Decatur County Memorial Hospital originally opened its doors in 1922 as a memorial for World War I veterans. To this day, DCMH recognizes and salutes veterans and active military personnel serving our country. This past year, Dr. Andy Tran, Decatur County Primary Care physician left for military leave. He returned in December after being away for over 100 days.
Dr. Tran has been enrolled in the Army Reserve since September 2015. When asked why he joined, he said, “I have family members in the military, including my dad. My brother is still actively serving. I also wanted to give back to the country that has given me so much opportunities to become the person I am today. Freedom is an important cause, and yet, only 9% of the US population is serving in the military, but only 0.7% is still actively serving to preserve such a cause. That’s why soldiers always “thank you for your support”, but this country needs it.”
Since Dr. Tran was gone for a few months, he was afraid that he would lose his patient panel and the continuity of care. However, upon his return he found that he had no reason to be concerned. His patients remained true to him and he returned to a full patient load. He added, “I love my patients and take care of them as if they were my own family members.”
Dr. Tran’s favorite part of being in the Army Reserve is, “The feeling of pride in being a part of something bigger than myself, and knowing that my service extends beyond my local community and the state I live in.”
DCMH is happy to have Dr. Tran back in the states and is proud to call him one of their physicians.
He added, “I was very happy to be home, to see my town, my neighborhood, my work and my colleagues. It was a very warm welcome and I missed the familiarity of it all. One good thing about being away for long is that it helped me see that I have a lot of loyal patients, who chose to continue to stay with me and continue to entrust me with their care. I really do appreciate them and DCMH a lot.”
DCMH was sure to give Dr. Tran a big welcome home when he returned to work. He added, “I stay at DCMH and will continue to stay for the people… and I am proud to be a part of a great team. Thanks for a great first day back!”
Thank you Dr. Andy Tran for your great bravery and patriotism you have shown in serving our country.