Donald Arthur

Donald Caldwell Arthur, Jr. is a former United States Navy medical corps vice admiral (VADM). He entered the Navy in 1974, qualified as both a naval flight surgeon[1] and a Submarine Medical Officer, and eventually served as the 35th Surgeon General of the United States Navy from 2004 to 2007.[2]

Donald C. Arthur
Surgeon General of the Navy
In office
2004–2007

Early life and education

Arthur received a B.A. degree from Northeastern University and continued to pursue graduate studies in genetics there. He never completed his M.A. degree before joining the Navy in 1974. Arthur received his Navy sponsored medical degree from the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 1978[3] and then completed a residency in emergency medicine. He deployed with the Marine Corps Second Medical Battalion during Operation Desert Shield/Storm[4] but never served under combat conditions.[3]

In June 1992, Arthur received a Ph.D. in healthcare management from Century University in New Mexico. In August 1993, he received a J.D. from LaSalle University in Louisiana. The legitimacy of these two degrees was later called into question.[3]

Career

Arthur commanded Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune and National Naval Medical Center Bethesda. He served as director of Marine Corps Medical Programs, as assistant chief for Naval Health Care Operations and as Deputy Surgeon General.[4]

Arthur's work on the Defense Health Board Task Force on Mental Health[5] reflected his advocacy for PTSD in service members and combat veterans. He addressed the stigma of mental health[6] in the military and made efforts to alleviate it. Arthur was an advocate for service members who incurred and suffered with Traumatic Brain Injury. Arthur was also an advocate for gay service members in the military.[7]

Arthur joined the TriWest Health care Alliances Executive Advisory Board in 2008.[8]

Credentials investigation

In 2005, author and activist B.G. Burkett urged then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen to investigate Arthur, claiming that some of his education credentials were inappropriate, because they had been obtained from unaccredited institutions, and that they had influenced his promotions within the Navy. In turn, Arthur claimed that he had been misinformed about the institution's accreditation, and that an internal investigation by the Navy had cleared him of any wrongdoing.[9] Despite this, Arthur was quoted to have said the following about the incident at the time, "I could say I was naive, but I was 40 years old. And I didn't understand completely what was going on."[10]

Awards and decorations
Navy Flight Surgeon Badge
Navy Distinguished Service Medal with one gold award star
Legion of Merit with three gold award stars Meritorious Service Medal with two award stars Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with two award stars
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal Combat Action Ribbon Navy Unit Commendation
Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with two bronze 3/16 service stars Battle "E" Fleet Marine Force Ribbon
Navy Expeditionary Medal National Defense Service Medal with two service stars Southwest Asia Service Medal w/ FMF Combat Operation Insignia and two service stars
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with two service stars Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon with service star
Special Operations Service Ribbon Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) Navy Rifle Marksmanship Medal Navy Pistol Marksmanship Medal
Submarine Medical Badge
gollark: ++help magic
gollark: Troubling.
gollark: Syl appears to have been reactivated.
gollark: As planned.
gollark: DKIM?

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-05-14. Retrieved 2014-05-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Navy.mil Leadership Biographies". United States Navy. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  3. Goldstein, Josh (February 3, 2009). "Doctor who checks credentials faces questions over his own resume". The Inquirer. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  4. Sobocinski, André B. (October 6, 2011). "VADM Donald C. Arthur, Surgeon General (2004-2007)". Tranquillity, Solace & Mercy. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  5. "Defense Health Board Task Force on Mental Health" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  6. "DoD News Briefing with Dr. S. Ward Casscells, Vice Adm. Donald Arthur, Rear Adm. John Mateczun, Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, Maj. Gen. Bruce Green, Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, Ellen Bmbre, and Shelley Macdermid from the Pentagon". www.globalsecurity.org.
  7. Frank, Dr Nathaniel (3 March 2009). "Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America". Macmillan – via Google Books.
  8. Former Navy Surgeon General is Among Three New Accomplished TriWest Advisory Board Members
  9. Working, Russell; Lelia Boyd Arnheim (October 1, 2008). "Navy resume doesn't quite hold water". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  10. Working, Russell (October 1, 2008). "Navy résumé doesn't quite hold water". Chicago Tribune. Chicago. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
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