Saint Louis grad named top military surgeon

Former Kaneohe resident and Saint Louis High School graduate Maj. Gen. Joseph Caravalho Jr. has been named Joint Staff surgeon at the Pentagon, the Army announced Wednesday.

Caravalho, 58, will serve as the chief medical advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, providing advice to the Chairman, the Joint Staff and combatant commanders. He will coordinate all issues related to military health services — which include operational medicine, force health protection, and readiness among the combatant commands — with the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

He is a physician and career officer in the Medical Corps of the United States Army and is currently deputy surgeon general and deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Command in Falls Church, Va.

A Saint Louis High School alumnus, Caravalho graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wa. He was commissioned a second lieutenant through the Army ROTC Program. In 1983, he graduated with a Medical Doctorate from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences School of Medicine, and was commissioned a captain in the Medical Corps.

Caravalho has held positions as a staff internist, nuclear medicine physician and cardiologist. He served as chief of cardiology at Tripler Army Medical Center and as deputy commander for Clinical Services at Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg, NC.

He also commanded the 28th Combat Support Hospital and the 44th Medical Command, both at Fort Bragg.

Caravalho has deployed twice to Iraq, most recently serving as the surgeon for both Multi-National Force-Iraq and Multi-National Corps-Iraq.

Following his last deployment, he commanded the Great Plains Regional Medical Command; Northern Regional Medical Center at Fort Belvoir, Va. and U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick, Md.

He earned the Special Forces and Ranger tabs and was awarded the Expert Field Medical Badge. He completed the Army Airborne and Flight Surgeon schools, as well as the Navy Dive Medical Officer and SCUBA courses. He holds current certification in nuclear cardiology. His military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal, Joint and Army Commendation Medals and the Army Achievement Medal.