Saluting Harry W. McCurdy, MD, and Deployed Physicians
Summer is often the time when our patriotism flourishes. The combination of the celebration of our nation’s birth and independence, family reunions and vacations, travel around the country, graduations, weddings, and for some, a bit of respite from the grueling and unrelenting stress and tension of the workplace can give us a chance to reflect on our heritage. And so I will take the opportunity now to stray from what’s wrong and what needs to be fixed—the discussion of the politics of health care reform itself and those surrounding it—and focus briefly on “what’s right with America.” Living near Washington, DC, I have a far greater appreciation for our country and those who preserve it full time in our military and public service. For more than a decade now, I have lived surrounded by men and women in our armed forces; personal neighbors and friends whose concerns I am intimately aware of, not distant unrecognizable nameless statistics. Not long ago I attended a patriotic service where tribute was paid to our military veterans and those currently serving. When those in the audience with military service were asked to stand, more than half the audience arose. Witnessing firsthand the sacrifices made by the families, spouses, and children of our deployed service men and women is a far more compelling experience than simply being told about it from afar. This summer my sense of patriotism was augmented by the experience of attending the services for our departed colleague, leader, and friend, Harry W. McCurdy, MD, past executive vice president of the Academy. As I shared with you some months ago, Dr. McCurdy died at the age of 94. It was fitting and timely that we, his friends and the beneficiaries of his lifetime of service, raised the funds necessary to create the Harry W. McCurdy Endowment and honored him in person last year at our annual meeting here in Washington, DC. His family has shared with us how much it meant to him to be so recognized and honored. He served during a crucial period in the formation of the modern-day Academy as the old American Council of Otolaryngology and the American Academy of Otolaryngology combined to form our current structure, The American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. McCurdy had lengthy and distinguished military service and recognition, and qualified for interment and services in Arlington National Cemetery with the many thousands of heroes and soldiers to whom we owe our freedoms. As is always the case for those so qualified, there was a waiting period before the formal military honors and burial could take place. On July 29, Dr. McCurdy was laid to rest with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. Since moving to the Washington, DC, area, it has been my privilege on several occasions to be present at such a ceremony. It is impossible to attend and witness the solemn honor bestowed on those men and women who have so qualified and their families without a very humbling sense of gratitude for the freedom, the liberty, and prosperity, and the peace in which we are so privileged to live. The procession of the caisson, the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, the folding of the flag and its presentation to the family all evoke the most deeply felt emotion imaginable. It is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices of “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” referenced in our Declaration of Independence that have been (and still continue to be) laid down by those who promote, defend, and when necessary, fight for our freedom. In the classic movie, “Born Yesterday,” in which Billie, the protagonist, goes from being ignorant of her heritage and the political freedom, which she enjoys to learning firsthand about how government works and her personal obligation to know about and participate in democracy, she is reminded by her teacher, “The whole damned history of the world is a story of the struggle between the selfish and the unselfish!” We are obligated to reflect on and honor those unselfish souls who have sacrificed so much to maintain our political freedoms. And so, we honor those of our membership who not only chose to be physicians, but to serve in military and public health service capacities. To our veterans, to our current military service men and women, and especially to those who are deployed away from family and loved ones: We honor you; we salute you; and we thank you for the gift of freedom and liberty you give to us.
David R. Nielsen, MDAAO-HNS/F EVP/CEOSummer is often the time when our patriotism flourishes. The combination of the celebration of our nation’s birth and independence, family reunions and vacations, travel around the country, graduations, weddings, and for some, a bit of respite from the grueling and unrelenting stress and tension of the workplace can give us a chance to reflect on our heritage. And so I will take the opportunity now to stray from what’s wrong and what needs to be fixed—the discussion of the politics of health care reform itself and those surrounding it—and focus briefly on “what’s right with America.”
Living near Washington, DC, I have a far greater appreciation for our country and those who preserve it full time in our military and public service. For more than a decade now, I have lived surrounded by men and women in our armed forces; personal neighbors and friends whose concerns I am intimately aware of, not distant unrecognizable nameless statistics. Not long ago I attended a patriotic service where tribute was paid to our military veterans and those currently serving. When those in the audience with military service were asked to stand, more than half the audience arose. Witnessing firsthand the sacrifices made by the families, spouses, and children of our deployed service men and women is a far more compelling experience than simply being told about it from afar.
This summer my sense of patriotism was augmented by the experience of attending the services for our departed colleague, leader, and friend, Harry W. McCurdy, MD, past executive vice president of the Academy. As I shared with you some months ago, Dr. McCurdy died at the age of 94. It was fitting and timely that we, his friends and the beneficiaries of his lifetime of service, raised the funds necessary to create the Harry W. McCurdy Endowment and honored him in person last year at our annual meeting here in Washington, DC. His family has shared with us how much it meant to him to be so recognized and honored. He served during a crucial period in the formation of the modern-day Academy as the old American Council of Otolaryngology and the American Academy of Otolaryngology combined to form our current structure, The American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery.
Dr. McCurdy had lengthy and distinguished military service and recognition, and qualified for interment and services in Arlington National Cemetery with the many thousands of heroes and soldiers to whom we owe our freedoms. As is always the case for those so qualified, there was a waiting period before the formal military honors and burial could take place. On July 29, Dr. McCurdy was laid to rest with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. Since moving to the Washington, DC, area, it has been my privilege on several occasions to be present at such a ceremony. It is impossible to attend and witness the solemn honor bestowed on those men and women who have so qualified and their families without a very humbling sense of gratitude for the freedom, the liberty, and prosperity, and the peace in which we are so privileged to live. The procession of the caisson, the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, the folding of the flag and its presentation to the family all evoke the most deeply felt emotion imaginable. It is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices of “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” referenced in our Declaration of Independence that have been (and still continue to be) laid down by those who promote, defend, and when necessary, fight for our freedom.
In the classic movie, “Born Yesterday,” in which Billie, the protagonist, goes from being ignorant of her heritage and the political freedom, which she enjoys to learning firsthand about how government works and her personal obligation to know about and participate in democracy, she is reminded by her teacher, “The whole damned history of the world is a story of the struggle between the selfish and the unselfish!”
We are obligated to reflect on and honor those unselfish souls who have sacrificed so much to maintain our political freedoms. And so, we honor those of our membership who not only chose to be physicians, but to serve in military and public health service capacities. To our veterans, to our current military service men and women, and especially to those who are deployed away from family and loved ones: We honor you; we salute you; and we thank you for the gift of freedom and liberty you give to us.
