Dr. Frank Erdman Boston, a World War I veteran, honored with a Permanent Portrait at Mission BBQ

Mission BBQ continues its efforts to honor veterans, and in this case, a World War I Army surgeon whose life shows that service does not end when the uniform comes off.

In honor of a remarkable veteran, Mission BBQ’s King of Prussia, Pennsylvania’s location honored Dr. Frank Erdman Boston, recognizing his extraordinary legacy of military service, medical leadership, and lifelong commitment to community care. The tribute reflects Mission BBQ’s national mission to honor veterans and first responders and places Dr. Boston’s story before the public in a setting dedicated to service and sacrifice.

“Dr. Boston’s life reflects the values we strive to honor every day,” said Steve Groshardt of Mission BBQ’s King of Prussia location. “Mission BBQ is dedicated to honoring veterans, active duty military, and first responders, and Dr. Boston’s story shows how service can continue long after the uniform comes off.”

Long before emergency medical services were formally recognized, and decades before communities relied on organized ambulance systems, Dr. Boston was already doing the work. He learned medicine under fire in World War I and brought those lessons home, quietly changing how lives were saved.

When the United States entered World War I, Dr. Boston answered the call and was commissioned as a medical officer in the United States Army Medical Corps. Like all African American officers at the time, he trained at Fort Des Moines in Iowa, a place that was more than an Army base. Fort Des Moines produced a generation of Black leaders who would go on to shape medicine, law, and civil rights in America. The men trained there were expected to fight two battles, one overseas and one at home.

A portrait was permanently hung alongside a photo of Dr. Boston in uniform during a ceremony attended by his supporters, as well as special attendees including former U.S. Secret Service Deputy Director C. Danny Spriggs; Melvin Payne, leader of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen; and Tyrone Love, Commander of a VFW Post and American Legion Post.

Dr. Frank Erdman Boston’s story is not just history. It is a rare institutional legacy that remains active and visible today through Jefferson Health and the Volunteer Medical Service Corps VMSC ambulance service.

VMSC ambulance that bears his name-Dr. Frank E. Boston

In 1934, Dr. Boston founded what would become Jefferson Lansdale Hospital. Unlike many early community hospitals, his institution did not close or fade into memory. It grew, adapted, and continues to serve patients today as part of the Jefferson Health system. That level of continuity, nearly a century of uninterrupted service, is uncommon in Pennsylvania and rare nationally.

Lobby of Jefferson Lansdale Hospital.

Beyond the hospital, Dr. Boston also organized and led what became one of the region’s earliest ambulance and emergency response services, now known as the Volunteer Medical Service Corps VMSC. At a time when no formal emergency medical system existed, his belief was simple. Care should begin the moment help arrives. That philosophy helped shape modern emergency response and continues to influence patient care today.

“Dr. Boston’s life shows what service really means,” said George Whitehair, Executive Director of the Boston Legacy Foundation. “His military service shaped him, but it did not define the limits of his impact. He came home and built institutions that are still serving people nearly a century later.”

Dr. Francis Jeyaraj, a well known pediatrician and community leader, emphasized the lasting influence of Dr. Boston’s example. “Dr. Boston represents the very best of medicine and service. As physicians, we stand on the shoulders of pioneers like him, whose commitment to patients and community continues to guide our work today.”

The Boston story is being released in a publication next month, Dr. Frank Boston: How a World War I Veteran Quietly Shaped Modern Emergency Care, which examines how service, character, and quiet leadership can create lasting impact. Reflecting on that legacy, Lieutenant General R. Scott Dingle, U.S. Army (Retired), 45th Surgeon General of the United States Army and former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command, shared a quote:: “Dr. Frank Boston’s story shows that you don’t have to be famous to make a difference, you simply have to care and be willing to serve. The values he carried from military service into his work as a physician helped shape lives and communities for generations, and the hospital and ambulance corps he founded continue that service nearly a century later. His story reminds young people everywhere that one person truly can change the world.”

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