Brooke Army Medical Center

Brooke Army Medical Center
Active	1946 - Present
Country	United States
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Army
Type	Hospital
Role	Inpatient and Outpatient Services Graduate Medical Education Level I Trauma Center
Size	450 beds
Garrison/HQ	Fort Sam Houston
Motto(s)	"Serving to Heal... Honored to Serve."
Commanders
Current commander	Brigadier General Jeffrey J. Johnson
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Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) is the United States Army's premier medical institution. Located on Fort Sam Houston, BAMC is the Army's largest and busiest medical center. The center is composed of ten separate organizations centered on the Army's largest in-patient hospital, the San Antonio Military Medical Center.

SAMMC has a history which dates back to 1879 when the first Post Hospital opened as a small medical dispensary located in a single-story wooden building. During the early years the Post Hospital was in temporary structures, and it was not until 1886 that the first permanent hospital was built. In 1907 an 84-bed Station Hospital was constructed on the west side of the post.

In 1929, Brigadier General Roger Brooke assumed command of the Station Hospital, a position he held until 1933. Brooke is credited with instituting the first routine chest X-ray in military medicine. In July 1936, the cornerstone was laid for the construction of a replacement Station Hospital. By November 1937, the new 418-bed hospital was operational, having cost $3 million. The new hospital was the first in a series of moves which changed Fort Sam Houston from an Infantry to a medical Post.

In 1941, the Station Hospital prepared for an overwhelming flow of casualties from World War II battlefields by converting a 220-person enlisted barracks into additional patient wards.

In 1942, the Station Hospital was renamed Brooke General Hospital in Brooke's honor. In 1944, BAMC converted a Cavalry Battalion barracks into a convalescent unit to accommodate the flow of casualties from the war. This building later became Beach Pavilion. Beach housed a substantial portion of BAMC assets to include patient wards and specialty clinics.

In 1946, Fort Sam Houston was chosen as the new site for the U.S. Army Medical Field Service School. The decision to centralize the Army's medical research and training at one location resulted in the renaming of Brooke General Hospital to Brooke Army Medical Center. In September 1987, the official groundbreaking took place for the construction of a new hospital.