The Final Lesson - Leaving It Better, Building Relationships, and Making Memories

My eventful time in the Air Force has come to an end. This past Friday was my last working day. I went to my "final out" and had my military identification literally confiscated. The Air Force paid for my medical education. In turn I served 7 years on active duty. Both sides have held up the bargain and then some! It was strange to take the uniform off for the last time. In fact, I did not peel off my "airmen battle uniform" until about 8:30 at night. It just did not seem right. But, all things in this world come to an end. I take away many things from my military career. As I relect upon it all, several concepts stick out to me as the most important.

First, "Leaving It Better" is something that I will strive to do in the future. I arrived at Offutt Air Force Base in June of 2004 for my first assignment. There were 8 of us family medicine interns. Our mission was to train for 3 years to become board certified family doctors. Our training took us from the hospital at Offutt to the massive University of Nebraska Medical Center to community hospitals in Omaha and even to rural Nebraska. We received excellent training. My "classmates" and I decided early on that we wanted to have a positive impact on the program. There was a lot of negativity surrounding us. We wanted to rise above that. It was a stressful 3 years there. As a class, we grew closer as we made it through all the challenges of learning how to be a real doctor. We all grew to love Nebraska. I actually enjoyed my residency training due in large part to the excellent people I met there. In our last year, myself and my good friend Brent Barnstuble were elected "chief residents" of the entire training program. We worked hard to improve things for everyone. It was an honor to serve in this capacity. At graduation, we presented several gifts to the staff at both Offut Air Force Base and the University of Nebraska to remember us. These pictures now hang on the walls at both of those facilities. I truly believe in my heart that we were the best class that program had seen in many years. We left it a better place.

Second, I have seen clearly that building relationships in life is incredibly important. In the military, we meet so many people along the way. People come into your life for periods of time and then are gone in a flash it seems. This is even more obvious with the military lifestyle involving deployments and frequent moves. I think my deployments demonstarte this more than anything. On my 2008 deployment, I met Dr. Yama Musleh of the Afghan National Army. I have written about him before. We became close friends in the middle of a combat zone. We worked side by side trying to build up the Afghan National Army. This was and is still today a critically important mission. When I left for home on 31 October 2008, it was hard to say bye because I knew that it probably was the last time I would see Yama. But, that was not the case as we had an amazing reunion this spring. (see my previous entry "Some Bonds Are Never Broken") On my 2010 deployment to Afghanistan, Dr. Mike Greene was my wingman. I have also written about him, too. We worked harder than we ever will in our lives for six months. We saw the worst injuries imaginable day in and day out. Our time at the Bagram hospital was intense. We leaned on one another every day. On 3 July 2010, we parted ways at the airport in Baltimore after our journey back from the war. Mike went back to his life in Japan and I returned to Charleston. We have not had much contact since then. That is okay. Eventually our paths will cross again and we will have much to talk about for sure!

Third, I have learned just how important it is to make memories. In the military, the only constant is change. We are asked to adapt, innovate, and overcome all the time. We are asked to do things that we never thought possible. Those that make a career out of the military move their lives from base to base on a regular basis. The good people that we meet along the way often fade away. It is inevitable. But, good memories can last a lifetime. My time in Charleston from 2007 to 2011 has been very memorable. I had never lived anywhere outside of the midwest. I'll never forget getting out of the car for the first time in Charleston on 9 July 2007 and feeling the stifling heat of the south. However, it did not take long to discover all the fabulous things here. The history here is so interesting. The landscape is so unique. The water is beautiful. In a nutshell, Charleston is a great place to live. I will not soon forget running on the beach with my running group, kayaking on Shem Creek, or the carriage tours through the historic district. I will not soon forget all the good times in Mount Pleasant (suburb of Charleston). They don't call it Mount Perfect for nothing! I will not soon forget all the laughs at parties and all the fun in the sun. I will miss Charleston, but the memories will live on and on.

My blog "Life After Afghanistan" has been a way for me to make sense of life back here in the states after 2 deployments. It has been a way to think about all my military experiences. I move forward with many lessons learned since 22 May 2000 when I raised my right hand and swore to "defend the constitution against all enemies". I hope that my next career is as meaningful. And, I think it will be as long as I remember to leave it better, build relationships, and make memories!!!