Army Taps First Nurse for Surgeon General

On Dec. 7 in a ceremony at Fort Myer, Va., the Army will promote Maj. Gen. Patricia Horoho to the rank of lieutenant general and swear her in as the first nurse to serve as Army Surgeon General. Horoho is a 1982 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, which makes her the first Tarheel to fill the post.

Army Public Affairs is playing this as a big deal (not necessarily the Tarheel milestone) way ahead of time, with a media notice that all television satellite trucks need to be on post by 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 6.

Horoho's previous commands include: Commander, Western Regional Medical Command, Fort Lewis, Wash., from 2008 to 2010; Commander, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Wash., from 2008 to 2009; Commander, Walter Reed Health Care System, Washington, D.C., from 2007 to 2008; and Commander, DeWitt Health Care Network, Fort Belvoir, Va., from 2004 to 2006.

Horoho succeeds Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, who has served as Army Surgeon General since December 2007 with class and compassion.