I do solemnly swear...

A good friend who went to medical school with me at GWU recently commented on what amazing experiences the military had provided for me and my family but added, "for me, the price of the privilege was always too steep." He too had thought about the military scholarship programs back then but had concluded that joining the military would require sacrifices that were too great for him and his family. Nearly thirteen years after having signed my name on the dotted line (actually 26 pages of dotted lines) and now having finished my final obligation to the U.S. Army within the last year, it is interesting for me to think back on the "sacrifices" that active duty service actually required of me and my family. If the recruiter back at the University of Utah had told me that, in addition to the usual obligations, my future military service would require me to leave my family and serve in a volatile warzone in Iraq, I too almost certainly would have concluded that "the price of the privilege (is) too steep." Strangely enough, having lived through it all (including the time in Iraq), I can honestly say that my wife and I would both choose to do it all over again! Puzzling as that sounds, we would never willingly give up the blessings and experiences that came as a direct result of our time in the military.


For my own benefit (and since I'm such a terrible journal-keeper), I'm hoping to be able to reconstruct the experience with pictures and commentary on this blog. It will probably only appear a little bit at a time, but hey, I'm feeling motivated. Wish me luck!


The fact that I ever ended up as an active duty officer is strange in and of itself. Growing up, I never imagined that I would one day join the Army. It just was never part of the plan. Then as a new husband and father and recent poor college graduate, I found myself facing huge future medical school tuition bills and living expenses in Washington, DC. Suddenly the military sounded like a promising option. I wish I could say that a strong desire to serve and defend my country led me to accept my commission in the U.S Army, but I have to admit that I joined for the money. In my mind, it was a calculated financial transaction and at the time, avoiding debt was what I hoped to get out of it.


Looking back, the world was a different place in April 1996 when I stood in front of the flag in that nondescript green office at the University of Utah, raised my right hand, and swore to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic" and to "bear true faith and allegiance to the same." Years of goal setting, hard work, and persistence had finally led me to hold a letter of acceptance to the GWU School of Medicine in my hands. All I needed now was a way to pay for the ridiculously high tuition. The Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) was the answer I was looking for. The oath was quick. I didn't feel any differently afterwards, but things had changed. My life's path had been altered and I didn't even know it.


For my first year of med school, my involvement with the Army consisted of watching stipend money automatically roll into my account each month. During the Summer of 1997, between 1st and 2nd year, I bought my first uniforms at Fort Meyer in Arlington, VA and flew down to San Antonio to attend the 6-week Officer Basic Course. Here are two of GW's newest (and finest) 2nd Lieutenants: 2LT Gary Halversen and 2LT Mitch Moffitt.By the time of med school graduation, I had already rotated through several military hospitals during summer breaks and had already matched at the Pediatrics Residency Program at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA. Working in the Army Medical Centers hadn't felt any different than working in civilian hospitals other than getting used to the sight of everyone in uniform.

Less than an hour after the GWU graduation ceremony ended on the White House Ellipse, I found myself standing at the Iwo Jima Memorial, raising my right hand once again, this time accepting my promotion to the rank of Captain and officially entering active duty. Although it would be delayed by three years of training, my life was now dedicated to "the needs of the Army." I am the fourth officer from the left in the photo.