On Friday, May 20, 2022, Heart Butte native, Captain Brandon Crawford took command of the U.S. Army's 18th Medical Command in a ceremony at Ft. Shafter, Hawaii. In his remarks to the audience, Crawford thanked his wife, Rachel, for her "unwavering support as I've navigated my career to this point." To his parents, Dusty and Ginny Crawford, he said, "I'm so grateful you were able to make it out here to celebrate this significant milestone with me. You've always pushed me to strive for greatness, and for that, I thank you."

Cpt. Brandon Crawford (Photo courtesy of Rachel Crawford)
Cpt. Brandon Crawford
(Photo courtesy of Rachel Crawford)
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The command is the latest step in an impressive 16-year career that began in 2005, when he enlisted as an infantryman, and earned a spot in the army's 75th Ranger Regiment. Following nine years and eight deployments, during which he earned the Bronze Star, he graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in Sociology, and commissioning through the university's ROTC program as a Medical Services Officer. In 2018, he was reassigned to the 75th Rangers Regiment, and served two more deployments as its Medical Service Officer. In July of 2021, he was assigned to the 18th Medical Command at Ft. Shafter, where he had been serving as a Battle Captain for the unit's G3 division, until being chosen to command the 18th MedCom.

"I look forward to the amazing journey we have ahead of us," he said in his remarks at the change-of-command ceremony, addressing those service members he now commands.

You can watch the video of the ceremony  HERE .

The mission of the 18th Medical Command (Deployment Support) is to provide mission command, administrative assistance, and technical supervision to the army's medical units during combat, humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations throughout the Indo-Asian Pacific region.

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