Wounded soldiers in Afghanistan are often transported to Germany for medical care.
/ The U.S. Army (Flickr)
TOLEDO -- Society for Vascular Surgery member, Dr. Steven S. Gale, volunteered two weeks last month treating wounded American soldiers transported from Afghanistan to the U.S. Army's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.
Dr. Gale says the experience made him think of his time in Vietnam. "I was a platoon leader in support of the 173rd Airborne Brigade; we were involved in the infamous battle for 'Hill 875 in which I saw many GI's lose their lives," he said.
Dr. Gale had planned on a military career but changed his mind when he returned to the states and learned how unpopular the Vietnam War had become. From there, he went to medical school in New York City and has been a board certified vascular surgeon at Toledo Hopsital for three decades.
"It was a rewarding experience; we felt we were making a difference," Dr. Gale said.
Since September 2007, 72 Society for Vascular Surgery members have volunteered to supplement the limited number of vascular surgeons in residence at the Army hospital in Germany.
To learn more about the Society for Vascular Surgery, log onto their website: www.vascularweb.org.
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