31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs -- Veterinarians from 18 countries gathered in Garmisch, Germany, for the International Military Veterinary Medical Symposium and U.S. Army Veterinary Corps 100th anniversary celebration, June 4-8, 2016.
The annual symposium focused on current accomplishments and challenges in the veterinary world. The symposium gave attendees the opportunity to celebrate the Army Veterinary Corps’ 100th anniversary.
Army Capt. Teresa Vaughn, Public Health Command Southern Europe, Aviano branch veterinarian, organized the celebration to honor the need for veterinary expertise in the military which was first recognized in 1776. Originally, veterinarians were brought in to take care of the Army’s cavalry horses.
“We were brought into the military to support the cavalry, but now we have expanded a long way out from that,” said Vaughn.
That progression began in the 1890s when veterinarians began to inspect meat, poultry and dairy products that were delivered to the troops. Their educational background in microbiology, pathology and public health qualified them for the job.
“Food safety was one of our first roles,” explained Vaughn. “That developed and now we do audits of any food that is brought on base to make sure it’s handled safely and there isn’t anything bad in it.”
As the need for military veterinarians grew, Congress formally establish the Army Veterinary Corps in June 1916. Initially the Army was not the only branch to have a veterinary component, however they became the executive agent for all Department of Defense veterinary missions, March 31, 1980.
“We are the Department of Defense service component for anything involving veterinary medicine,” said Vaughn. “That is why I’m at Aviano as an Army officer serving in an Air Force environment.”
The Aviano veterinary clinic is open four days a week and provides more than 2,000 personally owned animals with preventative medicine, spay or neuter surgeries and dental care. They also provide these services to the military working dogs assigned to the base.
“We support all the MWDs’ preventative and emergency needs,” said Vaughn. “These dogs get biannual physicals and yearly dental check-ups. We also keep their vaccinations up-to-date and inspect their living facilities every month. Overall we keep a pretty close eye on them.”
Whether working to maintain safe food standards for humans, caring for personal pets or keeping the MWDs fit to fight, the advancements made by the Army Veterinary Corps in the last 100 years have largely impacted all branches of the military.