The mission of the U.S. Army Medical Department Museum is to collect,
preserve, exhibit, and interpret historically significant property related
to the history of the Army Medical Department from 1775 to the present. As
an educational institution, the museum will support training and education
for military and civilian personnel.
The Museum campus occupies 7 acres of grounds, including the main museum
building, a covered, restored hospital train car, and two pergolas, one
containing modern wheeled ambulances and one containing helicopters. A
Medal of Honor Walk recognizes the 50 Medal of Honor recipients from the
U.S. Army Medical Department, winding through the museum grounds and
leading to a 250-seat outdoor amphitheater.
The galleries and outdoor exhibit areas tell the 200-plus year history of
the U S Army Medical Department, in war and peace, emphasizing subjects
such as battlefield medicine, the chain of patient evacuation, the
evolution of the 8 different corps that compose the Army Medical
Department and the evolution of equipment, medical care and treatment from
1775 to the present day.
The buildings are in the "Spanish Revival" architectural style, with
mission tile roofs and fountain courts, in keeping with the historic
buildings at Fort Sam Houston. Large stone medallions representing the
seals of the six commissioned corps, enlisted corps, and civilian corps
decorate the facade.