Yokota celebrates BSC Airmen

Yokota Air Base, Japan -- The Air Force celebrated Biomedical Sciences Corps week, Jan. 25-29, to honor their heritage while recognizing the achievements and continuing efforts of the men and women who comprise the corps.

The BSC dates back to 1917, when the Army established the Army Sanitary Corps to combat infectious diseases. The Army Medical Administrative Corps followed three years later. In 1949, the Air Force Medical Service was officially established and continued to expand over the next two decades.

In 1965, the BSC was born. Since then, the BSC continued to expand its range of personnel to include a wide variety of medically trained professionals.

“This week we want to recognize the people behind the scenes of treating the patient,” said Tech. Sgt. Andre Aguilar, 374th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron NCO in charge of readiness, plans and operations element. “They are the people who provide the data so the doctors can provide the best diagnosis and treatment possible”

Comprised of more than 2,400 officers, 1,000 civilians and 6,000 enlisted members, BSC members come from 16 medical professions and specialties, making it one of the most diverse corps in the Air Force.

The BSC includes:

• Physical therapists
• Optometrists
• Podiatric surgeons
• Physician assistants
• Audiologists
• Clinical psychologists
• Dietitians
• Bioenvironmental engineers
• Public health officers
• Medical entomologists
• Pharmacists
• Biomedical laboratory officers
• Health and medical physicists

“We may not be the doctors and nurses that are more well-known, but we play a big role in the mission,” said Capt. Edgar Villaruel, 374th OMRS bioenvironmental engineering operations officer. “We are the preventative medicine and specialty care that supports them.”

If you’d like to learn more, visit: https://www.airforcemedicine.af.mil/