Does anyone have anything positive to say about army medicine? I'm contemplating an acceptance at USUHS. My dad went to West Point, then USUHS, did his residency at Walter Reed, and then worked there till retirement except for a 3 year stint at Landstuhl from when I was 4 until 7. He only has positive things to say about army medicine; he loved his time at Walter Reed and retired as an O-6 only at my mom's insistence after earning the pension. He says his time both as a resident and attending was intense and busy and he doesn't understand when I tell him that the people who post on these forums complain of skill rot. I showed him this forum and he thinks that a lot of the information is harmful and inaccurate. He's really enthusiastic about me attending USUHS; we've already looked at condos in the Bethesda area (he thinks renting is silly) and he's put me into contact with current and former deans and department heads who were his classmates.
The army has afforded me and my family a great life (grew up in a big suburban D.C. house, prep school, an elite university, country clubs, fancy cars, etc) and I feel like I owe the army for this. I, too, would want this life for my wife and kids.
Is military medicine really as broken as this forum makes it out to be? Should I seriously consider my acceptances to other civilian schools? I don't currently owe any time nor am I in any debt.
What you're talking about is noblesse oblige. That, in itself, is an honorable impulse. As others have stated, you do not owe the Army for this. You owe your father, and perhaps the nation that allowed him to accumulate enough wealth to afford you so many privileges while working as a military physician (family money? excessive moonlighting? wife's dowry?).
So you were given much, and therefore much is expected. That is the essence of noblesse oblige. It is an antiquated term, that used to apply to the European aristocracy. In the olden times, aristocracy was associated with service, whether that was to the nation (the Officer Corps) to the Church (priesthood) or to the Polis (public servants).
If you want to join the Army based on this impulse, then I commend you, although you will quickly discover that the vast majority of people you meet could care less about it, if they even know what the term means. If you want to join the Army to have the same things that you grew up with, you are hopelessly naïve. Also, noblesse oblige entails sacrifice. True aristocrats did not join the military to enjoy the comforts and privileges it afforded them. They became Officers to lead less fortunate and privileged men by their own example, and often demonstrated great bravery and selflessness, a fact borne out by the casualty rosters from any WWI trench battle or encounter of bygone eras.
The military as a whole, and the Army in particular, will trample out quickly any aristocratic trappings you affect. Your wife will not be hosting luncheons with bluebloods from the upper echelons. She will be hosting FRG meetings at the Ft. Leonard Wood PX officiating between women with BMI's from 35-65 who greatly resent her fancy jewelry and lack of a muffin top. If she is a professional, she will either hector you into quitting the Service or divorce you (possibly both).
The Army I knew, as a recently discharged flight surgeon now IRR resident, involved 12 month deployments every other year and 2-3 months of out of state training when in garrison. As a flight doc, I spent more than 1/2 of my 4 year commitment either in Afghanistan or training to deploy. Had I been married, I would surely have gotten divorced. I was stationed at a typical backwoods post and commuted 1 hour each way, every day, in order to live in a nearby city. That's a lot of mileage on the car your father bought you.
In other words, your father's army is long-dead. His career path (never deployed, choice postings) is unlikely to resemble yours in any way, shape, or form. The post-Vietnam generation experienced the halcyon days of military service; of course they look back fondly on those times and disparage those of us who led a different life. Your experience as a military Physician is FAR more likely to resemble mine (or PGG's, or any of the repeat OEF/OIF vets) on this forum.
Do not join the military on your father's endorsement, or because you think it will give you life stability or prestige, because it will not. What I got out of military service in general, and combat in particular, was an extraordinary sense of comradeship that I have not found since leaving the Service, and that sustained me in the worst times.
Make sure you join for the right reasons. And do not go to USUHS unless you want to be a career military Physician. You sign one piece of paper and owe 14 years. I think it's a terrible and nonsensical decision for non-prior service folks, unless you're married and have a number of dependents.
- ex 61N
