The 62nd Medical Brigade, stationed currently at Fort Lewis in Washington State, originated in 1942 when the United States had already begun deploying troops to Europe to fight in World War II. When formed, the unit was designated as the 62nd Medical Battalion Corps. However, upon activation at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, on January 25, 1943, it became the 62nd Medical Battalion, Motorized. During Operation Overlord and three other campaigns—Northern France, Rhineland and Central Europe—its duties mainly included collecting and clearing casualties.
Within the 62nd Battalion, the 501st and 502nd Collecting Companies were charged with retrieving the wounded from the battlefield area and move them to medical clearing stations where the 635th Clearing Company became responsible for treatment or further transport. A clearing company had the following duties: reception, triage, treatment, care and shelter, dispensary, guard. Ideally, the collecting and clearing units were not assigned the task of entering an active battlefield to gather the wounded, but by the end of the war, it happened more often than not. When they did, the;y often became targets and had to put thier lives at great risk to get to the wounded. It was these heroics that gave the 62nd its motto: “Proud and Steadfast”.
The unit’s patch was split diagonally signifying the unit’s future transition from a Medical Group (1957) to a Medical Brigade (2001). The fleur-de-lis on the cross signifies the unit’s heritage of being a collecting company in World War ll, and the cross is a symbol of aid and comfort.
After the war, on November 14, 1957, the unit was inactivated and then on October 8, 1957, the 62nd Medical Battalion was reorganized and redesignated the 62nd Medical Group and was stationed in Bad Kreuznach, Rheinland Pfalz, Federal Republic of Germany. There it remained battle ready and supported training operations until June of 1968 when it transferred to Fort Lewis, Washington.
Related Items
62nd Medical Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)
62nd Medical Brigade Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB)