Fwd: [MilitaryVeterans] THE GREATEST GENERATION -- SOON WILL BE GONE

[Mukund Apte]

      Dear Sir,
      I have however full faith that the coming generation will not be lesser than the current. Man has to Develop, as per God's design.
      With regards to all,
      ------Mukund Apte

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Brig V A Subramanyam <VASubr...@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 7:51 AM
Subject: [MilitaryVeterans] THE GREATEST GENERATION -- SOON WILL BE GONE
To:

 

Please delete all details of previous senders and use the BCC field while forwarding mail.  The information contained in this message does not reflect the sender's personal opinions and should not be construed as such. The sender does not accept liability or guarantee authenticity for any of the statements made or any of the information contained herein. Subject: : THE GREATEST GENERATION -- SOON WILL BE GONE                                  SOON TO BE  GONE   By Capt.  Steven Ellison, MD A MILITARY  DOCTOR This  should be required reading in every school and  college in our country.  This Captain, an  Army doctor, deserves a medal himself for  putting this together.  If you choose not  to pass it on, fine, but I think you will want  to, after you read it. I  am a doctor specializing in the Emergency  Departments of the only two military Level  One-Trauma Centers, both in   San  Antonio , TX  and they care for  civilian Emergencies as well as military  personnel.      San Antonio has  the largest military retiree population in the  world living here.  As a military doctor, I  work long hours and the pay is less than  glamorous.  One tends to become jaded by  the long hours, lack of sleep, food, family  contact and the endless parade of human  suffering passing before you. The arrival of  another ambulance does not mean more pay, only  more work.  Most often, it is a victim from  a motor vehicle crash.          Often  it is a person of dubious character who has been  shot or stabbed.  With our large military  retiree population, it is often a nursing home  patient.  Even with my enlisted service and  minimal combat experience in Panama , I have  caught myself groaning when the ambulance  brought in yet another sick, elderly person from  one of the local retirement centers that cater  to military retirees.  I had not stopped to  think of what citizens of this age group  represented. I  saw 'Saving Private Ryan.' I was touched deeply.   Not so much by the carnage, but by the  sacrifices of so many.  I was touched most  by the scene of the elderly survivor at the  graveside, asking his wife if he'd been a good  man.  I realized that I had seen these same  men and women coming through my Emergency Dept..  and had not realized what magnificent sacrifices  they had made.  The things they did for me  and everyone else that has lived on this planet  since the end of that conflict are  priceless.   Situation  permitting, I now try to ask my patients about  their experiences.  They would never bring  up the subject without the inquiry.  I have  been privileged to an amazing array of  experiences, recounted in the brief minutes  allowed in an Emergency Dept. encounter.   These experiences have revealed the  incredible individuals I have had the honor of  serving in a medical capacity, many on their  last admission to the  hospital. There  was a frail, elderly woman who reassured my  young enlisted medic, trying to start an IV line  in her arm.  She remained calm and poised,  despite her illness and the multiple  needle-sticks into her fragile veins.  She  was what we call a 'hard stick.'  As the  medic made another attempt,  I noticed a  number tattooed across her forearm.  I  touched it with one finger and looked into her  eyes. She simply said,  ' Auschwitz .'   Many of later generations would have  loudly and openly berated the young medic in his  many attempts.  How different was the  response from this person who'd seen unspeakable  suffering. Also,  there was this long retired Colonel, who as a  young officer had parachuted from his burning  plane over a   Pacific Island   held by the Japanese.  Now an  octogenarian, he had a minor cut on his head  from a fall at his home where he lived alone.   His CT scan and suturing had been delayed  until after midnight by the usual parade of high  priority ambulance patients..  Still spry  for his age, he asked to use the phone to call a  taxi, to take him home, then he realized his  ambulance had brought him without his wallet.   He asked if he could use the phone to make  a long distance call to his daughter who lived 7  miles away.  With great pride we told him  that he could not, as he'd done enough for his  country and the least we could do was get him a  taxi home, even if we had to pay for it  ourselves.  My only regret was that my  shift wouldn't end for several hours, and I  couldn't drive him myself.   I was  there the night M/Sgt Roy Benavidez came  through the Emergency Dept. for the last time.   He was very sick.  I was not the  doctor taking care of him, but I walked to his  bedside and took his hand.  I said nothing.   He was so sick, he didn't know I was  there. I'd read his Congressional Medal of Honor  citation and wanted to shake his hand.  He  died a few days later. The  gentleman who served with Merrill's  Marauders, the  survivor of the Bataan Death  March,       the  survivor of Omaha Beach   , the  101 year old World War I  veteran. The  former POW held in frozen North Korea   The  former Special Forces medic -      now with  non-operable liver cancer the  former Viet Nam Corps  Commander.. I may  still groan when yet another ambulance comes in,      but now I  am much more aware of what an honor it is to      serve  these particular men and  women. I  have seen a Congress who would turn their back  on     these  individuals who've sacrificed so much to protect      our  liberty.  I see later generations that seem  to be totally     engrossed  in abusing these same liberties, won with such  sacrifice. It  has become my personal endeavor to make      the  nurses and young enlisted medics aware      of these  amazing individuals when I encounter      them in  our Emergency Dept.  Their response      to these  particular citizens has made me think      that  perhaps all is not lost in the next  generation.. My  experiences have solidified my belief that we  are losing     an  incredible generation, and this nation knows not  what     it is  losing.  Our uncaring government and  ungrateful civilian      populace  should all take note.  We should all  remember     that we  must 'Earn this.' Written  By CAPT. Stephen R. Ellison, M.D. US  Army   If  it weren't for the United States Military, there'd be NO United States of America  ! In spite  of everything these many brave souls did to  defend  the      U.S.   and many other Countries, we have a  President who runs      around  apologizing for the U.S.  actions.    Stephen Ellison , MD A MILITARY  DOCTOR =

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Take time to laugh, for it is the music of the soul.

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY

Have a Happy and Wonderful Day.

== Subramanyam   

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      With regards to all,
      ------Mukund Apte