Orthopaedic team No. 2, Italy.
Courtesy
of Paul R. Milligan, MD
Wartime experiences have changed the course of orthopaedics. Many of the soldiers
wounded in Iraq will go on to live productive, independent lives thanks to the
scientific advances that came out of World Wars I, II and later conflicts. This
is an acknowledgement of the efforts of those who have served our country in
times of crisis.
Richard Kyle, MD, and Andrew Pollack, MD, confer
with surgeons during an October 2006 visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical
Center in Germany.
Orthopaedic surgeons have long played a crucial role at times of war, and the ongoing conflict in Iraq is no exception. Dozens of orthopaedic surgeons have been deployed to various parts of Central Asia in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, with many others serving stateside in the U.S. military hospitals.
Watch the stories of men and women in the U.S. military returning
from Iraq and the physicians and health professionals who
work with them.
Dr. Andrew Pollack and Dr. Calhoun discuss the injuries encountered
by military trauma orthopaedic surgeons and provide insights into
the research and advances to help them provide the best available
care for these injured soldiers.
66th Field Hospital. Courtesy of Paul R. Milligan, MD
World War II is called, quite understandably, the defining
experience in the lives of millions of Americans--so too in
the lives of these orthopaedic surgeons. Most in their early
twenties, they were faced in World War II for the first
time with their own mortality and the terrible responsibility
of saving the lives of so many mangled bodies. They
had little preparation or training for this awesome task.
Most often, they operated under the chaotic stress
of combat. These recollections are brief tidbits of
a past lifetime: a mosaic of moments from long ago, still
indelibly etched in the minds and souls of the participants.
The surgeons' actions and their own words-quiet, boisterous, profane,
insightful--are their legacy for us today.
Wounded in Action is a moving testimonial to our veterans' involvement
in the Second World War. The film features some of our WWII veteran
Academy members who reflect on both tragic memories,
heroic moments, and the impact these experiences had on their lives.
View an excerpt from the documentary Wounded in Action
