Spurgeon Neel

Spurgeon H. Neel, Jr.
Major General Spurgeon H. Neel, Jr.
Born	(1919-09-24)September 24, 1919 Memphis, Tennessee
Died	June 6, 2003(2003-06-06) (aged 83) San Antonio, Texas
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1943–1977
Rank	Major General
Commands held	U.S. Army Health Services Command 44th Medical Brigade 30th Medical Group
Battles/wars	World War II Korean War Vietnam War
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit w/4 oak leaf clusters Bronze Star Medal w/one oak leaf cluster Purple Heart

Major General Spurgeon Neel, MD, (September 24, 1919 - June 6, 2003) was a United States Army physician who pioneered the development of aeromedical evacuation of battlefield casualties.

Spurgeon Hart Neel, Jr, was born on September 24, 1919 in Memphis, Tennessee. His parents were Spurgeon Hart Neel and Leola Pearl Neel.

Spurgeon Neel graduated from the Memphis State University in 1939, majoring in pre-med. He earned his Doctorate of Medicine in 1942 from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Neel was a member of Phi Chi Medical Fraternity's Alpha Beta Chapter.

Neel completed an internship at the Methodist Hospital in Memphis in 1943. He then entered military service, completing his residency in radiology at Santa Ana Army Air Base in California in 1944.

Neel married his wife, Alice T. Neel, in 1940. They had a son, Spurgeon H. Neel, III, and daughter, Dr. Leah Neel Zartarian.

Neel commanded a medical company in Europe during World War II.

From 1949 to 1951, Neel served as surgeon with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

In 1949, Neel chaired a board that tested, evaluated, and recommended the use of the helicopter in medical evacuation roles. The concept of utilizing rotary wing aircraft for the evacuation of seriously wounded casualties was not a new one. In 1936, at the Medical Field Service School at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, an autogyro was field-tested as an evacuation vehicle. The idea was discarded at that time for engineering and budgetary reasons more than any defect in the basic concept. During World War II the Air Force and Navy began to use helicopters for the rescue of pilots and other personnel lost at sea or in inaccessible terrain.