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Adapted from "Captain Virgil Hope Carson, Medical Corps, United States Navy, Deceased" [biography, dated 5 December 1949] in Modern Biographical Files collection, Navy Department Library.

 
Topic
  • Medicine
  • Cruises, Deployments, and Exercises
Document Type
  • Biography
Wars & Conflicts
  • Mexican War 1846-1848
  • World War I 1917-1918
  • World War II 1939-1945
File Formats
Location of Archival Materials
  • NHHC-Library

Virgil Hope Carson

5 January 1893 - 9 February 1955

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Captain Carson was born in Danville, Virginia, on January 5, 1893, son of Mr. E.V. Carson and Mrs. (Annie Hall) Carson. He received his preparatory education at Miller Manual Labor School, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Randolph Macon College, Ashland, Virginia; and received the degree of Doctor of Medicine from the Medical College of Virginia. Appointed Assistant Surgeon with corresponding rank of Lieutenant (jg) in the Medical Corps of the US Naval Reserve on August 25, 1915, he later transferred to the US Naval and subsequently attained the rank of Captain with appointment as Medical Director on August 1, 1939, and was transferred to the Retired List of the Navy in the rank (for physical disability) on July 1, 1943.

Following his appointment as Assistant Surgeon I the Medical Corps, USNR, Captain Carson reported for active duty on September 29, 1915. He had instruction at the Naval Medical School, Washington, DC, and in the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Department, until April 1916, when he reported for two months duty at the Naval Recruiting Station, Brooklyn, New York. From June to September 1916 he served with the Marine Corps Expeditionary Forces at Santo Domingo, Virgin Islands, and thereafter had duty aboard USS Castine until December 1917, during the first half of World War I.

Captain Carson was transferred in December 1917 to USS Nahma, operating with the Atlantic Fleet, and in April 1918 was assigned to the Staff of Commander, US Naval Forces, France (USS Panther) to serve throughout the remaining months of the war and until March 1919. He then joined USS Patricia in which he had duty until ordered in August of that year to the Naval Hospital, Norfolk, Virginia.

In March 1920, Captain Carson was again ordered to sea duty, serving aboard USS Barker until November 1921 when he reported for duty as Medical Officer of USS New Orleans on Asiatic Station. A year later he returned to the United States for duty as Medical Officer in Command of the Navy Recruiting Station, Richmond, Virginia and later Commanding Officer of the US Marine Recruiting Station there until January 1926. Two months temporary duty at the Hospital, San Diego, California, preceded sea duty from April 1926 to March 1928 in USS Medusa, operating with Training Squadron 2, Fleet Base Force.

Following postgraduate work at John Hopkins University (Brady Institution) from Marc to September 1928, Captain Carson had duty at the Naval Hospital, New York, New York, until January 1932. He served in USS Texas, while that battleship operated from February 1932 until October 1933, and thereafter served successively in the Naval Hospitals at Mare Island, California, and Brooklyn, New York, until November 1936. Temporary duty in the Twelfth Naval District preceded service with the Fourth Marines in Shanghai, China, from February 1937 until January 1939.

Upon his return to the United States, Captain Carson reported in March 1939 to the Naval Hospita, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for duty. In September 1940 he was again transferred to the Naval Hospital at Brooklyn, New York, and after a years duty there returned to the West Coast where he served from August to December 1941 at the Naval Dispensary, Secton Base, Treasure Island, San Francisco, California. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 1, 1941, he had several month’s duty as the Naval Hospital, Mare Island, and from April 1942 until May 1943 was hospitalized there and at the Naval Hospital in Oakland, California. He was retired for physical disability on July 1, 1943.

Captain Carson has the Victory Medal (World War I); the Mexican Service Medal; the Haitian Campaign Medal; the American Defense Service Medal; the American Campaign Medal; and the World War II Victory Medal.

He is a member of the Military Surgeons; the American College of Surgeons; and the American Medical Association.

He died 9 February 1955.

 

END

Published: Wed Sep 09 08:02:14 EDT 2020