Gale Pollock

Infobox Military Person
name= Gale S. Pollock
born=
died=


caption= Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock
nickname=
placeofbirth= Kearny, New Jersey [http://armynursecorps.amedd.army.mil/leadership/pollock.html]
placeofdeath=
placeofburial=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Army
serviceyears=
rank= Major General
unit=
commands= Commander US Army Medical Command / Acting The Surgeon General; Chief, Army Nurse CorpsPast Commands: Commanding General, Tripler Army Medical Center, Pacific Regional Medical Command; Commander, Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning, Ga.; Commander, U.S. Army Medical Activity, Fort Drum, N.Y.
battles=
awards= Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with 2 oak leaf clusters), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (with 4 oak leaf clusters), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal
relations=
laterwork=

Major General Gale S. Pollock served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the United States Army from October 2006 to March 2007, and also as chief of the Army Nurse Corps. She became acting Surgeon General of the United States Army for nine months following the 20 March 2007 retirement of her predecessor, Kevin C. Kiley, due to fallout from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal. [ [http://www.army.mil/-newsreleases/2007/03/12/2216-army-surgeon-general-submits-retirement-request/ Army Surgeon General Submits Retirement Request ] ]

She is the first woman and the first non-physician to hold the position. She has 30 years of service in the Army and is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/12/AR2007031200544_2.html Surgeon General Of Army Steps Down - washingtonpost.com ] ]

Biography

Education

Pollock received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She attended the U.S. Army Nurse Anesthesia Program and is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). She received her Master of Business Administration from Boston University, a Master's in Healthcare Administration from Baylor University, a Master's in National Security and Strategy from the National Defense University, and an honorary Doctorate of Public Service from the University of Maryland. She is also a Fellow in The American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).

Pollock's military education includes the Department of Defense CAPSTONE Program; the Senior Service College at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces; the Air War College; the Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives; the Military Health System CAPSTONE program; the Principles of Advanced Nurse Administrators; and the NATO Staff Officer Course.

Military career

Pollock's last position was Commanding General of Tripler Army Medical Center of the Pacific Regional Medical Command. She was also Lead Agent of TRICARE Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Her past military assignments include Special Assistant to the Surgeon General for Information Management and Health Policy; Commander, Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning, Ga.; Commander, U.S. Army Medical Activity, Fort Drum, N.Y.; Staff Officer, Strategic Initiatives Command Group for the Army Surgeon General; Department of Defense Healthcare Advisor to the Congressional Commission on Service Members and Veterans Transition Assistance; Health Fitness Advisor at the National Defense University; Senior Policy Analyst in Health Affairs, DoD; and Chief, Anesthesia Nursing Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.

Awards

Pollock's awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with 2 oak leaf clusters), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (with 4 oak leaf clusters), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal. She also earned the Expert Field Medical Badge, and the Parachutist Badge. She received the Army Staff Identification Badge for her work at the Pentagon and earned the German Armed Forces Military Efficiency Badge (Leistungsabzeichen) in gold.

Criticism

According to ABC News and "The Nation" journalist Joshua Kors, Pollock covered up a scandal involving personality disorder discharges from the military. [http://www.pbs.org/now/news/veterans-benefits.html Joshua Kors on how the U.S. Army "cheats" some veterans out of their benefits . | NOW on the News - PBS ] ] . Pollock released a memo claiming that her office had conducted a careful review of a series of personality disorder discharges from Fort Carson, Colorado. According to Kors the review was "a sham". According to Kors, Pollock's office did not contact a single soldier, and merely checked with officials who made the official diagnoses at Ft. Carson and asked if they got it right the first time. When the officials naturally said yes, Pollock's office closed the review. [ [http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a2663.htm TBRNews.org ] ] Pollock's actions have been criticized by the Iraq War Veterans Organization [http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0704/S00027.htm Scoop: Pentagon Cheats Iraqi Veterans Out Of Medical Care ] ] [ [http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/view/5069/1/46 Political Affairs Magazine - Pentagon Cheats Iraq War Vets Out of Medical Care and Benefits ] ] and Veterans for America.

Citations

ee also

References

*Article adapted from [http://www.armymedicine.army.mil/leaders/pollock.html official public domain military biography] released by the United States Army.

External links

* [http://www.armymedicine.army.mil/leaders/pollock.html Official Army Medicine Command (USAMEDCOM) / The Surgeon General site]
* [http://www.military-medical-technology.com/article.cfm?DocID=1727 Interview with Major General Gale S. Pollock when she was U.S. Army Deputy Surgeon General]
*PDF of [http://armedservices.house.gov/pdfs/MilPersHC032707/Pollock_Testimony%203_27_07.pdf Gale Pollock's statement before the House Armed Services Committee, 27 March 2007]
* [http://www.sanders.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=272773 The Nation report from Joshua Kors criticizing Pollock's review of PDD's at Ft. Carson] hosted by senate.gov

succession box
title=Surgeon General of the United States Army (Acting)
before=Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley
years=March 12, 2007–December 11, 2007
after=Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker

She attended a wonderful technology Workshop May 14-15, 2008. She and her classmates filled out ALL OF THEIR FEEDBACK FORMS ;-)