PHS Proud Blog

A brief history of U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps ranks

The USPHS Commissioned Corps is not a military service but service in the Corps is deemed military service.

This USPHS lapel pin is more than just a pin. USPHS Commissioned Corps officers --active, retired, or separated-- can wear this at formal events, and people WILL ask what it represents. This PHS lapel pin comes with the anchor and caduceus in the middle as the main symbol of the Corps. "USPHS Commissioned Corps" lettering is on the top hemisphere and "In Officio Salutis" on the bottom (the PHS service motto).Represent your service and be a proud USPHS veteran at formal events with this USPHS lapel pin!

On July 1st, 1946, what is now known as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially opened in Atlanta, GA. What many may not know is that the CDC was started by medical officers of one of our country's uniformed services: the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHS). It was birthed from WWII and is considered by some to be the largest institutional legacy from the war.The CDC's original name in 1946 was the "Communicable Disease Center;" however, much before that the CDC was spawned from something called the Malaria Control in War Areas (MCWA) program administered...

Memorial Day is meant to honor those who lost their lives while serving in the Armed Forces. We must always remember that the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps has been militarized during many of the great wars, and USPHS officers have lost their lives. USPHS officers first entered war during the Spanish-American war in 1898. They weren't officially militarized at that point, but it called into the question the role of the Service during wartime. The government essentially didn't want to compromise the primary role of protecting the Nation's public health while still utilizing the Service's valuable support...