Major General Spurgeon Neel, MD, (September 24, 1919 – June 6, 2003) was a United States Army physician who pioneered the development of aeromedical evacuation of battlefield casualties.

[3] He then entered military service, completing his residency in radiology at Santa Ana Army Air Base in California in 1944.

During World War II the Air Force and Navy began to use helicopters for the rescue of pilots and other personnel lost at sea or in inaccessible terrain.

[5] However, helicopters were still a novelty in 1949 when Neel began examining the idea of flying wounded soldiers out of war zones.

The helicopter had finally been accepted as an organic vehicle of the Army, and rugged terrain of Korea made surface transport arduous.

[5] In addition, the scarcity of hard-surface roads and harsh climate often made it extremely difficult to transport casualties from forward units.

[5] Quick to note the advantages of helicopter evacuation in terrain such as Korea, the Eighth Army developed an increased interest in the program.

[5] Before the armistice ended the war in 1953, army helicopters would fly 18,000 U.N. casualties to hospitals, helping save seven of every 10 victims.

A superior communications system would allow a well-equipped and well-staffed ambulance to land at or near the site of the wounding, making much ground evacuation unnecessary.

[9] Based on experience during the Korean War, Neel developed medical evacuation policies, procedures, and organizations which are the foundation of current aeromedical operations.

He also initiated construction of the Lyster Army Hospital, a modern facility with specialized aviation medicine capability.

[3] In Vietnam, the Army formed "dustoff" units, named for a radio call sign, which evacuated about 380,000 patients.

[3] Neel returned to the U.S. in 1966 and was assigned to the U.S. Army's Office of the Surgeon General in Washington, D.C., as Director of Plans, Supply, and Operations.

He served as Commanding General of the 44th Medical Brigade and as Surgeon of the United States Army, Vietnam[12] Neels innovations in battlefield medicine greatly improved the survival rates for wounded soldiers.

Neel attributed the lowering mortality rate to (1) the helicopter, (2) whole blood, (3) hospitals, and (4) highly trained personnel.

[15] Neel advocated civilian air ambulance systems and oversaw formation of the 507th Medical Company, which provided military assistance to safety and traffic.

By rescuing more than 5,000 civilians from car wrecks, floods and trauma cases in and around San Antonio, the Military Assistance to Safety and Traffic (MAST) program further promoted air ambulance service.

[2] After his army retirement, Neel served as Professor in Occupational and Aerospace Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center.

[17] All medical officers and enlisted personnel were formally affiliated with the regiment, to include wearing the departmental crest on their uniforms.

Primarily a ceremonial position, Neel's role was to enhance morale and esprit de corps through the perpetuation of the regiment's traditions and customs.

[2] Neel helped establish the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Museum at Fort Sam Houston.