Speaking to Our Protectors
Today, I had the distinct honor to be invited to speak to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery doctors and residents at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. This is the famous bastion of medical care for our wounded warriors and our Commander in Chief, since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
We started off with a tour of this famous hospital and were able to walk through the physical therapy department where our wounded warriors come to get new arms and legs and to rehabilitate back into society. The first guest to greet us was a beautiful chocolate retriever named Deuce. Deuce was wearing army camo with a patch that said “Pet Me”. Immediately you could imagine the comfort that our recovering soldiers and sailors feel when Deuce nuzzles up against them begging for attention.
This rehab facility is a world class facility and resembles an Olympic training center. My wife April accompanied me and our amazement turned to sorrow and remorse when we turned the corner and saw the room below that was strewn with artificial limbs. This was a sobering reminder of what price many young men women have paid for all of us. Next to this room was a sign “Freedom is not Free”. Seeing all of this will bring a tear to anyone’s eye.
A room full of prosthetic limbs for our wounded warriors that made these sacrifices for our country.
The Officers of the Maxillofacial Surgery Department at Walter Reed Medical Center
After lunch, we began the lecture and I presented talks on diagnosing the cosmetic facial surgery patient, laser and chemical peel, facelift, Botox and wrinkle and lip fillers, facial implants and a Q and A period. The audience included seasoned Army and Navy Surgeons and surgical residents, some fresh of their trauma rotations, which in the military includes massive facial injuries. Any of these senior surgeons could be deployed overseas anytime.
Dr. Joe Lecturing to the Army and Navy docs
Taking the train to D.C. was easy and allowed to finish a textbook chapter and work on my webpage without fighting Northern Virginia traffic. Again, it was an honor to share knowledge about cosmetic facial surgery with such great group of men and women.
When I close my eyes tonight to sleep, the image of the room full of artificial legs will remain in my mind and remind me once again about what a great country we live in but what a severe sacrifice some patriots make to keep it free.
Joe and April with a steel beam from the World Trade Center 911 attack.
Joe Niamtu, III
Cosmetic Facial Surgery
Richmond, Virginia