Army doc, 74, soldiers on toward 3rd tour

[unhappycamper]

Dr. John Burson speaks during an interview at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga., on Feb 11. Burson, 74, a retired ear nose and throat specialist, was at Fort Benning finishing a week-long training course before being deployed for a 90-day rotation with the 101st Airborne Division.


Army doc, 74, soldiers on toward 3rd tour
By Russ Bynum - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Feb 13, 2009 5:39:30 EST

FORT BENNING, Ga. — Dr. John Burson balked when a skeptical Army staffer asked him to undergo a three-day physical exam to make sure he was fit to deploy as a field surgeon to Afghanistan.

“Look, I’m training to run a half-marathon,” replied Burson, 74, a retired lieutenant colonel. “You come down and check to see if I can make it.”

Burson won the debate and was declared fit for duty. The ear, nose and throat specialist from northwest Georgia wrapped up a weeklong training course this week at Fort Benning before his scheduled deployment Friday for a 90-day rotation with a unit of the 101st Airborne Division.

The first of two stints in Iraq proved unforgettable back in 2005, he said. Burson was among several doctors assigned to keep watch over an imprisoned Saddam Hussein.

The fallen dictator, who was three years younger than Burson, told him: “I’m glad they sent me one with gray hair this time.”


Rest of article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/02/ap_army_doctor_burson_021309/%2e