59th Medical Wing

59th Medical Wing

The 59th Medical Wing (59 MDW) is a wing of the United States Air Force assigned to Air Education and Training Command, stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

The 59 MDW is the Air Force's premier medical unit. It operates Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, which is now part of the San Antonio Military Healthcare Systems (SAMHS). The wing provides global medical readiness capability and comprehensive peacetime healthcare benefits through education, training and research. Previously referred to as SAMMC-South, this designation was dropped under agreement with the Army, and its name changed to Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgery Center.

The wing's original unit, the 59th Observation Group was formed in 1941 under 1st Air Support Command. Originally an antisubmarine patrol unit, the group later became a replacement training unit (RTU) for fighter pilots with its graduates assigned to another group for overseas assignment. The organization's official lineage begins in 1941, and by taking on the shield and ancestry of the 59th Tactical Fighter Wing in 1993, the center was able to save the history of a World War II unit and preserve its own World War II service.