Fighting for Life movie poster

Fighting for Life movie poster, originally uploaded by ccoppola@pol.net.

a film by Terry Sanders

An Amazing Vietnam Era Surgeon

Hello Friends,





Today we recieved our electronic copy of the Brown Alumni Magazine with a great article by Cathy Shufro. She interviewed me about my time in Balad, and also writes about Dr. Agustus White, an impressive and accomplished orthopedic surgeon. During the Vietnam war, he served as an Army surgeon caring for injured troops. He found time on weekends to volunteer at a Vietnamese leper hospital and improved the lives of many . You can find Ms. Shufro's article here. I think that she very well captures my thoughts and experiences from the war. Below is a portrait that Austin photographer Matthew Mahon took for the article.

(Source: Brown Alumni Magazine, photographer: Matthew Mahon)

I've kind of got the big eyes, but it certainly is a accurate representation of me! He has a fascinating website here.

I'm starting preparations to head back to the war. It's really depressing to consider being apart from M. and the boys again. However, I console myself with several facts. My time over there is so much shorter than many other troops'. Although the scenes in our wartime hospital are grisly and tragic, I'm still doing the same job: surgeon stateside, surgeon deployed. And as long as our brave young men and women are over there getting shot and blown up, it is our duty as military surgeons to go over there and try to get them home alive. Yesterday I had breakfast with a soldier who told me that he and his troops are able to do their job with confidence because they believe that as long as they are not killed on the spot, our military medical system will keep them alive. I've heard that same statement many times before and it is a very humbling and responsibility-laden compliment.

I am hopeful in my belief that the will of the American people is finally being heard and Congress is going to get us all home. I just wish they would hurry up. I speak from my conscience when I say supoort our troops, bring them home.

Be well,

Chris

A San Antonio Special

Today we got to participate in a unique San Antonio event. Every spring, River City celebrates Fiesta with parades, music, dancing, and cascarones. If you don't recognize the term, imagine easter eggs, but with the egg poured out, and filled with confettii. The proper way to use a cascarone is to burst it over a friend's head, showering them in confettii.

Personally, the traffic and the crowding I feel are enough to keep me away from most events, but there was one we couldn't miss. This morning we saddled up and headed into Alamo Heights for the Fiesta Pooch parade.

Even though L. is still a pup, he is already 35 pounds and pulls at his leash like a horse. We were not entirely sure how he would react to several hundred other dogs, some of them in costume, but he did us proud.

We saw lots of poodles of different sizes and colors. The adult standard poodles were a good preview of how much bigger L. is going to get.

We got to see a wide variety of breeds, including a Georgia bulldog.

There was a hound with a big hat and guns.

And something I've never seen before called a kerry blue in a fuzzy hat.

Every year fiesta has a court of local celebrities. The princesses and duchesses wear ornate, detailed gowns that cost as much as $40,000. Miss Fiesta San Antonio showed up as well as King San Antonio who got to meet his bulldog twin.

The master of ceremonies for the day was San Antonio's own Helouise author of the Hints from Helouise column.
Some of the dog mommies go to extremes with outfits and makeshift floats built on toy wagons.

I can't figure out how they get the dogs to sit there on their thrones and keep them from tearing off their outfits.

So that's all for now. I'll say goodnight and float off into the horizon like this poor pooch hanging from helium balloons.