When the 3rd Auxiliary Surgical Group was constituted in 1928, unbridled American prosperity coupled with the horrific memories of World War I meant that very few people seriously thought American soldiers would face battlefield wounds and disease in the foreseeable future. Just 14 years later, however, U.S. troops were storming the shores of North Africa—and right behind them was the 3rd Auxiliary Surgical Group.
Arriving in North Africa in February 1943, the unit handled nearly 1,000 casualties during its participation in the Algerian and Tunisian Campaigns. And just as with the frontline combat troops, the North African experience was a vital training ground. During the Sicilian Campaign, the group saw over a 50 percent increase in casualties handled; during the European Campaign, the number increased exponentially to nearly 19,000.
The first Auxiliary Surgical Teams from the Group accompanied the Airborne units, and helped create four types of installations to treat severely wounded men: Beach Clearing Stations, Field Hospitals, Evacuation Hospitals, and Field Hospitals acting as Evacuation Hospitals. While the concept of Beach Clearing Stations was sound, the lack of materials posed a problem—yet teams from the Group operated on nearly a thousand patients before arrival of the regular Hospitals. The 3rd Auxiliary Surgical Group proved that definitive surgery could take place further toward the front lines than had ever been deemed possible. Truly, the unit earned the right to use the phrase "Front Line Surgeons" as its motto.
In the early 1990s, the group was redesignated 3rd Medical Command, handling the somewhat light number of casualties that were the result of the first Gulf War. It took over command and control for all medical services in the Iraqi theater in 2006, replacing the 30th Medical Brigade.
Maroon and white, colors associated with Medical Corps units, are found in the CSIB (Combat Service Identification Badge) of the 3rd Medical Command, nicknamed "Desert Medics" in honor of its performance in the Southwest Asia theater. The three points of the triangle denote the numeric designation of the unit, while the staff and entwined serpents are longtime emblems of medical care. A Maltese cross atop the staff recalls the unit’s outstanding work in combat conditions—a theme that is reinforced in 3rd Medical Command unit crest.
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3rd Medical Command Patch (SSI)
3rd Medical Command Unit Crest (DUI)