PHS Proud Blog

The Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) first entered war during the Spanish-American war in 1898. They weren't officially militarized by the President at that point, but rather the USPHS Marine Hospitals were used to provide care for injured service members, and USPHS doctors helped prevent the spread of yellow fever amongst service members. A USPHS medical officer was also on duty aboard the Revenue Cutter McCullough with the fleet of Commodore Dewy at the battle of Manila Bay (Parascondola, 2001). These are just a few examples of the Commissioned Corps's role during the war. This conflict...

Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) are one the 11 professional categories of U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps officers and are estimated to make up about 6.4% of active duty officers. Despite their relatively small numbers, EHOs play a critical role in: Environmental compliance and sustainability Industrial hygiene and occupational safety Emergency response and hazardous waste operations Food safety, infection control, and health physics Counterterrorism and biomedical research support They serve in agencies like the CDC, EPA, FDA, and IHS, often leading field investigations and deploying during public health emergencies In the earliest decades of the USPHS, long before the...

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!