Air Force Medicine has changed significantly since 1986, when Lt. Gen. Mark Ediger left his family medicine practice in Missouri to join the Air Force. Ediger, the U.S. Air Force Surgeon General, retires June 1, after a 32-year career that took him around the world, through numerous postings and varied roles. Although Ediger rose to the highest position in Air Force Medicine, he says that was not his intended career path.