Harry George Armstrong
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Harry George Armstrong | |
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Major general | |
| Commands held | Surgeon General of the Air Force |
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Harry George Armstrong (February 17, 1899[1] – February 5, 1983) was a major general in the United States Air Force, a physician, and an airman. He is widely recognized as a pioneer in the field of aviation medicine. The "Armstrong limit", the altitude above which water boils at the temperature of the human body, is named after him.
Armstrong served in the Marines during World War I and the army and air force from 1930 to 1957. As director of the United States Aeromedical Research Laboratory, he applied his medical and aviation knowledge to the improvement of aircrew protection from temperature extremes and the lack of oxygen at high altitude.
Early life, education, and military career
Armstrong was born in
Military career
In 1931, he was attached to the Air Corps and assigned as assistant surgeon. He was promoted to captain in 1932, to major in 1938, lieutenant colonel (temporary) in February 1942, and to colonel (temporary) in August 1942. Serving alternately in England and the United States, in 1945 he became surgeon for the Air Division in the office of Military Government for Germany (U.S.), with headquarters in Berlin. In 1946, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel (permanent), returned to the School of Aviation Medicine at Randolph Field upon appointment as assistant commandant, and that July was named commandant. In 1948, he was promoted brigadier general (temporary), then to major general (temporary).
Surgeon General of the Air Force
In June 1949, he was assigned to air force headquarters at
Later life
Armstrong retired from the air force in 1957. He died in 1983 from heart disease.
In 1977, the Air Force Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory created the Harry G. Armstrong Award for Scientific Excellence.
Awards and decorations
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| USAAF Flight Surgeon wings | ||||||||||||||||
| 1st row | Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
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Oak Leaf Cluster
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World War I Victory Medal | American Defense Service Medal with Foreign Service Clasp | ||||||||||||
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| 2nd row | American Campaign Medal | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
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World War II Victory Medal
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Army of Occupation Medal | ||||||||||||
| 3rd row | National Defense Service Medal | French Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 with Palm
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Order of the British Empire | Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940–1945 with Palm | ||||||||||||
Other awards
- Wellcome Award (1937)
- Collier Award (1939)
- John Jeffries Award (1941)
- Honorary Fellow of American College of Healthcare Executives (HFACHE) (1953)
- Edward Warner Award (1981)
- National Aviation Hall of Fame (1998)[2]
Published works
Armstrong published 105 scientific papers in the field of aviation medicine and aerospace medicine.
- Principles and Practice of Aviation Medicine, Williams & Wilkins (1939)
- Aerospace medicine, Williams & Wilkins Co (1961) ISBN 0-683-07109-2
Notes
- ^ Fogerty, Robert (1953). "Biographical Data on Air Force General Officers, 1917-1952" (PDF). Air Force Historical Research Agency. pp. 72–74. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ "Enshrinee Harry George Armstrong". National Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
References
- Air Force official biography
- Harry George Armstrong on the South Dakota World War II Memorial website
- Armstrong, Harry: Scientist on the National Aviation Hall of Fame website
- Principles and Practice of Aviation Medicine on PubMed
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