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This September, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center celebrates its 15th anniversary. Hailed as the nation’s premier military medical facility, the center is renowned for delivering presidential-level care to the nation’s service members, retirees and their beneficiaries.
In 2005, the congressionally mandated Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission issued Recommendation 169, directing the closure of the historic Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington, D.C., and its integration with the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) in Bethesda, Maryland, widely known as the President’s Hospital. While the primary focus of BRAC efforts was eliminating administrative redundancies and merging military branch operations, the intensifying conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan transformed what began as a major initiative focused on efficiency into a national mission to modernize combat casualty care.
One of the central intentions of the integration was the unification of the best military medical personnel from all the military branches. Each branch has a clinical presence at WRNMMC, and patients coming to the hospital can be assured of receiving world-class care, no matter what uniform they wear.
Retired U.S. Army Col. (Dr.) Paul Pasquina, chief of WRNMMC’s Department of Rehabilitation, came to Bethesda from “Walter Reed Classic,” as he refers to the former army hospital. He said that while there was some uncertainty about the integration from staff at both locations, the logic in combining the two facilities was clear from the start.
“Walter Reed has international name recognition that people don’t attribute strictly to the Army, Navy or Air Force — they attribute it to the United States of America,” Pasquina said. “And then you had Bethesda Naval Medical Center, which was well known as the President’s Hospital. So, you have the legacy of that reputation, along with its location and its architecture. It just seemed like a win-win.”
The formation of WRNMMC was made that much more complex with the increasing waves of casualties coming from Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. When compared to the challenges and sacrifices faced by service members and their families, Pasquina said the transition from one facility to the other paled in comparison.
“We were charged with doing something that had never been done before,” Pasquina said. “It comes with an enormous sense of pride that we were able to pull this off, especially when were simultaneously entrusted to provide cutting-edge care to our nation’s heroes – many returning with incredibly complex injuries. It was a responsibility that none of us took lightly.”
To meet the specialized needs created by the influx of those casualties, the medical center required a dramatic physical expansion. The merging of the two facilities on the Bethesda campus offered several advantages. The former Walter Reed hospital covered approximately 1.3 million square feet. The transition to Bethesda increased that figure to an estimated 2.4 million square feet, effectively doubling the medical center’s physical capacity. Additionally, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences already shared grounds with NNMC, where many Walter Reed clinicians served as faculty and attended as students.
Carolyn Stoneburner is the administrator to the director for dentistry at WRNMMC, and she transitioned to Bethesda during the BRAC process.
“As we celebrate the 15th anniversary of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, I’m reminded of where this journey began for so many of us — at the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center,” Stoneburner said.“I was fortunate to be part of the Walter Reed family during the BRAC transition, which was a time of tremendous change, uncertainty and new beginnings.While the buildings and the name may have changed, the heart of Walter Reed never did. The dedication, compassion, professionalism, and commitment to those who serve have continued from the old Walter Reed to the WRNMMC we know today.”
For Stoneburner, the consolidation only reinforced the dedication staff brought to their patients across both campuses.
“Fifteen years later, I look back with pride and gratitude for the people I served alongside, the patients we cared for, and the legacy we carried forward. The place changed, the mission continued, and the legacy lives on. Happy 15th anniversary to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center — and to everyone who has been part of the Walter Reed story,” Stoneburner said.
In addition to the establishment of WRNMMC, there are two other significant dates in September that highlight important milestones along the history of WRNMMC.
“Not only is September 2026 the 15th anniversary of WRNMMC, it’s also the 175th anniversary of the birth of U.S. Army Major (Dr.) Walter Reed, the medical center's namesake,” said retired U.S. Army Col. (Dr.) John Pierce, president of the Walter Reed Society. “It’s also the 125th anniversary of his world-changing research in Cuba demonstrating yellow fever was transmitted by the bite of a common domestic mosquito.”
That more than century-old commitment to clinical discovery and innovation remains at the heart of WRNMMC and its mission today. For Pasquina, that shared heritage goes beyond branch rivalries to serve a higher national calling.
“It's Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Nowhere in that title does it say Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marines, or Coast Guard,” Pasquina said. “It is the nation's medical center, and as many senior leaders have said, it is recognized for excellence across the globe. And in order to maintain that excellence, we need the best and brightest that the military has to offer, no matter what color uniform they wear.”
To learn more about the history of WRNMMC and the two prior facilities, visit walterreed.tricare.mil/About-Us/Facilities/Our-Rich-History.
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2026 16:07 |
| Story ID: | 574927 |
| Location: | BETHESDA, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Walter Reed marks 15 years while honoring a legacy of military medicine, by Christopher Smith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
