It was a special year in that both the OHSU President and the Dean of the School of Medicine published letters commemorating the day and thanking veterans. As I understand it, Rob West and Kathleen McFall in the Dean’s Office encouraged that to happen. I hope Rob and Kathleen, and Drs. Robertson and Richardson will accept my sincere thanks for that. I truly think veterans deserve to be remembered. Collectively and individually, they certainly made that happen.
We had nine students, a veteran friend of mine, and two gracious physicians give of their time. They were Drs. Mark Deffebach and Jennifer LeTourneau, Julie Doberne, Annika Giesbrecht, Geoff Maly, Andrew Peckham, Mackenzie Farley, Nick Eglitis, Natalie Wu, and Albert Alaniz. Rob West also took photos. Thank you all for your kindness and willingness to give these folks a few hours out of your busy schedules. While we can’t discuss details due to privacy concerns, here are some allowable excerpts from the encounters:
"I held one veteran’s hand as he cried and described American aviator POWs being stoned to death in the streets before they could be liberated."
"I hugged a lady whose veteran partner will die in a couple of months from his lymphoma."
"One veteran told us about the way the Korean winter caused a deep ache in his newly-healed bullet-hole when he would lie on the ground at 35 below."
"One lady said that in her 50 years of being a veteran, no one had ever told her thank you."
Many asked us to stay longer. Some cried as they thanked us when we left. It is such an honor to share a few moments with people with such huge hearts and to understand how it gives them great joy and a sense of pride and sometimes needed relief to be able to tell their stories. I confess that sometimes I don’t do that as well as I would like, but I believe we truly made a difference for them yesterday. I know they made a difference in me.
Overall, we had tremendous support and genuinely positive feedback from the OHSU and VA communities. Thank you all for coming. Thank you all for adding good moments to the lives of these veterans as you honored their sacrifices. You guys are awesome. Will look for you next year.
Great post Paul!
ReplyDeleteI cannot think of a more deserving group of people. I know you will make a wonderful MD and will enter the profession with your heart in the right place. Keep up the good work!
Hey Alex - Yeah, I never cease to be impressed with the veterans I meet. They are people who truly deserve our time and appreciation. Thanks for the encouragement. Hopefully, we're all getting a little better every day.. :0)
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