'The other' General Cornum visits Keesler medics

Published Nov. 10, 2010
By Steve Pivnick
81st Medical Group Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Rhonda Cornum, director of comprehensive soldier fitness in the Army G-3/5/7 and wife of Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Kory Cornum, 81st Medical Group commander, addresses 81st MDG enlisted members 8:30 a.m. Nov. 17 in the hospital's Don Wylie Auditorium. She will speak about her experience as a prisoner of war in Iraq during the Persian Gulf conflict.

In August 1990, General Cornum was assigned as the flight surgeon to the 2/229 Attack Helicopter Battalion. During the last week of February 1991, while performing a search and rescue mission for a downed Air Force F-16 pilot, her Blackhawk helicopter was shot down. Five members of the eight-person crew were killed. The three survivors, including General Cornum, were captured by Iraqi forces. She was repatriated on March 6, 1991. She wrote a memoir about the conflict and her eight days in captivity. "She Went to War: The Rhonda Cornum Story" was published in 1992.

General Cornum was commissioned into the Army and began a research career in 1978 after receiving her Ph.D. in nutrition and biochemistry from Cornell University. Assigned to the Letterman Army Institute of Research in San Francisco, she focused on wound healing metabolism and improving liquid blood preservation and transfusion therapy. From 1982-1986, she attended medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda,Md., received her medical degree and completed a general surgery internship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.

In 1987, she transferred to the Army Aeromedical Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., first as chief, primary care and community medicine, then chief of aviation medicine. In 1989, research again became her primary duty as chief, Crew Life Support Branch at the Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, also at Fort Rucker. While there, her interests revolved around enhancing pilot performance and use of helmet-mounted displays in advanced attack helicopters.

The general attended Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Ala., from 1991 through 1992. She began urologic surgery training in 1993. In addition to academic and clinical responsibilities, she renewed her blood and metabolic research interests, including use of the absorbable fibrin bandage and evaluating alternate strategies for treating prostate cancer. Following graduation in 1998, she was assigned as the assistant deputy commander of clinical services and staff urologist at Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Augusta, Ga. She is board certified in urology and a fellow in the American College of Surgeons and Aerospace Medical Association.

She took command of the 28th Combat Support Hospital at Fort Bragg, N.C., on July 25, 2000. In this position she deployed as the Medical Task Force commander to Bosnia for SFOR 9, and deployed three subordinate units to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. After that command tour she attended the National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., and graduated in June 2003.

General Cornum then commanded Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany. During this time, Landstuhl cared for over 26,000 war heroes, including 5,540 battle injuries, evacuated from Iraq and Afghanistan. In June 2005, she became the U.S. Army Forces command surgeon, Fort McPherson, Ga., where her responsibilities included casualty care of the deployed force and providing medical expertise to the higher headquarters for all CONUS-based Army Forces.

In her preceding assignment, General Cornum served as the U.S. Army's assistant surgeon general for force projection with responsibilities including policy development, organization and overall management of the Army-wide health services system.

In addition to senior flight surgeon wings, the general wears the airborne, air assault and the expert field medic badges. She sits on numerous committees and advisory boards, including the Secretary's POWAdvisory Committee for the VA.

‘The other’ General Cornum visits Keesler medics