Medicine was pretty crude in the Civil War. But this doctor from Virginia served, and the inscription on his tombstone is a good definition of a hero. His unit fought at Gettysburg.  He survived that war.    Photo at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. Paul Goldfinger image. April, 2016.

By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor at Blogfinger    (LCDR, USNR, NAVY MEDICAL CORPS  1971-1973 )

Oxford Dictionary:  A hero is  a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

Donald Trump got into trouble during the primaries when he said that Senator John McCain was not a war hero.  That sparked some conversations as to the definition of “war hero.”

Miles Asbury Spivey,  from Alabama, died in the Civil War at age 18. He is buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. Most of the  military deceased at that cemetery died at Gettysburg.  That battle was 7/1-7/3/1863.  Spivey died  on July 14, 11 days after the battle ended, but during Lee’s retreat to Virginia.   All photos by Paul Goldfinger.

I recently visited the graves of two men who died in the Civil War—one fought for the South and one for the North. It is impossible for me to not consider these men to be war heroes. There are degrees of heroism, and that is why we have different degrees of medals in the military.

But I consider all men  (and women)  who serve in wartime to be heroes.  In fact anyone who serves at any time in the military is a hero of sorts, because by signing up, these men and women declare that they would give their lives if called upon to save the rest of us.

I believe that is true for others such as those who are in law enforcement.

Those who make the supreme sacrifice in battle, such as Miles Spivey and George Bragg, or those who experienced torture and imprisonment as did John McCain must be considered to be heroes at a higher level.

George L. Bragg , a 1st Lt. in the Union Army, died at age 21 in the Second  Battle of Deep Bottom, in Virginia, 1864.  This soldier was from New Jersey and is buried in the Mercer Cemetery in Trenton.    Paul Goldfinger photo.  ©May, 2016.  Click to see it better.

I was a Navy doctor during Viet Nam.  I was lucky to be stationed in Portsmouth, Virginia at the 1400 bed Navy hospital.

I tell people that I fought the Battle of Virginia Beach.  My friend John Wiarda from New Jersey was a gunner on a helicopter in “Nam.”  I told him that he was a hero—not me.  But he said, “No.  You would have gone over there if it were necessary. We all served.”

Well, he put his life on the line.  I still believe John Wiarda was a war hero as was Sen. John McCain.   So was one of my classmates at the George Washington University  School of Medicine:  John Saunders, MD,  died while racing in an ambulance in Nam to reach wounded troops.  He was a doctor for about 1 1/2 years.  He is a hero forever. I think of him often.

MATT GLASER  from the soundtrack of the movie The Civil War.

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