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A call to service: Physicians follow their Mayo forefathers in the tradition of military service

It was the reason Mayo Clinic ended up in Rochester, Minn.

Drs. Charles H. (left) and William J. Mayo, brigadier generals in WWI.

Mayo's tradition of support for the military began during the Civil War when Dr. William Worrall Mayo — a frontier physician and father of famous brothers Charles H. and William J. Mayo — was appointed examining surgeon for the Union Army Enrollment Board. In 1864 the family moved to Rochester, where the board was headquartered, and made it their home.

During World War I, a Mayo Clinic medical unit was stationed on the western front in France, and the Mayo brothers served as brigadier generals with the U.S. Army Surgeon General. President Franklin D. Roosevelt honored them in 1934 for providing care to war veterans.

Charles and William Mayo both died in 1939 as World War II was breaking out in Europe, but the Mayo legacy continued. Mayo Clinic medical units served in both New Guinea and the Philippines during that war, and Mayo scientists conducted pioneering aero-medical research that included oxygen masks and an antiblackout suit for pilots.

Serving in the military is a role that many Mayo physicians have played. Sharing knowledge and expertise in medicine as well as commitment to health and research has made it a good fit. Because of the reservist programs, Mayo physicians are able to do both.

The events of Sept. 11, 2001, kept Dr. Kirk Martin out of the operating room for nearly three years.

Dr. J. Kirk Martin, a surgical oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, was in surgery removing a patient's cancerous pancreas when the first jet crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Not long after a nurse announced that a second plane had ripped into the twin towers, Martin's phone rang.

"Within the hour, I got a call from the Air Force," says Martin. "Within two hours, I was standing on the tarmac at Jacksonville International Airport surrounded by F-15s loaded with live missiles waiting to be scrambled. It was unbelievable."

By early afternoon, Martin was assigned to Operation Noble Eagle and was addressed as Col. Martin. It would be more than 2 1/2 years before he returned to Mayo Clinic.

Cmdr. Thomas Flipse is a cardiologist in civilian life.

During this time, Martin was somewhat of a pioneer himself, becoming the first surgeon general for First Air Force, whose headquarters commands Operation Noble Eagle. The operation, which organizes, operates, and equips air defense forces, is part of the nation's homeland security plan that protects America from airborne attacks. With hundreds of aircraft flying air defense missions 24-7, there suddenly became a critical need for someone to coordinate medical care and flying safety. It was Martin's job to determine what medical support was needed, to plan for response following possible biological, chemical or nuclear attacks and to monitor the health, well-being and sleep patterns of the 11,000 ground crew and pilots involved in the security mission. This required him to travel to each fighter alert base in the United States and Canada, working closely with Air Combat Command, U.S. Northern Command and North American Air Defense Command (NORAD). Martin, who is a flight surgeon, flew many F-15 missions, ranging from combat air patrols over major cities to providing air security for space shuttle launches.

Although their call-ups were not as immediate, colleagues Drs. Michael Murray and Thomas Flipse knew it was just a matter of time. Murray, an anesthesiologist and Army reservist for 18 years, had been deployed before, notably to Operation Desert Storm in 1991. No stranger to that area of the world, Murray knew what he was heading into. In the fall of 2003, he left for what turned out to be a 101-day tour of duty. Deployed with the 801st Combat Support Hospital out of Fort Sheridan, Ill., Murray was based at the Kuwaitii Armed Forces Hospital in Kuwait City.

Mayo colleagues Drs. Thomas Flipse and Michael Murray meet up in Baghdad.

There he provided anesthesiology services for procedures on soldiers from U.S. and coalition forces, civilian employees of the Department of Defense and U.S. Embassy personnel. He was involved in surgical procedures that were common back home, including an aortic aneurysm repair and colon cancer surgery. He also worked war-related injuries, including brain surgery on a young man accidentally shot in the head by a fellow soldier who was cleaning a gun.

There were a few unusual cases as well. "We saw very dehydrated men suffering from salivary duct stones," says Murray. "Three in one week, in fact."

During his deployment, Murray made it up to Baghdad and tracked down Mayo cardiologist Thomas Flipse, who was stationed there with Navy Squadron HCS-5, based out of Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, Calif. This was Flipse's first mobilization in his decade as a reservist. He left for the Middle East in March 2003, arrived right as the war started and remained in service until April 2004. Part of a special operations unit, Flipse was the flight surgeon in charge of the medical care of the 200 men and women in his squadron.

"I was their cardiologist, internist, primary care physician and psychiatrist," Flipse says.

All three physicians say they are thankful for colleagues who took up the slack for them while they were away. Being called away to military duty also made them appreciate life.

A Kuwaitii thank you for Dr. Michael Murray.

"I'm less likely to complain now," says Flipse. "I'm not as burdened by the little everyday things. Your perception of what's really important shifts."

He says wartime duty was a humbling experience. The daily routine at home of driving to work, seeing patients and attending meetings is quite different from wearing a helmet, carrying a sidearm and always being on alert.

Murray was on alert the day an old man approached him on a street in Kuwait City. As the stranger closed in, Murray prepared to defend himself in case the man had a weapon.

"Instead he leaned in and said, 'You American?' I said, 'Yes,'" says Murray. "He pulled me down, kissed me on the top of my head and said, 'Thank you.'"