Colonel John M. McGrath

Colonel John M. McGrath is a native Pennsylvanian. He graduated from Bucknell University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and as a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1986.  He was commissioned as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps and immediately entered the Uniformed Service University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, and graduated with a Medical Degree in 1990. He completed an Internal Medicine internship at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and was subsequently assigned as the Battalion Surgeon for the 2^nd Battalion, 7^th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from 1991-1995. In 1995, he returned to Fort Sam Houston (FSH) and completed a residency in Emergency Medicine. Following residency, while maintaining his staff appointments at BAMC and Wilford Hall Medical Center, he served as the Chief, Training Department at the Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute at FSH and Camp Bullis and was responsible for the Combat Casualty Care Course (C4) which trained Tri-Service medical personnel in pre-hospital field medicine. He graduated from the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 2001 and transferred to Miesau, Germany, to become the Deputy Commander of Clinical Services and Operations officer for the 212^th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. In 2003, just prior to the 212^th MASH’s deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), he was reassigned to the 1^st Armored Division, Wiesbaden, Germany, as the Division Surgeon. He deployed with America’s Tank Division to Kuwait and later Baghdad, Iraq, for a 15 month tour. There he was responsible for coordinating the health care for the 30,000 Soldiers of Task Force Baghdad, synchronizing the Task Force’s medical initiatives with the Coalition Provision Authority and developing and training the medical support to the Iraqi Army.  Upon redeployment, he assumed command of the Wiesbaden Army Health clinic in September 2004 which provided health care to over 10,000 Soldiers and Families in the Wiesbaden and Mainz Military Communities.    After relinquishing command of the Wiesbaden Army Health Clinic in June 2006, he assumed command of the 115^th Combat Support Hospital at Fort Polk, Louisiana, in July 2006. He deployed the 115th to OIF in May 2008, where the unit supported over 40,000 Coalition Soldiers and 21,000 detainees at Camps Ashraf, Taji, Cropper, Bucca and Victory Base with primary care through resuscitative and rehabilitation surgery. The 115^th flawlessly executed the strategically vital mission of medical support to Detention Operations establishing a number of firsts in Detainee Medicine including the first Access to Care program, 100% electronic health records utilization, health population standards for diabetes and hypertension and a Theater Detainee Immunization program. The unit returned to Fort Polk, Louisiana, in August 2009 and received the Meritorious Unit Citation for its service. 

            Prior to attending the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Colonel McGrath served from October 2009 to June 2010 as the deputy, Assistant Chief of Staff, Clinical Operations at the Southern Regional Medical Command. After graduation from the AWC in 2011, he was assigned as the Assistant Chief of Staff, Clinical Operation at the Western Regional Medical Command.

            His awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star (1OLC), Defense Meritorious Medical, Meritorious Service Medal (3 OLC), Expert Field Medical Badge, Special Forces Qualification Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge and Flight Surgeon Wings.