Commanding General, Medical Readiness Command, West
Director, Defense Health Network West
Brigadier General Yolonda "YR" Summons “YR” Summons, a native of Arkansas, graduated from Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. She was commissioned as a U.S. Army officer in May 1992, and entered active duty in the U.S. Army in October 1993.
Brig. Gen. Summons dually serves as the Commanding General, Medical Readiness Command, West and as the Director of Defense Health Network West for the Defense Health Agency.
Prior to her current assignments, Brig. Gen. Summons has served our nation in a host of leadership positions including: Director for Policy and Force Integration, Headquarters, Department of the Army, Office of the Surgeon General; and the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, United States Army Medical Command at Falls Church, Virginia; Special Assistant to the Deputy Surgeon General/Surgeon General Transition Team Lead at the Defense Health Headquarters at Falls Church, Virginia; 62nd Medical Brigade Commander at Fort Lewis, Washington; Deputy Corps Chief, Medical Service Corps; Commander, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Clinic and Brussels Army Health Clinic Commander at Mons, Belgium; Chief and Colonel Assignment Officer, Medical Service Corps Branch, Human Resources Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky; Executive Officer, United States Army Surgeon General at the Defense Health Headquarters, Falls Church, Virginia; Assistant Executive Officer, United States Army Surgeon General at the Defense Health Headquarters at Falls Church, Virginia; Battalion Commander, Northern Regional Medical Command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Army Medical Department Policy Integrator on the Army Staff at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; Troop Commander/Deputy Chief of Staff Personnel, United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick, Maryland; Brigade S-1, 62nd Medical Brigade at Fort Lewis, Washington/Task Force S-1, Joint Medical Task Force, I Corps Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq; Student, United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Brigade G-3 Air, 30th Medical Brigade at Heidelberg, Germany; Battalion S-1, 421st Evacuation Battalion at Wiesbaden, Germany; HHC Company Commander for the 62nd Medical Brigade at Fort Lewis, Washington.
Brig Gen. Summons’ post-graduate degrees include a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University, Orange, California and a Doctor of Ministry at Howard University School of Divinity, Washington, D.C. Her military education includes The United States Army War College, United States Army Command and General Staff College, Combined Arms Service Staff School, and Army Medical Officer Basic and Advanced Courses.
Brig. Gen. Summons' decorations and badges include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster); Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (with 8 Oak Leaf Clusters); Army Commendation Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters); Army Achievement Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters); Expert Field Medical Badge; Army Aviation Badge; Army Staff Identification Badge.
Brig. Gen. Summons is the first U. S. Army African American Female Medical Evacuation Pilot and the first female to command the SHAPE Healthcare Facility at Base Support Group Garrison, Mons, Belgium. She is a proud member of The Order of Military Medical Merit, The Order of Saint Michael, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Brig Gen, Summons also received the 2009 Karen Wagner Leadership Award and is a 2012 Arkansas Hall of Fame inductee.