By Lin Lofley

Retired Air Force Col. Don Taylor gave the keynote presentation at the second annual Tribute to Veterans celebration on Nov. 15.

Retired Air Force Col. Don Taylor, Director of Southwestern Health Resources Integration, made “The Calling: Health Care Leadership from the War Zone and Beyond” his keynote presentation at the second annual Tribute to Veterans celebration on the UT Southwestern Medical Center campus.

Mr. Taylor used video and still images of his time in Iraq commanding a U.S. Air Force hospital, talking of the dangers, personalities, and opportunities to make a difference that confronted him during his command at Balad Hospital, located within Camp Anaconda. The facility, he proudly pointed out, achieved a 98 percent survival rate for the wounded, including ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff.

“I was asked by USA Today what innovation we did at that hospital should Americans be most proud of, and I said ‘There’s no administration here. It’s all about saving lives,’ ” he recounted to the overflow crowd in a South Campus lecture hall.

“If you serve in a place like that, doing work like that, it’s important. If you serve there six months, it changes your life. If you serve there a year, it gets into your soul.”

Some of the military veterans at UT Southwestern Medical Center gathered for a group photo following the Tribute to Veterans celebration.

Mr. Taylor, whose military career spanned more than 27 years, was a frequent visitor to “the most important 1,000 square feet in the theater,” a phrase used for each of Balad Hospital’s three operating rooms, each equipped with two tables. Only about 50 percent of those treated were U.S. military or coalition members, as medical personnel also saved contractors, civilians, and even insurgents.

Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky, President of UT Southwestern, offered a heartfelt thanks to America’s veterans to start the Nov. 15 event.

“This year, our country is celebrating more than 23 million veterans,” Dr. Podolsky said. “And I’m proud to say that 720 of those veterans work here on our campus, in addition to more than 100 who are on active duty while they are part of our community.”

The Tribute to Veterans program began with the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner” by the Lymph Notes, the Acapella Student Organization at UTSW. Among those joining in were (from right) Charles Cobb, Assistant Vice President for Materials Management, Susan Hernandez, Chief Nursing Officer of UT Southwestern University Hospitals & Clinics, and Kim Siniscalchi, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives.

The celebration of veterans’ service and sacrifice was live-streamed across campus to other venues, so that people who couldn’t leave their main workplace could still take time and see it in rooms dedicated to viewing the event.

Mr. Taylor also recognized nine Veterans, all of whom he works with closely:

• Dr. Gene Jones (Navy), Professor and Chairman of Physician Assistant Studies;
• Sgt. Melody Erickson, (Navy), University Police Department;
• Derek Trabon (Army), Emergency Management Coordinator;
• Brian Clement (Navy), Manager, Clinical Practice in Neurological Surgery;
• Juan Guerra Jr. (Navy), Vice President for Facilities Management;
• Dr. Venetia Orcutt (Army), Associate Professor of Physician Assistant Studies;
• Oscar Sanchez (Marine Corps), a technician in the Clinical Cytogenetics Fellowship, Department of Pathology; and
• Joe Curry (Army) and Jake Massacci (Army), executives with Southwestern Health Resources.

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Dr. Podolsky holds the Philip O'Bryan Montgomery, Jr., M.D. Distinguished Presidential Chair in Academic Administration, and the Doris and Bryan Wildenthal Distinguished Chair in Medical Science.