Col. William Lordan Keller spent more than five decades in the U.S. Army, innovating in the operating room and putting patients first — earning the moniker the “Grand Old Man of Army Medicine.”
In the early 1900s, he began his military service as a contract surgeon in the Philippines. After earning his commission, he took on major cases at Manila’s First Reserve Hospital, drawing praise for results “that could not be excelled, saving many lives that would otherwise be lost,” a remark recorded by his commanding officer, Maj. John Banister, in his biography.
By the end of World War I, he had become a respected surgeon and teacher. In France, he managed a U.S. Army hospital and trained American medical officers. According to...
The latest news from around the Military Health System for the week of Feb. 16-20, 2026, includes Irwin Army Community Hospital’s partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand care, TRICARE’s preventive breast cancer screenings, and an immersive research bootcamp at Uniformed Services University.
By Douglas H Stutz, NHB/NMRTC Bremerton public affairs officer -- It’s not easy to catch up with a Navy Nurse Corps officer helping run half a dozen clinics, oversee over a hundred staff and coordinate healthcare for nearly 14,000 eligible beneficiaries.
