WarDocs - The Military Medicine Podcast

  LTC(Ret) Reed has held various assignments in the Army Medical Department including Intensive Care Nurse and Flight Nurse in the Army Burn Unit. He was the Distinguished Graduate of the prestigious US Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing. Afterward, he was assigned to the 126th Forward Surgical Team at Ft. Hood, Texas. He was then selected to join the ranks of an elite medical unit that s...

  COL (Dr.) Gross has 10 deployments totaling over 5.5 years 20-year career as a general and trauma (expeditionary) surgeon. He is a true expert in the military deployed trauma system, having been the Joint Trauma Theater Director for Afghanistan and Iraq many times and Director of the Joint Trauma System. This episode is a recreation of an interview with him during a Joint Trauma System weekly ca...

COL (Dr.) Gross joined the Army at 48 years old while in a thriving general surgery practice to do his part following the 9/11 attacks. 20 years later, he is still on active duty deploying with special forces and conventional units 10 times, totaling over 5.5 years. He received his MD at Indiana University School of Medicine and completed his General Surgery residency at Indiana University Medical...

    COL (Dr.) David Doman, M.D. is an Adult Reconstructive Orthopedic Surgeon with three combat deployments. In this episode, he discusses his Marine Corps career as an Engineer Officer before medical school and his transition to a medical career. We discuss his training in Orthopedic Surgery at BAMC during a high influx period of combat-wounded soldiers with his memorable cases.  He spent eight y...

In this episode, we speak with the founder and President of GSMSG, Aaron Epstein, MD.  The mission of the organization is to provide expert care and education around the globe in austere locations and Dr. Epstein talks about their recent experiences in Ukraine.  GSMSG is made up of many military medical veterans and other volunteers with a variety of experiences, including special operations medic...

Dr. Stone is a Board-Certified Dermatologist with extensive experience in entrepreneurial businesses, commercial, federal, and uniformed services health care delivery. Dr. Stone retired after 24 years from the US Army at the rank of Major General and served as the Deputy Surgeon General for Support for the US Army Medical Command. He is a combat-experienced Veteran with service in Afghanistan wher...

     CSM (Ret) Dr. Althea Green's military background includes duties within operational as well as fixed facility health care organizations, with leadership responsibilities at every level from tactical to strategic. She was the first woman and first person of color to be competitively selected as the Army's Medical Command (MEDCOM) Soldier of the Year. She culminated her Army career as the 16th...

   Dr. Granger is a board-certified hematologist/oncologist and served as the Program Executive Officer of the TRICARE Management Activity, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.   He also led the largest U.S. and multi-national battlefield health system in our recent history while serving as Commander, Task Force 44th Medical Command, and Command Surgeon for the Multinat...

  Dr. Rhee is Board Certified in General Surgery and surgical critical care and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.  He served in the Navy for 26 years in many important roles in the operational and training environments.   In the episode, he describes what it’s like to be a physician on a nuclear aircraft carrier and perform surgeries while underway at sea.  He also relates his exper...

  COL (Dr.) Ramey Wilson served as Command Surgeon for Special Operations Command-Africa, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), and Joint Task Force-Afghanistan. He also served as the Battalion Surgeon for the 4th Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), and the 2-508 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. He presently is the Operational Medicine Advisor for the Center for Glob...

  Dr. Thomas describes his career pathway from training and practicing as a dentist and later attending medical school and becoming a board-certified ENT-Head and Neck Surgeon.  He explains the similarities and differences between Oral Maxillofacial Surgery and ENT and how their missions are complimentary.  Dr. Thomas relates his experiences while stationed at Fort Campbell, KY where he served as...

   Dr. Weightman discusses his lifetime of military service as a West Point cadet, infantry officer, and physician. He served as the 82nd Airborne Division Surgeon and describes his planning and execution of Operations Just Cause (combat jump into Panama) and Desert Storm. He also describes how he used these experiences to synchronize the medical knowledge of these conflicts to help implement cutt...

Dr. Green served as the 20th Air Force Surgeon General from August 12, 2009, to July 19, 2012. Hear in this episode his training to become an aerospace medicine physician. He led through multiple crises in the Pacific, commanded multiple military hospitals, including Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, helped lead Air Force medicine following 9/11, and oversaw aeromedical evacuation for op...

CSM Hough is the top combat medic, "doc" in Army Medicine. With multiple deployments, he describes the challenges he experienced in combat casualty care at the point of injury. These remarkable stories helped shape his career, motivating him to improve his skills.  He translated those skills to improving combat medicine as a combat medic trainer, NCO leader, and now as the MEDCOM Command Sergeant...

  In this episode you will hear how Dr. King walked into a Boston Army Recruiting Office and said “Hey, I’m a Doctor and I want to join the Army”, a very uncommon scenario in the recruiting world!  He describes what drew him to a career in Trauma and Critical Care and how he was part of the initial discussions of developing an Army Trauma Training platform at Ryder Trauma Center in Miami.   He sha...

  In this episode you will hear MG(R) Pollock describe her journey into Army Medicine and what led her to pursue a career as an CRNA.  She talks about the role of a CRNA on the battlefield and her experiences at multiple medical treatment facilities including Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  She explains how advanced degrees such as a Master’s degr...

BG Coots describes his lifelong ambition to become a doctor and the perseverance required to accomplish his goal of becoming a Dermatologist.  This episode describes his career and deployment experiences in his pathway to becoming the Surgeon General for the US Forces in Afghanistan. He describes his general officer role as well as being a dermatologist. He was the Command Surgeon for the US Army...

Dr. Kester, a Military Infectious Disease Specialist, explains the critical role of military translational (benchtop research to patient care application) in vaccine development, mental health, traumatic brain injury, and the diagnosis and treatment of pathogens across the globe.  He explains the unique role of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and how that organization works with civilia...

Part 2    Dr. Holcomb describes groundbreaking developments that occurred during the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, including the “rediscovery” of tourniquets, hemorrhage control, and shifts in transfusion paradigms.   He describes how battlefield surgical techniques and improvements helped revolutionize Damage Control Surgery and Resuscitation for combat trauma.  Dr. Holcomb is a true pioneer...

Part 1     Dr. Holcomb describes his experiences while deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia, during the “Blackhawk Down” incident and how this shaped his future career in Military Medicine.  He shares some stories from his experiences supporting Special Operations Forces early in his career and then from his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as a Trauma Surgeon and Trauma Consultant to the Army Surgeo...

    We are looking for likeminded individuals who share our passion about honoring the legacy and preserving the oral history of Military Medicine.   In this special mini-episode Doug and Wayne will answer the following questions about the podcast: What is the mission of WarDocs and why do we do this? How did WarDocs start and how did the vision evolve? Who might be interested in WarDocs? What are...

Lieutenant General (Ret.) Eric B. Schoomaker, MD, PhD, FACP   In this  2 part episode you will hear the 42nd Army Surgeon General, Dr. Eric Schoomaker describe how he joined Army Medicine and why he decided to serve over 32 years on Active Duty.  He explains the operational and strategic importance of translational research in the Military how Hematology/Oncology physicians support the warfighters...

Lieutenant General (Ret.) Eric B. Schoomaker, MD, PhD, FACP   In this  2 part episode you will hear the 42nd Army Surgeon General, Dr. Eric Schoomaker describe how he joined Army Medicine and why he decided to serve over 32 years on Active Duty.  He explains the operational and strategic importance of translational research in the Military how Hematology/Oncology physicians support the warfighters...

Dr. Russ Kotwal spent nearly 30 years in the military and served on 12 deployments with 75th Ranger Regiment.  He stayed with the Ranger community to become the Regimental Surgeon and then U.S. Army Special Operations Command.  He is a master parachutist, master flight surgeon, has five bronze stars, two Joint Service Commendation medals for Valor, and two combat jumps.    Dr. Kotwal describes how...

Dr. Russ Kotwal spent nearly 30 years in the military and more than 15 years in operational assignments with the 25thInfantry Division, 75th Ranger Regiment, and U.S. Army Special Operations Command.  He conducted hundreds of ground combat and air missions as the senior medical provider.    Dr. Kotwal describes his journey to military medicine through the Uniformed Services University and then to...