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The Call to Serve Their Nation

Max Lee, MD, FACEP

Deployments are times of uncertainty: Will I be able to do what I was trained to do? Will I come home safe? How will my family fare while I am away? 

Deployments are also moments of serendipity where friends reconnect across the globe working along-side soldiers, Marines, airmen, and sailors who’ve answered the call to serve their nation.  (See photo 6)

PHOTO 5: At Kandahar Airfield in January 2019, Dr. Kat Landa and Trauma Team Charlie prepare for an incoming mass casualty of Afghan Special Forces from a Taliban attack in Kandahar Province.

PHOTO 6: Medical school classmates gather at the 14th Combat Support Hospital, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. From left: retired Col. Brian Delmonaco (EM), retired Col. Max Lee (EM), retired Col. Christopher Lettieri (Critical Care), and retired Col. Shawn Taylor (EM).

 

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Unique Bonds Formed

Sean Stuart, LCDR, MC, USN, D.O, FAAEM, FACEP, FAWM

The war in Afghanistan, like any war, had no lack of trials, tribulations, and losses. Yet the experiences and pride that came from our work there became defining moments in my life. Never has there been a better setting than a combat zone to emphasize the importance of those around you. It is not cliche to say these people became like family. Years later there are still emails, text messages, wedding invitations, and even the occasional reunion. Like the experiences there, the bonds formed are truly unique. (See photo 7)

PHOTO 7: On April 20, 2012, Dr. Sean Stuart in front of Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii.

Check out this month’s cover story online to see more photos from Afghanistan.