By Colonel (Ret.) Dr. Peter M. Tan
We are pleased to announce that Army Colonel and VBC Member, Dr. Peter Tan was inducted into the United States Veterans Hall of Fame, on November 8, just two days after receiving a similar honor from the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame.
Dr. Peter M. Tan, a retired U.S. Army Colonel with 36 years of distinguished service, is a leader in both military and medical circles. He was appointed by the 25th Secretary of the Army, the Hon. Christine E. Wormuth 3 years later as a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army (CASA – a positional 3 star rank). He served from 2021-2025 as a CASA, totalling 40 years of service to our nation. A Board-Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, he has commanded multiple Army medical and dental units worldwide and served as an Army Medicine Ambassador (Tier 3) for The Surgeon General. A lifelong advocate for military medicine and veterans, Dr. Tan has earned numerous honors—including the Legion of Merit, the Order of Military Medical Merit, the A-Prefix designation in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery by The Surgeon General, and the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Humanitarian Award—reflecting his commitment to service, leadership, and humanitarian care.
Here is Peter’s story in his own words:
My first uniform belonged to the Cub Scouts. Even then, I felt the pride of belonging to something bigger than myself, of standing for something. That small beginning set me on a path that would define my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
Growing up in Washington, D.C., I attended St. John’s College High School, the largest Army Junior ROTC school in the country and one of the oldest Christian Brothers high schools in America. Every day, 1,100 cadets wore uniforms, drilled, and followed strict rules of conduct. For a 13-year-old, it was both intimidating and inspiring. I still remember my first day. All those tall, mature cadets with West Point–style uniforms, their faces freshly shaved, their boots gleaming. I realized right away this was serious business. But I thrived in that environment. St. John’s taught me discipline, leadership, and how to prioritize—skills that would serve me in everything that followed.
After high school, I went on to the University of Notre Dame, where I joined the Army ROTC program and earned an early commission as a second lieutenant in field artillery.
After graduation, I was accepted into Howard University’s College of Dentistry. The Army granted me an educational delay to complete my dental studies, and for a few years, I was out of uniform. The Army kindly sent a postcard to remind me I hadn’t been forgotten. Soon after, I reported for duty at Fort Sam Houston for Officer Basic and then began my first assignment at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, serving as chief of restorative dentistry and hygiene.
I loved my work but wanted to advance further through postgraduate training. Unfortunately, in the early 1980s, the Army Dental Corps had an eight-year waiting list for residencies. I couldn’t wait that long. I transitioned to the Army Reserve and was accepted into the oral and maxillofacial surgery program at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey—now Rutgers. Later, I completed a fellowship in craniofacial surgery and facial pain management at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Balancing private practice with Reserve service was demanding, but it allowed me to keep one foot in both worlds, civilian medicine and Army medicine.
My family’s influence was always with me, even when I didn’t realize it. My parents were both World War II veterans. My mother served as a nurse in the Philippines during the Japanese occupation. My father and uncle served in the U.S. Navy and were in Southeast Asia at the fall of Saigon. Even my grandparents had ties to the Army during World War II. They didn’t talk much about their service, but their quiet example taught me everything I needed to know about duty and sacrifice. They supported whatever I wanted to do, as long as I did it well. That lesson stuck.
Education became another driving force in my life. Once I finished my surgical training, I realized I wanted to understand not just how to treat patients, but why medicine and disaster affect humanity the way they do. I pursued dual master’s degrees in public health and emergency and disaster management, which led to work in chemical, biological, and radiological response and emergency preparedness. My career became a blend of clinical practice, military leadership, and teaching. I wanted to master my craft, but also help others learn.
Balancing civilian practice with a military career wasn’t easy. I had a wonderfully patient wife, a supportive family, and an office manager who probably cringed every time I told her I had to leave for Army duty. Rescheduling surgeries and patient appointments became routine. But I also had the support of national professional organizations—the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and others—that worked with me to make it possible. None of it could have happened without those around me who believed in the mission as much as I did.
Everything changed after September 11, 2001. Watching our nation attacked on its own soil shook me deeply. It brought back memories of earlier national traumas such as the assassinations of President Kennedy, Dr. King, and Senator Robert Kennedy. But 9/11 was different. It felt like a personal blow to the heart of America. When the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began, I was mobilized as chief of surgery for a Combat Support Hospital. The patriotism and volunteerism I witnessed among soldiers after that day left a lasting impression on me. It reminded me why we serve. Freedom is fragile, and someone has to defend it.
Over the years, I held many leadership roles: commander of the 185th Dental Company (Area Support) in California, task force commander for Operation T-FIT (Total Force Integration), commander of a medical training battalion, and later commander of regional dental commands in both Europe and the Pacific. Each assignment taught me something different about leadership. I learned three enduring lessons: lead from the front, make sound decisions grounded in good judgment, and always seek mentorship, both giving and receiving it. No one succeeds alone. Every new command was a chance to look inward, ask what I could do better, and broaden my understanding of service.
While my later years were focused more on leadership and readiness, I never forgot my roots as a clinician. One experience that stays with me was a woman who came into my office for oral surgery. Her EKG looked irregular, and I decided to postpone the procedure. Her husband was furious. He’d taken the day off, and he let me and my staff know it. Two weeks later, he called me in tears to thank me. His wife had gone to the hospital and was rushed into triple bypass surgery. That phone call reminded me why we must always listen to that quiet inner voice that says, Stop. Something isn’t right.
Perhaps the most humbling part of my career has been watching the people I mentored grow into leaders themselves: captains and majors who went on to become colonels and even general officers. When they return years later and thank me for helping them along, I’m overwhelmed. I never saw myself as someone others would stand on, but if they say they stood on my shoulders, I take that as the highest honor.
After 36 years in uniform, I retired to Florida, thinking life would finally slow down. Then one afternoon, I was sitting in a pool when my phone rang. The caller ID said “Pentagon.” I answered, and the voice on the other end said, “Dr. Tan, you’ve been selected as a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army.” I thought it was a prank. But it was real.
The Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army—CASA—is a unique position. It’s a century-old program, a kind of bridge between the Army and the civilian community. CASAs hold three-star protocol authority and serve as trusted advisors, representing the Secretary’s priorities in their regions. There are three main areas we focus on: recruitment and retention; support for soldiers and their families across all components—active, Guard, and Reserve; and helping veterans continue to live out the Army values through the Soldier for Life program.
Here in Florida’s Citrus County, where I live, there are about 25,000 veterans (and more than 300,000 in the surrounding counties) even though we’re nowhere near a major garrison. My job is to support them, connect them with the Army and each other, and strengthen the bond between those who serve and the communities they protect.
As far as I know, I’m the only CASA in the country with a background in military medicine. That gives me a special perspective when advising on issues of medical readiness and recruiting for the Army Medical Department. I’m passionate about encouraging young doctors to consider serving—not only because of what they can contribute to the Army, but because of what the Army gives back to them: leadership, purpose, and the chance to practice medicine at the highest levels of challenge and meaning. My own son now serves in military medicine at Fort Meade, and another son is an Army intelligence officer. Service truly runs in our family’s blood.
One of the challenges we face today is that fewer Americans have personal connections to the military. Many young people have never known anyone who served. That makes outreach, especially face-to-face outreach at universities and professional schools, so important. I tell students: there’s a whole world in Army medicine, a profession of arms that’s also a profession of healing. It’s not just combat, it’s research, innovation, and care for soldiers and families.
If I were to be remembered for anything, I hope it’s for this: I’m Dr. Peter M. Tan, a retired surgeon and American soldier who loved his family and stood on the shoulders of giants as part of four generations who served our country.
That’s the legacy I’d like to leave: a lifetime of learning, leadership, and service, in and out of uniform, to the people and nation that gave me every opportunity to serve in return.
Read more about the U.S. Veterans Hall of Fame Ceremony
here.
Learn more about Dr. Tan’s remarkable story on the
WarDocs Podcast.
The Veterans Breakfast Club celebrates the stories of service and sacrifice from veterans of all eras.
Join our conversations at veteransbreakfastclub.org.
