Local Doctor Describes Tour of Duty

Bloomington (Illinois) Pantagraph ^ | 16 Dec. 2003 | Paul Swiech

[Western Phil]

Local doctor describes tour of duty The Pantagraph/LORI ANN COOK

Dr. Tom Caldwell, who went to Kuwait in the Army reserves, is back at his job as a physician at LeRoy Family Medicine. Caldwell examines Daniel Hartwig, 11, of LeRoy for a sports physical Thursday.

By Paul Swiech pswiech@pantagraph.com LeROY -- "So, you're going to wrestle?" Dr. Tom Caldwell asked Daniel Hartwig, 11, a sixth-grader at LeRoy Elementary School.

Hartwig said "yes" and Caldwell proceeded with the questions and examination that come with a school sports physical. Caldwell saw several patients at LeRoy Family Medicine on Thursday afternoon. During a break between examinations, Caldwell looked up from a patient's file. "I'm grateful to be back home. But there's a fair amount of guilt because there are a lot of guys still over there." "Over there" is Kuwait and Iraq. Dr. Caldwell, 35, also is Capt. Caldwell of the U.S. Army 801st Combat Support Hospital. He recently returned from three months of active duty in Kuwait at the Kuwaiti Armed Forces Hospital. The Southern Illinois native was in the process of moving to LeRoy to work with Dr. Srirat Temi in late July when he received orders to report for active duty. In Kuwait, he treated American and other coalition soldiers. "Mostly, it was nonbattle illnesses: heat injury, diarrhea and kidney stones due to dehydration," he said. "You literally can't drink enough water (in the desert) while you're training or in combat." Caldwell also assisted surgeons in treating soldiers with battle wounds. "The main ones I saw were gunshot wounds to the extremities," he said. He also assisted in treating training injuries, such as broken legs, and those from motor vehicle accidents, such as a broken neck after a Humvee collision. Caldwell was impressed by the high morale of his unit and of the combat soldiers. "These folks are away from their families and jobs, yet they are able to put that aside to focus on what they need to do," he said. Caldwell also was impressed at the medical capabilities and morale of the other coalition forces. "Sometimes as Americans, we run the risk of being arrogant," he said. "But the other countries did a good job taking care of their troops too." While the majority of people he dealt with were Americans, he saw a variety of coalition forces. "There were Brits, Spaniards, Ukrainians, Romanians, Poles, Italians...," he said. "Going to chow was like dinner at the U.N. "We're definitely not in this thing alone," he said. "Other folks feel the same way we do -- that we're helping out the good people of Iraq." Despite the camaraderie, Caldwell welcomed a break to work at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait. "One day, I did a well-baby checkup on a 6-month-old. That was good for the soul." Caldwell's unit had some conveniences, such as access to e-mail and telephones. One day, a trailer pulled up and began selling Subway sandwiches and pizza. "But we still didn't have the freedom (of movement) that we take for granted in the United States," he observed. "Here, we can hop in a car and go about anywhere we want. There, we were limited because of security. We moved as a unit." Caldwell left Kuwait with mixed feelings, "but with a lot of pride over the job I did." He's dividing his time between LeRoy Family Medicine and Sugar Creek Medical Associates in Normal. Both are part of BroMenn Medical Group. When a new medical building is built in LeRoy in 2004, Caldwell will be practicing there full-time. He doesn't wear his active duty time on his sleeve and is quick to point out that his time abroad was brief compared with most veterans. But one thing he has enjoyed in LeRoy since he began practicing there earlier this month is the conversation with older patients who are veterans. "They knew I was in Kuwait because they read the earlier article," he said. "Some of them thanked me for what I did. That was pretty touching because I was overseas for just a fraction of the time that many of them were overseas. I already have a bond with them."

[Travis McGee]

Ping!

[Chu Gary]

Good on this Doc!