Origin Story

A Private First Class returned from southern Afghanistan with a medal for valor under fire and the silent trauma experienced by warfighters across generations. This Marine drank himself to sleep nightly and soon acquired multiple DUIs, including one on base. The PFC came to my office as a criminal defense file, with me as the judge advocate representing him at an administrative separation hearing. The Commanding Officer recommended that the Marine Corps discharge the PFC under other than honorable conditions that would deny him veteran benefits despite his award for valor.

As his defense counsel, I requested the PFC’s medical records, searching for a story to tell the administrative board. What I found disappointed me, but it offered the Marines a credible defense. On a post-deployment health assessment (PHA), the PFC described his nightmares, which he treated with a twelve-pack of beer to make it through the night. The records contained no substance abuse diagnosis, rehab prior to the DUIs, or evidence that the physician had read my client’s story.

Armed with this information, I called my client’s boss, the Division Gunner and Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CWO5), one of the most respected warfighters in the Marine Corps. The Division Gunner described my client as one of his best Marines and nearly blew a gasket when I shared information about the nightmares, alcohol, and self-reporting on a PHA.

The Division Gunner agreed to testify on his Marine’s behalf and arrived at the courtroom with a stack of medals and a scar over his eye, where he survived a 7.62 mm round to his face. After his injury, he rehab’ ed at Walter Reed, spending time with wounded Marines and soldiers, many half his age. There could be no better witness to present on the PFC’s behalf.

At the administrative separation hearing, I called the Division Gunner to the stand, asking him his name, billet, and relationship to my client. Then I stepped aside and listened to a sermon. The Gunner spoke about the solemn duty to never leave a Marine behind on the battlefield or stateside. He blamed the physician for failing to take the time to read the PFC’s story of trauma and alcoholism described in the PHA. The Division Gunner blamed the medical system for not ensuring access to quality healthcare. The administrative board retained the PFC and apologized for the medical system’s failure.

A year later, my former client appeared at my office holding a plaque that hangs above my medical license today. It reads, “He who brings great Marines back from the dead, we sincerely thank you. Semper Fidelis.”

I went to medical school to deliver world-class medical care to Marines like this private first class. He taught me the importance of understanding a patient’s story, a lesson that I carry with me today.

After medical training, I was honored to return to the Marine Corps as a Navy physician. I read medical records, listened to stories, and gave patients my phone number to communicate whenever they needed me. By increasing access and encouraging communication regardless of personal inconvenience, I built lasting patient-physician relationships and improved clinical outcomes. I bring the same medical philosophy to Personalized Medicine and Health Coaching, recognizing that “every patient tells a story.”