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Adapted from "Captain George L. Calvy, Medical Corps, United States Navy" [biography, dated 25 November 1958] in Modern Biographical Files collection, Navy Department Library

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  • Biography
Wars & Conflicts
  • Korean Conflict 1950-1954
  • World War II 1939-1945
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George Lloyd Calvy

20 May 1910 - 

PDF Version [1.7MB]

George Lloyd Calvy was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, on May 20, 1910, son of Dr. Peter J. Calvy and Mrs .(Mary Lloyd) Calvy . He was graduated fron Fond du lac High School in 1928, and attended the University of Wisconsin (AD, 1935), and Washington Univereity in St. Louis, Missouri (MD, 1937), and served his internship at St. Louis City Hospital in 1937-1938. He was commissioned lieutenant (junior grade) in the Medical Corps of the US Navy on July 16, 1938, and through subsequent advancement attained the rank of Captain, MC, USN, to date from March 1, 1954.

Reporting for active duty on July 30, 1938, he was assigned to the Naval Medical School in Washington, DC, for instruction in courses principally devoted to Industrial Medicine, Psychiatry, and Tropical Medicine. Concurrent with that period of instruction, he completed the Army course in Chemical Warfare at Edgewood Arsenal, Edgewood, Maryland, and the Field Medical Course at Quantico, Virginia. In July 1939 he went to sea in USS Altair, based at San Diego, thence to Destroyer Division 70, for duty as Division Medical Officer, attached to the USS Crane and USS Kennison, flagships.

In July 1940 he was transferred to the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, for a course in Flight Indoctrination and Aviation Medicine, leading to his designation as Flight Surgeon. As such, he served on board USS Ranger (CV-4) from late in 1940, after the outbreak of World War II in December 1941, until June 1942, while that carrier operated on training and escort duty in the Atlantic. After duty, successively, at the Naval Air Stations Norfolk, Virginia, and Melborne, Florida, he joined USS Munda (CVE-104) , commissioned at Astoria, Oregon, on July 8, 1944. He served as her Flight Surgeon during her shakedown cruise to Espiritu Santo via New Guinea, Manus Island and Pearl Harbor, and return to Alameda, California.

During the remaining period of the war, in 1945, he was attached to the Naval Air Station, Seattle, Washington, after which he served from late 1945 until 1947 on board USS Point Cruz (CVE-119), which was  engaged in occupation duty in the Asiatic Area during June and July 1946. Upon his detachment, he was ordered to the Naval Hospital, Great Lakes, Illinois, where he served for a year, after which, in 1948-1950, he was assigned to Western Reserve University, School of Medicine (Departments of Preventive Medicine and Medicine), for duty as a Fellow.

From March 1950 until June 1952 he had duty at the Naval Hospital, Newport, Rhode Island, and during the period August 1952 until March 1954 served as Staff Medical Officer to the Commander, Military Sea Transportation Service, Western Pacific. He received a Letter of Commendation, with Ribbon and Metal Pendant, from the Commander, Naval Forces "For meritorious achievement as Medical Officer on the Staff of Commander MSTS,Western Pacific, from August 13, 1952 to February 26, 1954..." which further states, in  part:

"Commander Calvy was active in launching the successful functioning of a tuberculosis survey and in implementing an inter-service antimalari program that previously defied control. During 1953 over 300,000 returnees from Korea were carried in MSTS transports and of this number nearly 99 per cent received highly effective antimalaria indoctrination and treatment... This program resulted in a drastic reduction of the malaria rate of Korean returnees...As a result of Commander Calvy's unceasing efforts and applied skills, the difficulties and obstacles inherent in this undertaking were overcome..."

Detached from staff duty in March 1954, he reported in May of the same year to the Naval Hospital, St. Albans, New York, where he continues to serve as Chief of Medicine.

In addition to the Commendation Ribbon, Captain Calvy has the American Defense Service Medal; the American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; World War II Victory Medal; China Service Medal (extended); National Defense Service Medal; Korean Service Medal; and United Nations Service Medal.

Dr. Calvy is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and member of the American Medical Association, American Federation for Clinical Research, and Sigma Xi.

In addition to his physician father, Dr. Calvy has two brothers in medicine and four cousins who represented the Medical Services of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps during World War II. All the others, except his father, now deceased, are in civilian practice.

END

Published: Fri May 22 10:15:56 EDT 2020