Dr. Norman Minner Rich

Dr. Norman M. Rich, retired Army Colonel, pioneering vascular surgeon and educator passed away on June 18, 2026, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, an institution he helped to strengthen throughout his lifetime. His service to country spanned nearly 60 years.

Born on January 13, 1934, in Ray, Arizona, Dr. Rich attended the University of Arizona on a Baird Scholarship, and later transferred to Stanford University where he earned his B.A. in 1956 and his MD in 1960. He then completed a Rotating Internship at Tripler General Hospital in Honolulu, and a General Surgery Residency at Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco.

He was then assigned to the 2nd Surgical Hospital, supporting the 1st Cavalry Division, as the Chief of Surgery, first at Fort Bragg, N.C., and later during his deployment to An Khe in the Republic of Vietnam. In the field, Dr. Rich revolutionized vascular surgery techniques in complex combat injuries. His work dramatically reduced amputations and saved countless lives. This experience led to one of his most important contributions to operational medicine. In 1966, Dr. Rich established the Vietnam Vascular Registry, an innovative repository that documented and analyzed more than 10,000 combat-related vascular injuries. He maintained and expanded this database for more than 50 years. The registry became a model for modern military outcome databases and trauma registries, helping military medical personnel study injury patterns, improve treatments, and track various conditions, including traumatic brain injury. It is one of his proudest accomplishments.

Upon his return from Vietnam, Dr. Rich was the first Fellow in Vascular Surgery at Walter Reed General Hospital and founded and directed its Vascular Fellowship Program. This initiative established a premier training environment for military surgery, and generations of surgeons that he mentored went on to serve across the globe. Dr. Rich’s leadership extended far beyond the operating room. His initial academic appointment was as an Associate Professor at George Washington University. Next, he was appointed Professor of Surgery at the School of Medicine of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), an institution in which he played a crucial role in its establishment. Dr. Rich subsequently became the founding Chairman of the Department of Surgery at USUHS, and upon his retirement from active duty in 1980, he renewed his commitment to serve our country, continuing his significant contributions to advancements in military medicine and the care of our soldiers for an additional 40 years at USUHS.

During his time at USUHS, Dr. Rich was also appointed a Professor of Military Medicine in 1983, the Leonard Heaton and David Packard Professor in 1999 (a post named for two of the medical school’s founders), and in 2002 the department of surgery was officially named the Norman M. Rich Department of Surgery to honor his vision. After 25 years as the Founding Chairman of the Department of Surgery, Dr. Rich stepped down in 2002 and continued to serve at various points as Acting Chairman, Deputy Chairman, and remained a Senior Advisor to the third Chairman of Surgery until his retirement in 2018. USUHS presented several awards to Dr. Rich for his contributions to the university, including the Outstanding Instructor Award, the Outstanding Civilian Educator Award, election to Alpha Omega Alpha, the Exceptional Service Medal, and the USU Medal. Throughout his career, Dr. Rich consistently championed the needs of his patients, including our soldiers, U.S. presidents, foreign heads of state, and other government leaders; and steadfastly supported his students, residents, and faculty alike at USUHS.

As a military surgeon with an academic interest emphasizing the management of injured patients and vascular surgery, Dr. Rich earned international recognition for his work. He lectured in 50-plus countries, published more than 400 scientific manuscripts, and authored or co-authored five books, including Vascular Trauma, which remains today a definitive reference for surgeons and medical professionals. Dr. Rich earned wide recognition as a key architect of modern trauma care. He was a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons, a member of the American Surgical Association, and the American Association for Vascular Trauma, as well as many other medical organizations.

Dr. Rich was a founding member and President of the American Venous Forum, the Eastern Vascular Society and the USU Surgical Associates. He was also the President of the North American Chapter of the International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery (later combined with the Society for Vascular Surgery) and the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery. Dr. Rich was also an Honorary Member of numerous national and international medical societies, including those from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, France, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Slovenia. He gave many named lectureships, including the Scudder Oration to the American College of Surgeons, the Mitchiner Memorial Lecture to the Royal Army Medical College in the United Kingdom, and the Excelsior Surgical Society/Edward D. Churchill Lecture to the 100th Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons in 2014.

In addition, he received Honorary Degrees from the Catholic University in Santiago Chile, Mayab University in Mexico, and the University of Lodz in Poland. He also held Honorary Professorships in several countries including Columbia and China, and served as Opponent, both in Sweden (Goteborg University X2) and Finland (Helsinki University). Dr. Rich received the Diploma in the Medical Care of Catastrophes and was an Examiner for the Apothecaries of London. He was an Instructor in the Advanced Trauma Life Support course for the American College of Surgeons. A Frestschrift honoring Dr. Rich was published in 2005 in the World Journal of Surgery. The Norman M. Rich Lecture in Vascular Trauma was established by the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society in 2008. He delivered the Hospital Grand Rounds at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, and the Richard Faltin Lecture to the Finnish Surgical Society during International Surgical Week in Helsinki, Finland in 2013.

His myriad achievements earned Dr. Rich numerous prestigious awards, including the Legion of Merit Award, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Award, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/Palm, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal w/60 Device, and the Presidential Medallion from President Ronald Reagan. He received the Médaille D’Honneur from France, and became a Yeoman of the Apothecaries of London, a Citizen of the Apothecary of London (the First American to do so), and was elected to the Livery in 2004.

The Stanford Medical School Alumni Association awarded him the J.E. Wallace Sterling Lifetime Alumni Achievement Award in 1999. Other awards of note include: the René Leriche Prize from the Société Internationale de Chirurgie; the Audrey Few Medal; the Surgeons’ Award for Service to Safety from the American College of Surgeons, the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and the National Safety Council; the DeBakey Award from the Michael E. DeBakey International Surgical Society; the Frank Berry Prize in Federal Health Care; the Rudolf Matas Award from the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery; the Founders Award from the American Venous Forum; the Masters Medal from the Apothecaries of London; the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Vascular Surgery; the First Distinguished Organization Award for the Norman M. Rich Department of Surgery USU Surgical Associates’ Military Professor Fund from the ACS Foundation, American College of Surgeons; the Inaugural Distinguished Lifetime Military Contribution Award from the American College of Surgeons in 2019, and was designated an “Icon in Surgery;” and the Outstanding Eagle Scout Award from the National Eagle Scout Association in 2026, recognizing his outstanding service to our country, and leadership and excellence in his medical profession.

Dr. Rich is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Lois, their four children and spouses: Suzanne Rich Folsom (George), Alison Rich Ledger, David Rich (Noelle), and Bethany Kirchhoff (Frank), and nine wonderful grandchildren: Dillon Rich (Dani Moragne), Anderson Folsom, Lt. Camille Rich (Michah Griffin), Madison Ledger, Reilly Folsom, Emily Ledger, Kate Ledger, Haley Kirchhoff, and Andrew Kirchhoff. His sister Nancy Wozny also survives him, as do numerous nieces and nephews. He will be remembered as a soldier, surgeon, scientist, teacher, mentor, leader, healer, historian, friend, and family man.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:

The Norman M. Rich Chair Endowment in Support of the USU Department of Surgery -The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland. The following link can be used for online donations, or reach out to Ms. Kelly Alfaro at [email protected]:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=DB4JY5D3RWVQ6