From the beginning , the focus of Army
dentistry has been on prevention ,
education , quality care and research .
And from our beginning , the Dental
Corps has advanced hand in hand with a
broader profession throughout its
history . The Corps has been abetted by
organized dentists . Sometimes a
broader profession is led and sometimes
it has been the Army Dental Corps . But
there is no doubt that dentistry came
of age when dental officers were
commissioned . This event made
dentistry a full fledged partner in the
delivery of vital health care services .
No individual is more responsible for
the Corps early success than the father
of army dentistry . Doctor John S
Marshall . His life epitomized service
and set the standard for all who
followed him on February 18th ,
1901 , Doctor Marshall began his duties
as a contract dental surgeon for the
army . He left much behind to begin his
new duties . He was a highly esteemed
leader of the dental and medical
professions . His textbooks were
standard at dental schools across the
nation and he had been founding dean of
the Department of Dental at
Northwestern University . He was
willing to risk prestige and station to
assume the humble and precarious
position of contractor to serve
soldiers and advanced his beloved
profession . And he was just shy of his
55th birthday . Nobody has risked so
much to be part of army dentistry .
Fortunately , his life experiences up
to the point of his becoming a contract
dental surgeon made him the perfect
founding father of army dentistry .
While Marshall was distinguishing
himself in his profession , the
American Dental Association was
pressing to create a cadre of dental
surgeons for the Army and Navy . In
fact , its efforts extend back to its
first convention in Washington DC in
1860 when it petitioned
Congress to create a dental
establishment for the services .
Unfortunately , it was 41 years before
limited success was achieved , the
acquisition of far flung territories in
the aftermath of the Spanish American
War finally made military dental
surgeons a necessity that could no
longer be argued . So on February the
2nd 1901 , congress provided
for the establishment of a cadre of
contract dental surgeons . Doctor
Marshall was appointed president of the
supervising and examining board of army
dentist beginning his duties on
February the 18th 1901 . He led
the selection of 30 core
contract dental surgeon and established
the standards for the nation contract
core . From the beginning , his mission
focus was on excellent care , disease
prevention , education and training and
research . His efforts came to full
fruition on March the 3rd 1911
when the commissioning of dental
officers was authorized by law . Doctor
Marshall was the first to be
commissioned but immediately placed on
the retired rolls as he had reached the
mandatory retirement age of 65 .
Hence , he never held the title of
court chief , but he is still honored
as the founding chief of the Army
Dental Corps . In the ensuing years , a
number of officers have held the title
of dental court chief . They have held
different ranks and titles and face
different challenges . But each has
advanced the mission first elucidated
by Doctor Marshall . Each chief was
selected for this position by virtue of
professional excellence , demonstrated
leadership and the completion of
appropriate military education . The
chief is responsible for the
professional standards of the corps .
The officers listed on this stone have
ensured the highest level of
professional excellence and the
provision of dental services for the
army .