The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences & "Fighting for Life"

March 5, 2008 | iMacMan

[iMacMan]

A touching new movie about the school and how its graduates help heal our brave wounded warriors and about some of their courageous patients...

Very few folks have heard of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU-HS), but it's a place we all (including the moonbats) should know something about. USU-HS is the military school that trains MANY of the docs & nurses who treat our wounded heroes from the battlefield to Walter Reed and other military hospitals around the globe.

Its main campus is located on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. The United States Military Cancer Institute is part of USU, and it’s located on the main campus of Walter Reed.

The link to the school’s Website is:

http://www.usuhs.mil

Here’s a little of what the site says about the school:

“USU has a worldwide reputation as a center of excellence for military and public health professions education and research. Our programs are unique, related directly to force health protection, tropical diseases, disaster medicine, military and public health medical readiness and adaptation to extreme environments. USU prepares outstanding scientists and health care practitioners for careers in service to the nation.”

A good friend told me about this late last year, and he sent me an email with the following:

“(USU) produces close to a third of the military’s doctors who are among the most dedicated men and women I have ever met. One of the reasons for their anonymity over the years is Congress’ repeated threats to close the school. Some of those brilliant minds in Congress believe that the government should leave it to the private sector to educate doctors. They miss one point. Doctors who go into the military through scholarships at civilian med schools do their time and get out. Almost 3/4 of all graduates of USU since its first graduating class in 1980 are still on active duty. It is like saying we should close West Point because we can train officers in 4 months at OCS; why take 4 years?”

I believe he told me that 1/3 of the docs at Walter Reed are USU graduates. The room was very noisy that evening, so don’t hold me to that exact figure.

He has been involved with the production of a new movie, "Fighting for Life," about USU and Walter Reed, along with the other facilities our wounded heroes are taken to on their way back from Iraq and Afghanistan. The premier was held at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum last May, and it will open in the DC area (and others as well) in the coming weeks and play for about a week. The initial response will determine whether the rest of the country will get to see it in theaters. Here’s a link to movie’s Website:

http://www.fightingforlifethemovie.com/

Here’s what the Director says about the movie:

“I started out to make a film about USU in Bethesda, “the best medical school no one’s ever heard of,” as its students called it. It was to be an in-depth portrait of this very special institution, the “West Point” of military medicine, which has trained over 25% of current active duty military physicians. The film was to explore why, in spite of the school’s great value, excellence and reputation, Congress and the Department of Defense kept trying to close it.

But the Iraq War intervened, and the film grew until it became an odyssey through the world of military medicine in a time of war.

Over a two year period, my small crew and I filmed with HD cameras in a combat hospital in the center of Iraq, on giant C-141 and C-17 planes outfitted as flying intensive care units, and in military hospitals in Germany and the U.S.

We were privileged to have virtually unlimited access to the entire spectrum of patient care from helicopter arrivals of wounded from battlefields in Iraq to rehab at Walter Reed and the National Naval Medical Center in Washington and Bethesda.

We were also privileged to be trusted to share and film the deep emotions of the military doctors and nurses we met, many of whom were experiencing intense compassion fatigue after years of 80 hour work-weeks caring for thousands of war wounded patients.

And finally, we were privileged and grateful to meet many of the wounded, including Iraqi wounded, to get to know their stories and their feelings, as they coped, both physically and emotionally with their situations — especially emotionally — for as one military doctor says in the film, “There’s nothing normal about war. There’s nothing normal about losing a limb or seeing your best friend die.”

For me, Fighting For Life is a portrait of the compassion, skill, dedication and bravery of military doctors and nurses, and the courage, dignity and determination of the wounded to survive, to heal and, in the words of Army Specialist Crystal Davis, severely injured in Iraq by an IED, to “bounce back.””

My wife and I were very fortunate to see this movie a couple of months ago, and it was clear the folks who made this movie are some of the “good guys.” It tells a story we should all get a chance to hear.

Current openings around the country:

New York City, Quad Cinema March 7
Washington, DC, E Street Cinema March 14
Bethesda, MD, Bethesda Row March 14
Los Angeles, Laemmle Sunset 5 March 21
San Diego, Hillcrest Theater March 28
San Antonio, Bijou Theater April 4

For info on the DC theaters, including directions and showtimes, see:

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/ (select March 14 in the left panel)

If you're in DC for the WS2 activities, think of hanging around an extra day and taking this in. Both the DC and Bethesda theaters are very conveniently located. Just don't let it interfere with your FR plans!

Here're just a couple of the comments on the trailer on YouTube:

"A few hours ago I was privileged to view the entire film "Fighting For Life". Like the Doctor said in the film - it doesn't matter whether you believe the war is right or wrong - we are there. We owe a great debt to the courageous men and women who fight for our freedoms and for the men and women who care for them from beginning to end. See the movie - tell all your friends to see it as well. God Bless America!!!!!"

"Everyone needs to get the chance to see this movie across America. Our sons and daughters need to see it - they are our future and they need to know the way things really are in a war, not just what they see in video games or movies. Please bring this movie to every town so that we may all understand more! Thank you to everyone out there fighting for our freedoms and those who are fighting to save the injured!!"

Please take a couple of minutes to watch it for yourselves and read the other comments at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJF0Yv9Dzsg

[iMacMan]

An update on “Fighting For Life.” Hope to see some of my FR FRiends there.

-iMacMan

[BufordP]

Thanks for the ping!

[11th_VA]

The acronym (USU-HS) is jokingly pronounced ‘useless’ around here ...

[bmwcyle]

bttt

[Albion Wilde]

Thank you! It’s great to see positive things said about our military and its health system!

[trooprally]

Four showings each theater on March 14. Sounds like a good chance of pace after being out supporting our troops.

iMacMan, thanks for posting.

[Mr] T

[maica]

You are right that our children need to know what our military medical staff are doing to save the lives of our wounded. So far it seems that only professional (trade) magazines feel the need to publicize the magnificent work being done every day.

Of course “everyone knows” that Walter Reed is synonymous with “horrible treatment” because big media has sold that message very well!

[wastoute]

The author fails to elaborate on why grads of other Med Schools get out. One big reason is career advancement. All the slots that lead to promotion go to USUHS and Service Acad. grads. The billets no one wants go to HPSPers. Sort of a self fulfilling prophecy.