949 to 1951, Neel served as surgeonSurgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, North Carolina.
In 1949, Neel chaired a board that tested, evaluated, and recommended the use of the helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
in medical evacuation roles. The concept of utilizing rotary wing aircraft for the evacuation of seriously wounded casualties was not a new one. In 1936, at the Medical Field Service School at Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is part of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command and is the site of the U.S. Army War College...
, Pennsylvania, an autogyro
Autogyro
An autogyro , also known as gyroplane, gyrocopter, or rotaplane, is a type of rotorcraft which uses an unpowered rotor in autorotation to develop lift, and an engine-powered propeller, similar to that of a fixed-wing aircraft, to provide thrust...
was field-tested as an evacuation vehicle. The idea was discarded at that time for engineering and budgetary reasons more than any defect in the basic concept. During World War II the Air Force and Navy began to use helicopters for the rescue of pilots and other personnel lost at sea or in inaccessible terrain.
However, helicopters were still a novelty in 1949 when Neel began examining the idea of flying wounded soldiers out of war zones. Neel's widow, Alice Neel, told the San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio Express-News
The San Antonio Express-News is the daily newspaper of San Antonio, Texas. It is ranked as the third-largest daily newspaper in the state of Texas in terms of circulation, and is one of the leading news sources of South Texas, with offices in Austin, Brownsville, Laredo, and Mexico City...
that Neel had said, "My job is to take care of those boys. And I'm going to do it, and I want to be able to get them to the hospital as quickly as possible, and I want the helicopter to be dedicated for that purpose and to be available for that mission.'"
As part of his 1949 study, Neel tested an early Kaman
Kaman Aircraft
Kaman Aircraft is a U.S. aerospace company, with headquarters in Bloomfield, Connecticut. It was founded in 1945 by Charles Kaman. During the first ten years the company operated exclusively as a designer and manufacturer of several helicopters that set world records and achieved many aviation...
helicopter with forward clamshell doors.
Neel also explored other medical aspects of army aviation. In 1951, he published the paper "Medical Aspects of Military Parachuting," which was recognized by the Association of Military Surgeons as the best military medical essay of the year.
In March 1951, Neel became the first Army graduate of the U.S. Air Force School of Aviation Medicine at Randolph Air Force Base
Randolph Air Force Base
Randolph Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located east-northeast of San Antonio, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 902d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command ....
in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
.
Korean War
It was in the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
that helicopter evacuation became a reality. The helicopter had finally been accepted as an organic vehicle of the Army, and rugged terrain of Korea made surface transport arduous. In addition, the scarcity of hard-surface roads and harsh climate often made it extremely difficult to transport casualties from forward units.
Helicopter evacuation in Korea was not the result of any preconceived plan; it was the result of expediency. In the early days of the war, a U.S. Air Force helicopter detachment of the Third Air Rescue Squadron began to receive requests from ground elements for the evacuation of casualties from difficult terrain. Since this detachment was not fully occupied with its primary mission of rescuing downed pilots, it responded to these calls. By August 1950, this Air Force unit was answering so many calls that it found itself in the medical evacuation business.
Quick to note the advantages of helicopter evacuation in terrain such as Korea, the Eighth Army developed an increased interest in the program. During a significant test conducted by Army and Air Force representatives on August 3, 1950 in the school yard of the Taegu Teachers College, Army helicopters were adopted for the evacuation of casualties and the first procedures were established. On 22 November 1950 the Army's Second Helicopter Detachment arrived in Korea, equipped with four H-13 aircraft.
Army helicopter evacuation was officially established on 1 January 1951 when the Second Helicopter Detachment became operational and was attached to the 8055th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. In January 1951, two more helicopter detachments, the Third and Fourth, arrived in Korea with minimum operating personnel and four H-13 aircraft, followed in February by the First Helicopter Detachment. At this time all helicopter detachments used in medical evacuation were assigned to the 8085th Army Unit, Eighth Army Flight Detachment, and attached to forward surgical hospitals.
Before the armistice ended the war in 1953, army helicopters would fly 18,000 U.N.
United Nations Command (Korea)
The United Nations Command is the unified command structure for the multinational military forces supporting the Republic of Korea during and after the Korean War...
casualties to hospitals, helping save seven of every 10 victims.
Neel spent most of the war in the U.S., first in Washington D.C., and then in San Antonio, Texas. From 1952 to 1953, Neel served as Chief of the Field Medical Service Branch of the Medical Field Service School at Fort Sam Houston
Fort Sam Houston
Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston....
near San Antonio. He led the establishment of helicopter ambulance units and supervised the activation, training, and deployment of five helicopter ambulance detachments at Brooke Army Medical Center
Brooke Army Medical Center
Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio is part of the United States Army Medical Command. It is a University of Texas Health Science Center and USUHS teaching hospital and contains the Army Burn Center....
.
Neel transferred to Korea in 1953 before the armistice ended active hostilities on July 27. Neel served as commander of the 30th Medical Group in Korea from 1953-1954. He established the Eighth Army aviation medical program in 1954, which became the prototype for the Army-wide aviation medical program.
The aeromedical evacuation doctrine espoused by Neel called for medical control of evacuation and the need for pilots and aircraft dedicated to that mission alone. Field maneuvers after Korea included use of aeromedical evacuation.
Post war
From 1954-1957, Neel served at the U.S. Army Office of the Surgeon General in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
After the Korean War the Surgeon General's Office applied itself to assessing the potential of helicopter ambulances in future conflicts. In particular, Lt. Col. Neel, in a number of medical and aviation journals, publicized and promoted the Army's air ambulances. The Korean experience, he realized, could not serve as an infallible guide to the use of helicopters in other types of wars and different geographical regions, but it certainly showed that helicopters had made possible at least a modification of the first links in Letterman's chain of evacuation. A superior communications system would allow a well-equipped and well-staffed ambulance to land at or near the site of the wounding, making much ground evacuation unnecessary. If the patient's condition could be stabilized briefly, it might prove helpful to use the speed of the helicopter to evacuate the patient farther to the rear, to more complete medical facilities than those provided at a rudimentary division clearing station. Triage might be carried out better at a hospital than in the field.
Based on experience during the Korean War, Neel developed medical evacuation policies, procedures, and organizations which are the foundation of current aeromedical operations.
In 1954, Neel became the Army's first Aviation Medical Officer. In 1955 he served on the Department of the Army board which conducted a design competition to select the new standard Army utility helicopter, which ultimately became the UH-1. The same year he established flying status for Aviation Medical Officers and was the first Aviation Medical Officer to receive flying status.
In 1956, Neel established the Aviation Branch within the Office of The Surgeon General and became its first chief, later designing the Aviation Medical Officer Badge and becoming its first recipient. Neel also established a formal program for Board Certification of Army Medical Officers in Aviation Medicine and laid the groundwork for the Army Aviation Medical Training and Research Program.
Neel designed the Aviation Medical Officer badge in 1957. Neel was the first to be awarded the badge.
From 1957 to 1958, Neel was a student at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, where he received the degree Master of Public Health
Master of Public Health
The Master of Public Health and the Doctor of Public Health are multi-disciplinary professional degrees awarded for studies in areas related to public health....
.
Neel was a resident at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base from 1959 to 1960.
Neel assumed command of the U.S. Army Hospital at Fort Rucker
Fort Rucker
Fort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located mostly in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training base for Army Aviation and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and...
, Alabama in 1961. He established the Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory at Ft. Rucker. He also initiated construction of the Lyster Army Hospital, a modern facility with specialized aviation medicine capability.
Neel was awarded a Master's of Science in Business Administration from George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
in 1965.
Vietnam
During the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, Neel served as surgeon with the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
The U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, MACV, , was the United States' unified command structure for all of its military forces in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.-History:...
from 1965 to 1966. Neal served as Senior Medical Advisor to General William Westmoreland
William Westmoreland
William Childs Westmoreland was a United States Army General, who commanded US military operations in the Vietnam War at its peak , during the Tet Offensive. He adopted a strategy of attrition against the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and the North Vietnamese Army. He later served as...
.
Neal coordinated introduction of medical air ambulance units during the build-up. He also established the Saigon office of the Far East Joint Medical Regualting Office to manage patient movements within and from the Republic of Vietnam during the war. He coordinated U.S. Army aeromedical evacuation in support of U.S. and South Vietnam forces and Vietnamese civilians.
In Vietnam, the Army formed “dustoff” units, named for a radio call sign, which evacuated about 380,000 patients.
In recognition of his role in the development and execution of combat zone medical operations, Neel was awarded the Major Gary P. Wratten Award of the Association of Military Surgeons in 1967.
Neel returned to the U.S. in 1966 and was assigned to the U.S. Army's Office of the Surgeon General in Washington, D.C. as Director of Plans, Supply, and Operations.
Neel served a second tour in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. He served as Commanding General of the 44th Medical Brigade in Vietnam in 1968. In 1969, he served as Surgeon of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
The U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, MACV, , was the United States' unified command structure for all of its military forces in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.-History:...
and Senior Medical Advisor to General Creighton Abrams
Creighton Abrams
Creighton Williams Abrams Jr. was a general in the United States Army who commanded military operations in the Vietnam War from 1968–72 which saw U.S. troop strength in Vietnam fall from a peak of 543,000 to 49,000. He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1972 until shortly...
.
Neels innovations in battlefield medicine greatly improved the survival rates for wounded soldiers. In World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, 8 percent of all injured men died of their injuries; in World War II, 4.5 percent; in Korea, 2.5 percent; and in Vietnam, 1.5 percent. Neel attributed the lowering mortality rate to (1) the helicopter, (2) whole blood
Whole blood
Whole blood is a term used in transfusion medicine for human blood from a standard blood donation. The blood is typically combined with an anticoagulant during the collection process, but is generally otherwise unprocessed...
, (3) hospitals, and (4) highly trained personnel. As Neel pointed out, it was the medic under fire in whose hands rested the life-or-death decision for the wounded man.
The length of hospitalization for Vietnam victims was half of what it was for injured men in Korea-—48 days for Vietnam compared to 91 days for Korea. Neel attributed this improvement to the swiftness of helicopter evacuation and the advances in medical technology.
Return to U.S.
Neel served as Deputy Surgeon General of the U.S. Army in Washington D.C. from 1969 to 1973.Neel wrote a book entitled Medical Support of the U.S. Army in Vietnam 1965-1970 that was published by the Department of the Army in 1973.
Neel moved to San Antonio in 1973 to become the first Commanding General of the U.S. Army Health Services Command
U.S. Army Health Services Command
The U.S. Army Health Services Command was activated on 1 April 1973 as part of reorganizing the Army Medical Department. It took control of almost all Army medical facilities in the continental US, including medical education.-Purpose:...
. Health Services Command was activated on 1 April 1973 as part of reorganizing the Army Medical Department. It took control of almost all Army medical facilities in the continental US, including medical education. It answered directly to the Chief of Staff of the Army. This allowed the Office of The Surgeon General to focus more on staff and technical supervisory duties as the principal adviser to the Chief of Staff of the Army on health and medical matters. In 1994, the HSC and Office of The Surgeon General were merged again.
Neel advocated civilian air ambulance systems and oversaw formation of the 507th Medical Company, which provided military assistance to safety and traffic. By rescuing more than 5,000 civilians from car wrecks, floods and trauma cases in and around San Antonio, the Military Assistance to Safety and Traffic (MAST) program further promoted air ambulance service.
Retirement
Neel retired from the U.S. Army in 1977 with the rank of Major General. After his army retirement, Neel served as Professor in Occupational and Aerospace Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science CenterUniversity of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is an institute of health science education and research, located in the South Texas Medical Center....
.
Neel served as honorary colonel of the Army Medical Department Regiment from 1986 to 1994. The regiment was activated on 28 July 1986 as part of the creation of the Army Regimental System
U.S. Army Regimental System
The United States Army Regimental System was established in 1981 to replace the Combat Arms Regimental System, to provide each Soldier with continuous identification with a single regiment, and to support that concept with a personnel system that would increase a soldier’s probability of serving...
to foster and cohesion. All medical officers and enlisted personnel were formally affiliated with the regiment, to include wearing the departmental crest on their uniforms. Neel was the first honorary colonel. Primarily a ceremonial position, Neel's role was to enhance morale and esprit de corps through the perpetuation of the regiment's traditions and customs.
During retirement, Neel also served as Medical Director of USAA
USAA
United Services Automobile Association is a Fortune 500 financial services company offering banking, investing, and insurance to people and families that serve, or served, in the United States military. In 2011, there were 8.4 million members. The company reported a net worth of $19.3 billion in...
, the insurance association serving military personnel. He also served on the Board of Directors at Eisenhower National Bank for 10 years.
Neel helped establish the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Museum
United States Army Medical Department Museum
The U.S. Army Medical Department Museum or AMEDD Museum, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, originated as part of the Army's Field Service School at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. It moved to Fort Sam Houston in 1946. It is currently a component of the U.S...
at Fort Sam Houston. Neel served as chairman of the museum board that was responsible for the expansion of the museum.
Death
Neel died at the age of 83 on June 6, 2003 in San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. He was buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2008, had 120,982 interments.- History :...
, Section A1, Site 526.
Awards
Neel was award the Distinguished Service MedalDistinguished Service Medal (United States)
The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United...
, the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
with four oak leaf cluster
Oak leaf cluster
An oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on U.S. Army and Air Force awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. The number of oak leaf clusters typically indicates the number of subsequent awards of the decoration...
s, the Bronze Star with one oak leaf cluster
Oak leaf cluster
An oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on U.S. Army and Air Force awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. The number of oak leaf clusters typically indicates the number of subsequent awards of the decoration...
, and the Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
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Neel was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame in 1976.
Legacy
- In 2006, the Spurgeon Neel Evacuation Pavilion was established at the Army Medical Department MuseumUnited States Army Medical Department MuseumThe U.S. Army Medical Department Museum or AMEDD Museum, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, originated as part of the Army's Field Service School at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. It moved to Fort Sam Houston in 1946. It is currently a component of the U.S...
at Fort Sam HoustonFort Sam HoustonFort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston....
as a memorial to Neel's work. The pavilion houses an H-13H-13 SiouxThe H-13 Sioux was a two-bladed, single engine, light helicopter built by Bell Helicopter. Westland Aircraft manufactured the Sioux under license for the British military as the Sioux AH.1 and HT.2.-Development:...
helicopter from the Korean War and the UH-1 "Huey" helicopter that Neel helped develop.
- The Neel Aeromedical Science Center at Fort RuckerFort RuckerFort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located mostly in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training base for Army Aviation and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and...
, Alabama, was also dedicated in his honor. The Neel Aeromedical Science Center houses the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL) and was dedicated on April 2, 2004.