Dr. (and Marine) Douglas Johnson - Someone You Should Know

Posted By Blackfive

Al L. sends this article about a 55 year-old doctor who volunteered to serve as a Marine doctor in Iraq...

At age 55, DuPage surgeon joins Iraq effort BY PAM DEFIGLIO Daily Herald Staff Writer

Douglas Johnson pioneers techniques in neurosurgery and owns a thriving medical practice. Patients and employees depend on him.

He's an answer man, a surgeon and entrepreneur who can't walk 10 feet without having somebody stop him to ask a question.

Guys like that can't just up and leave for a year.

But he did. At age 55, Johnson, a Glen Ellyn resident, joined the Marines and arrived in Iraq two weeks ago. He'll serve for a year - possibly two - as a military doctor. Instead of repairing herniated discs in a quiet DuPage County hospital, he's near the front lines, treating everything from sprains to combat wounds.

He's interrupting his life, leaving his wife, kids, home, business and patients - and taking a drastic pay cut. He's doing it because he feels called by a sense of duty dating back 35 years.

In 1969, with the Vietnam War roiling, Johnson knew he was about to be drafted. College and marriage earned him a deferment, however, and he never had to go.

"I've always thought I had an underlying, unfulfilled obligation (to serve in the military)," said Johnson. "Then 9/11 happened, and I thought, if I don't do something soon, it'll be too late."

Why not 55-year-olds?

His decision to go didn't surprise his wife, Beth Johnson, a doctor and chair of the pathology department at Central DuPage Hospital.

"He actually has been interested in joining the reserves for almost our entire married life," she said. "Something was always in the way - school or babies. But he felt it was now or never."

Beth Johnson said she, and the couple's two teenagers, are proud of what he's doing, but concerned for his safety.

Douglas Johnson, who's made arrangements for his surgical practice, DuPage Neurosurgery, to continue in his absence, said leaving his family was the hardest part. Still, he felt he had to go.

"The military is the only force our country has that's actively engaged in protecting us," he said. "Certain individuals feel the obligation to assume the obligation for many others."

Johnson feels obligated, despite his age.

As a 55-year-old who does triathlons, Johnson may be in better shape than many of his peers. But, beyond that, he maintains he has more to offer the military now than he could have contributed in Vietnam.

"I'm there as a physician, to take care of troops under my command," he said. "I have a greater impact than I would have had as an 19-year-old rifleman."

He believes he's doing the right thing, but Johnson sees the mounting death toll in Iraq and knows his decision comes with some risk. If the worst should happen, he said, at least he's had time to enjoy his family and build a rewarding career. That's more than 19-year-olds who are killed in action get.

"At this stage of life, because I've been able to enjoy my life, I can give back a portion of my time and talent to serving my country," he said.

"With the strong support of family and friends who've said they'd help no matter what the outcome is for me, it makes it an easier task for me to undertake."

Wrenching war zone

Since arriving in Iraq, Johnson has found himself braving 108-degree heat and treating patients close to the front lines. He works as a battalion surgeon, treating sprains, fractures, rashes, diarrhea, asthma, gunshots, burns and explosions.

He has only minimal equipment, such as IV solutions and bandages and a limited ability to do simple surgeries. Much of the work involves things like putting in chest tubes, intercranial pressure monitors and draining devices.

Before he can treat patients, however, he first has to master daily life.

"We wear a four-pound helmet, protective eyewear and a 17-pound flak jacket every time we are outside of a 'hardened' structure - a structure surrounded by sandbags or cement barriers to prevent mortar destruction," he e-mailed from Iraq last week.

"Using 'the head' requires great finesse trying to get all of the gear 'just so' in order to do life's functions! There is no running water. Even at night we must wear helmet and flak! Because of the heat and low humidity, we drink bottled water, about five to six liters a day! Everyone is constantly reminded to drink more."

In their spare time, he and another doctor are teaching medicine to the Iraqi National Guard.

"We are teaching them medical skills so they can care for each other. As their level of understanding and skill levels build, we will advance them through further education," he explained.

Like all medical personnel in the military, he's classified as a noncombatant, but that could change at any moment.

"As soon as shots are fired in our direction, we have the ability to respond," he said. "So I've had the same training as other Marines."

He knows the work could be emotionally wrenching. But he hopes the six years he spent working in an emergency room will prepare him for the highly-charged moments to come.

Another sacrifice

To underscore all that Johnson is giving up, his income has plummeted. He declined to release how much he made last year, but characterized his Marine earnings as a "drastic" pay cut.

To get some idea of the financial impact of his decision consider this: the Medical Group Management Association puts the median income for neurosurgeons in the United States at $662,748 a year. Johnson's military income is in the range of $48,000 a year, according to our calculations from military salary tables.

"My wife has an income, of course, but it will have an impact," Johnson said.

It may not be a choice most people would make willingly, but for Johnson, it was a from-the-gut decision born of deep commitment.

"This is the right thing for me," he said "Certainly much thought and prayer went into making a decision about this."

Thank you, Doc, for your service.

More people that you should know here (scroll down).

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Dr. (and Marine) Douglas Johnson - Someone You Should Know

Al L. sends this article about a 55 year-old doctor who volunteered to serve as a Marine doctor in Iraq...

At age 55, DuPage surgeon joins Iraq effort BY PAM DEFIGLIO Daily Herald Staff Writer

Douglas Johnson pioneers techniques in neurosurgery and owns a thriving medical practice. Patients and employees depend on him.

He's an answer man, a surgeon and entrepreneur who can't walk 10 feet without having somebody stop him to ask a question.

Guys like that can't just up and leave for a year.

But he did. At age 55, Johnson, a Glen Ellyn resident, joined the Marines and arrived in Iraq two weeks ago. He'll serve for a year - possibly two - as a military doctor. Instead of repairing herniated discs in a quiet DuPage County hospital, he's near the front lines, treating everything from sprains to combat wounds.

He's interrupting his life, leaving his wife, kids, home, business and patients - and taking a drastic pay cut. He's doing it because he feels called by a sense of duty dating back 35 years.

In 1969, with the Vietnam War roiling, Johnson knew he was about to be drafted. College and marriage earned him a deferment, however, and he never had to go.

"I've always thought I had an underlying, unfulfilled obligation (to serve in the military)," said Johnson. "Then 9/11 happened, and I thought, if I don't do something soon, it'll be too late."

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