Fort Huachuca Dental Clinic Command Cases Colors | Article

The U.S. Army Dental Clinic Command Fort Huachuca cased its colors and reorganized as part of the Fort Huachuca Medical Activity during a ceremony recently.

Col. Stefan Olpinski, commander of Dental Health Command, West presided over the ceremony. The colors were cased by the final commander of the unit, Maj. Patrick Arbuckle and Sgt. First Class Samantha Escamilla, senior enlisted leader.

The history of dental services at Fort Huachuca began with the establishment of Camp Huachuca in 1877. Medics and contracted dentists provided dental health care to the troops at the edge of the frontier for 35 years.

With the establishment of the U.S. Army Dental Corps in 1911, 1st Lt. Oscar Skelton served as the first Fort Huachuca dental surgeon. Skelton’s contributions were recorded 50 years later as Fort Huachuca historians pieced together oral histories from surviving service members.

During World War II, Fort Huachuca established three dental infirmaries to care for the surge of troops assigned to the garrison. During the war, the surgeon general selected Fort Huachuca as the training site for the Woman’s Army Corps dental technicians’ program.

In 1967, Raymond W. Bliss Army Hospital opened with a 17-chair dental clinic embedded in the facility.

In 1977, Fort Huachuca’s dental services moved from the hospital to a separate dental clinic named in honor of Capt. Marion Runion. Ten years earlier in Vietnam, Runion volunteered for a hazardous aeromedical evacuation, where braving intense enemy fire he administered field care and carried a wounded Soldier to the waiting helicopter. The helicopter was shot down as it attempted to take off, fatally wounding Runion. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for gallantry under fire.

In 1993, the Fort Huachuca Dental Activity was activated with the establishment of U.S. Army Dental Command, a major subordinate unit of the U.S. Army Medical Command.

In 2016, the Fort Huachuca Dental Activity reorganized as Fort Huachuca Dental Clinic Command under the Fort Bliss Dental Health Activity.

In 2019, Runion Dental Clinic underwent a major renovation and reopened as a modern 21-chair dental treatment facility. The redesign improved treatment rooms, dental laboratory, sterile processing department, and administrative areas.

Today, Runion Dental Clinic supports Fort Huachuca’s permanent party, U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence students and trainees, and Joint Task Force-Southern Border.

While the casing of the colors represents the official deactivation of Ft Huachuca’s Dental Clinic Command, their continued dedication to excellent care will remain steadfast. “FANGS OUT FRONT, COMBAT READY CARE, THIS WE’LL DEFEND!”