Air Force commander inducted in Army's elite medical Order Published June 10, 2010 By Linda Frost 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Maj. Gen. Thomas W. Travis, 59th Medical Wing commander, received the Army's prestigious Order of Military Medical Merit Award June 4 during a ceremony at the University of Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas. General Travis, who leads the Air Force's largest medical wing, was inducted as an honorary member in the Order for his exemplary accomplishments in merging Air Force and Army medical resources in San Antonio. In compliance with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure law, all inpatient and level one trauma care moved to Brooke Army Medical Center, while Wilford Hall Medical Center emerges as the largest ambulatory surgical center in the Department of Defense. General Travis was noted for his organizational leadership role in working with his Army counterparts, establishing a partnership and environment in which both the Army and Air Force thrived. The integration plan was considered by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs to be the model for joining the two medical services while upholding the roles of each service, culture and ownership. One of the few Air Force pilot-physicians with more than 1,800 flying hours, General Travis said he was "very surprised and extremely moved." "I've always appreciated how much OMMM recipients have accomplished for Army medicine in their careers," General Travis said. "So to receive this as an Airman, at a time when we are establishing a joint medical team here in San Antonio that is unsurpassed anywhere in the world, is particularly meaningful." The OMMM is a unique, private organization founded by the commanding general of U.S. Army Health Services Command in 1982 to recognize excellence and promote fellowship and esprit de corps among Army Medical Department personnel. Members of other military services who have made distinguished contributions to the Army Medical Department can be recognized as honorary members. According to the OMMM website, individuals inducted into the elite group have clearly demonstrated the highest standards of integrity and moral character, displayed an outstanding degree of professional competence, served in the Army Medical Department with selflessness, and made sustained contributions to the betterment of Army medicine. These members are generally considered to be in the top 10 percent of their corps and field. Retired Army Maj. Gen. Patrick D. Sculley, president of the Order, and Brig. Gen. Joseph Caravalho, Jr., Brooke Army Medical Center commander, welcomed General Travis into the ranks of the organization in front of nearly 260 physicians and allied health care providers during the annual San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium graduation ceremony. General Travis was also recognized for his successful integration of all military graduate medical education in San Antonio with two major training sites at Wilford Hall and Brooke Army Medical Centers and a close partnership with UTHSCSA. "His selection to the Order was the best way to recognize his unwavering commitment to excellence of SAUSHEC's Graduate Medical Education programs," said Dr. Kenneth Torrington, dean of SAUSHEC, who nominated the general. Dr. Torrington said the general's legacy will be the "highly successful integration of internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, general surgery and transitional year programs, which together train approximately 190 Army and Air Force residents." "His support benefited every single Air Force and Army physician training in San Antonio," said Dr. Torrington. General Travis is also the Department of Defense senior multiservice market manager for TRICARE San Antonio. He oversees seven medical treatment facilities in the San Antonio metropolitan area and directs a $1.2 billion budget providing healthcare for more than 218,000 beneficiaries.