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{{short description|Surgeon General of the US Army}}

factoids

|birth_place = Washington, D.C., United States|death_date = |death_place = |placeofburial = |allegiance = United States|branch = United States Army|serviceyears = 1982–2019Lieutenant general (United States)>Lieutenant General|servicenumber = |unit = Surgeon General of the United States ArmyUnited States Army Medical CommandEurope Regional Medical CommandMAJ. GEN. NADJA Y. WEST JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF ARTICLE VIEWWEBSITE=WWW.JCS.MILACCESS-DATE=12 DECEMBER 2015ARCHIVE-DATE=15 DECEMBER 2015, dead, Womack Army Medical CenterMcDonald Army Community Hospital|battles = Gulf WarArmy Distinguished Service Medal (2)}}Defense Superior Service MedalLegion of Merit (4)|relations = United States Military Academy (Bachelor of Science>BS)George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences (Doctor of Medicine>MD)|laterwork = }}Nadja Yudith West (née Grammer; March 20, 1961)WEB,weblink Register of Graduates and Former Cadets of the United States Military Academy, 1991, is a retired United States Army lieutenant general and the 44th Surgeon General of the United States Army and former Commanding General of the United States Army Medical Command. West, a physician, was the first black Army Surgeon General, and was the first black female active-duty major general and the first black female major general in Army Medicine.WEB, Maj. Gen. Nadja West was the first African American female Major General of the Army's active component and Army Medicine's first African-American female two-star general.,weblink www.army.mil, U.S. Army, 15 December 2015, WEB, JNSMA, Army Medicine's First African American Female Two-Star General | JSNMA,weblink www.JNSMA.org, JNSMA, 15 December 2015, West is also the first Army black female lieutenant general.WEB, Estrada, Sheryl, First Black Woman Promoted to Three-Star Army General,weblink DiversityInc.com, 10 February 2016, DiversityInc, 19 April 2016, 22 April 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160422030932weblink">weblink dead, She is the highest ranking woman to have graduated from the United States Military Academy.

Early life and education

West was an orphan but was adopted at two years old into a family in the District of Columbia with eleven other adopted children total.NEWS,weblink How a 3-star general overcame self-doubt, Bash, Dana, CNN, 2017-06-18, Her adoptive parents were Mabel (née Treadwell) and Oscar Grammer. Her father was a career soldier and her mother was a journalist and founder of the "Brown Baby Plan", arranging adoptions of mixed German and African American children following the US military presence in Germany during and after the Second World War.NEWS, 2019-02-06, Overlooked No More: Mabel Grammer, Whose Brown Baby Plan Found Homes for Hundreds, en-US, The New York Times,weblink 2023-07-23, 0362-4331, NEWS, Bryant, Adam, 2017-06-30, Lt. Gen. Nadja Y. West on the Power of Empathy, en-US, The New York Times,weblink 2023-07-23, 0362-4331, She graduated high school at the Academy of the Holy Names in Silver Spring, Maryland.WEB, West sworn in as Army surgeon general,weblink Army.mil, ARNEWS/MEDCOM, 22 June 2017, In 1982, West obtained a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point,WEB, Hubing, Kristin, Major Medical | Medicine + Health,weblink Medicine + Health, 15 December 2015, 11 December 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20151211212308weblink">weblink dead, and a Doctorate of Medicine from George Washington University School of Medicine in 1988.WEB, Dr. Nadja West, MD – Bethesda, MD – Family Medicine & Dermatology | Healthgrades,weblink Health Grades, 15 December 2015,

Career

West's historic promotion to be the second black female major general took place on April 19, 2013. Of her promotion, West said, "I never really thought about that part. My parents taught me to work hard and be the best I can be and things will work out. I’m just really honored. If anything at all, I hope I can be an inspiration to any one or any group that has not seen themselves in certain positions. We all want to see people who look like us doing certain things to give us inspiration. Hopefully, I can inspire someone to be able to say, 'I can do that.'"She has claimed an early, positive influence was seeing a black, female character (Uhura) on the bridge of Star Trek's USS Enterprise (NCC-1701).The Army's first black, female 3-star was inspired to serve by her father — and Star Trek, Meghann Myers, ArmyTimes.com, 2017-02-27On December 11, 2015, the Senate confirmed the nomination of West to be promoted to lieutenant generalWEB, Tolleson, Maria, Maj. Gen. Nadja West confirmed as 44th Army Surgeon General | The United States Army,weblink www.army.mil, 14 December 2015, and she became the 44th Army Surgeon General. This made West the Army's first black Surgeon General, as well as the Army's first black woman to hold the rank of lieutenant general and the Army's highest ranking woman who graduated from the United States Military Academy.WEB,weblink Lt. Gen. Nadja West Confirmed by Senate as First Black Army Surgeon General, GOOD BLACK NEWS, 19 December 2015, WEB,weblink Lt. Gen. Nadja West Confirmed by Senate as First Black Army Surgeon General, EURweb, 26 December 2015, Lt. Gen. West was promoted on February 9, 2016, and formally assumed command of MEDCOM on February 10, 2016.WEB, U.S. Army Medical Command, DVIDS – Video – U.S. Army Medical Command Assumption of Command,weblink DVIDS, Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System, 19 April 2016, West completed her Family Medicine internship and residency at Martin Army Hospital. She deployed during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield while assigned there. West finished her residency in dermatology at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center and University of Colorado Medical Center. She was Chief, Dermatology Service at Heidelberg Army Hospital in Germany. West obtained a Master of Science in National Security Strategy. Of her military medical career, West says, "If you want to feel inspired about what military medicine does, see how appreciative these men and women are for the care they’ve received. It’s right here. It’s the reason the military health system exists: to take care of brave men and women like them."West's previous command positions include Commanding General, Europe Regional Medical Command; Commander, Womack Army Medical Center; and Division Surgeon, 1st Armored Division, Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany. West was Joint Staff Surgeon, Joint Staff, Washington.West is a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Academy of Family Physicians.Johnson & Johnson announced on December 3, 2020,WEB, Inline XBRL Viewer,weblink 2020-12-07, www.sec.gov, that West has been appointed to its board of directors effective immediately. West will serve as a member of the Board's Science, Technology & Sustainability Committee, effective as of January 1, 2021. As a non-employee director of the company, West will receive compensation as described in the “Director Compensation” section of the company's 2020 Proxy Statement. In April 2022, West was appointed to the Board of Visitors of the United States Military Academy.President Biden Announces Appointments to Air Force and Military Academy Boards | April 22, 2022

Personal life

West is a Roman Catholic.WEB, Army Surgeon General Nadja West at St. Dominic's Church,weblink 16 October 2019, dominicanfriars.org, 15 February 2018,

Awards and recognitions

Left breast{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"(File:Combat Medical Badge, 1st award.svg|200px)(File:ArmyFltSurg.gif|240px){{ribbon devicestype=oakwidth=106}} {{ribbon devicestype=oakwidth=106}}number=3ribbon=Legion of Merit ribbon.svg|width=106}}number=0ribbon=Defense_Meritorious Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}number=2ribbon=Meritorious Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}number=0ribbon=Army Commendation Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}number=2ribbon=Army Achievement Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}number=1ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}number=3ribbon=Southwest Asia Service Medal ribbon (1991-2016).svg|width=106}}number=1ribbon=KosovoRib.svg|width=106}}ribbon=Global War on Terrorism Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}number=0ribbon=Korea Defense Service ribbon.svg|width=106}}ribbon=Army Service Ribbon.svg|width=106}}number=0ribbon=Army Overseas Service Ribbon.svgalt=}}(File:Award numeral 4.png|20px)number=0ribbon=NATO Medal Yugoslavia ribbon bar.svg|width=106}}border|106px)border|106px)(File:US Army Airborne basic parachutist badge.gif120px)(File:Joint Chiefs of Staff seal.svg160px) {| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"Combat Medical BadgeBasic Flight Surgeon BadgeDistinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army) with one bronze oak leaf clusterGENERAL OFFICER MANAGEMENT OFFICEWEBSITE=WWW.GOMO.ARMY.MILACCESS-DATE=16 DECEMBER 2015, {{dead linkbot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}Defense Superior Service Medal|Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters|Defense Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal (United States)>Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters|Army Commendation Medal|Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters|National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star|Southwest Asia Service Medal with three service stars|Kosovo Campaign Medal with one service star|Global War on Terrorism Service Medal|Korea Defense Service Medal|Army Service Ribbon|Army Overseas Service Ribbon with award numeral 4NATO Medal for the former YugoslaviaHTTP://WWW.JCS.MIL/LEADERSHIP/ARTICLEVIEW/TABID/3893/ARTICLE/572002/MAJ-GEN-NADJA-Y-WEST.ASPX JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF > ARTICLE VIEW >ACCESS-DATE=2015-12-12 ARCHIVE-DATE=2015-12-15, dead, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)>Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)>Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)Parachutist BadgeAir Assault BadgeOffice of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification BadgeArmy Staff Identification BadgeRight breast{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"(File:U.S. Army Medical Department Regimental Insignia.jpg|60px)(File:German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency.jpg|140px){{ribbon devicestype=oakwidth=106}} {{ribbon devicestype=service-starwidth=106}}(File:24th Infantry Division CSIB.jpg|106px){| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"Army Medical Department regimental coat of arms {{small>Distinctive unit insignia}}German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency in GoldJoint Meritorious Unit AwardNavy Unit Commendation24th Infantry Division (United States) Combat Service Identification Badge>CSIB

• In 2017, the American Legion of Honor Society awarded West with the "Four Chaplains Gold Medallion" award.

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

• Lt. Gen. Nadja Y. West – US Army official biography