July 31, 1980, 11:55 PM. I was a short-order cook at A&W Restaurant, Salem, Missouri. Closing time in 5 minutes. A carhop order came in over the speaker: “Papa Burger, fries, medium Sprite . . . and one hamburger patty.” “Hamburger patty?” “Yeah. Hold the bun. In fact, send it out raw.” “Raw?” “Yeah. ComeContinue reading “Turning 18”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Brikena and the Commandant
Spring, 1999, Aviano Air Base, Italy. NATO bombing of Serbian Forces in Serbia and Kosovo was in full swing. The front desk called back, “You have an urgent walk-in appointment, doctor.” Gloria Leonarduzzi, a delightful Croatian woman, was checked in, vitals taken. I walked into the exam room and quickly discovered she was not there forContinue reading “Brikena and the Commandant”
Sixth Place can be Awesome.
It was the spring of 1993. My daughter, Hannah, stood on the starting block. She was five years old—one of the youngest and tiniest members of the Bluewater Bay Barracudas, a community swim team in Niceville, Florida. She was racing her very first event: the 25-meter freestyle—one full length of the pool. Hannah was inContinue reading “Sixth Place can be Awesome.”
Guarding Göring
The old man was in my clinic for his first appointment with me. “Could you please speak up?” The old man turned his left ear toward me. “Can’t hear out of the right ear at all.” “How long have been deaf in your right ear?” I inquired. “Since 1945. Damn M-1 carbine kept misfiring whenContinue reading “Guarding Göring”
The Warrior and the Prayer Warrior
My wife, Diana, had prayed for him for years. He was just a name on a bracelet- COL. GEORGE DAY, 8-26-67 She was given the POW bracelet in junior-high school in the early 70’s. She wore the bracelet and prayed faithfully for his safety, health, and safe return for years. In college, she lost the braceletContinue reading “The Warrior and the Prayer Warrior”
Hiding in Plain Sight
I was at the end of a week of S.E.R.E (Survive, Evade, Resist, Evade) training—better yet, lest I misrepresent, I should call it S.E.R.E.-lite training—it was by no means the intense course given to U.S. military air crews. This was simply a 1-week intro S.E.R.E. course given to 2nd-year Air Force Medical students at aContinue reading “Hiding in Plain Sight”
Dead Men Walking
The old man tottered into the exam room, deftly placed his cane against the chair and took a seat. It was our first visit together. I was his new doctor. “Good Morning, Sir!” I greeted him. He rose to greet me with a firm handshake. In spite his 93 years, his wizened, proud bearing andContinue reading “Dead Men Walking”
Workplace Witness 101
“How does your faith inform and influence your practice of medicine? “ That was a question posed to me recently by my pastor, Shane Bishop. My response touched on praying with my patients and a few other overt examples of Christian activity within the clinic. And this was all true and accurate, but I wish IContinue reading “Workplace Witness 101”
My Late Night Chat with Dr. Saunders
February, 1988. 2 AM. I was working the 11-7 night shift as a mental health technician in an inpatient psychiatric hospital at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. The charge nurse handed me a patient chart and asked me to take it to the 4th-floor pre-adolescent inpatient unit and give it to theContinue reading “My Late Night Chat with Dr. Saunders”
A Salute and a Pizza
The young black man sat on the back row of the church. At the end of service, he quietly left. After a few Sundays, I approached him. He nodded, smiled and shook my hand but it was obvious he knew very little English. Over the next few months, as his English improved, I got toContinue reading “A Salute and a Pizza”
Dash Stories 