LTC EDWARD P. HORVATH, M.D., INTERNAL MEDICINE: PRIVILEGED TO SERVE.

Caring for America’s young men and women in uniform is by far the most satisfying aspect of being in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps, according to Dr. Edward Horvath, Chief of Professional Services at the 256 Combat Support Hospital in the Cleveland area.

Dr. Horvath was commissioned in 1968 as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy and served on active duty with the Medical Corps in the 1970’s. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Horvath left military service and entered private practice, all while raising a family. Twenty-three years later, when his now grown sons asked for his advice about what they should do with their lives, he reminded them of their obligation to serve their country. He then realized he had some “unfinished business” of his own. Several months later, Dr. Horvath found himself taking the oath of office for a second time in his life as he became a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps.

Shortly thereafter, Dr. Horvath was mobilized to Ft. Snelling, Minnesota to serve as Deputy Command Surgeon. Later in the same year, he spent two weeks in Guatemala as part of an Army Medical Mission, served eight weeks in Egypt during Operation Bright Star, and was then assigned to a Combat Support Hospital in Iraq. According to Dr. Horvath, being away from his wife was the single most difficult aspect of being deployed. “We’d been married for over 30 years and never had been apart for more than two weeks on any single occasion,” said Dr. Horvath. “But now, my wife and I have an even better relationship because of my military service and my children look up to me in a way they never have before.”

Serving in a Combat Support Hospital has had other benefits as well. According to Dr. Horvath, “I’ve always respected other doctors, but have come to genuinely admire my Army colleagues—physicians, nurses, PAs, and medics—who provide superb healthcare to our soldiers while in harm’s way themselves.” In addition, Dr. Horvath found the opportunity to practice medicine in a new environment and learn new skills. “The medical care provided in today’s combat support hospital is the highest quality care ever in the history of warfare,” said Dr. Horvath. “I’ve learned how to manage infectious diseases, traumatic injuries, and other medical conditions that I would have never encountered in the civilian world.”

That knowledge, combined with new-found patience, perseverance, and appreciation of human frailty, has helped in his civilian practice at the veterans hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. According to Dr. Horvath, “Since living in a combat zone, I’m now better prepared as a physician to care for those who have borne the burden of battle. I understand our veterans in a way which would not have been possible had I not shared this experience with them.”

Clearly, the experience of serving as a physician in the Army Reserve Medical Corps has changed Dr. Horvath on both personal and professional levels. “Physicians share many common traits, one of which is a desire to serve. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gone into medicine,” said Dr. Horvath. “We want to see interesting cases, new diseases, and unusual conditions. We want to have our medical knowledge and skills expanded and we want to have new adventures. All these things are possible in the Army Reserve Medical Corps.” Dr. Horvath adds, “Army physicians treat patients who genuinely need them, providing care for young people in uniform whose lives sometimes quite literally hang in the balance. I can think of no finer thing to do in medicine than to provide that kind of care. I feel privileged to serve.”

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