A Common Bond of Service

It’s easy, in the rush of daily life, to let a holiday like Veterans Day slip by without much thought. But for many veterans, it’s a reminder of the time they spent in the armed services, and it’s a good reminder for the rest of us of the Americans who have served in the military.

At Tufts, there are veterans all around us—faculty, staff, students, and alumni—though we might not realize it. To give them a voice, Tufts Now reached out to a few, who told us their stories. They are young and old, male and female, and speak of the positive influence their service had on their lives.

Henry Klapholz, dean for clinical affairs at Tufts School of Medicine

Henry Klapholz served as a major in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1976 to 1978, following his ob/gyn residency. He was stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he was a staff ob/gyn. He was also an assistant professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He joined the Army under the Berry Plan, a Vietnam War–era program that allowed physicians to finish their specialty training and then enter the service completely trained.

Has your military service influenced your career?

My career was pretty much set when I entered the service, but I was able to appreciate the quality of care available to our soldiers, as well as some of the extra emotional stress they were under. It sensitized me to the need to inquire about military service when taking a patient’s medical history.

Did it change the way you view the world?

It gave me a whole new outlook on the military. During my service, everyone was extraordinarily respectful of his or her fellow soldier, even at the lowest ranks—it was a degree of individual respect that I found rare in the private sector.

Do you do anything to mark Veterans Day?

I must work on Veterans Day, as it is not a hospital holiday. But that’s not a problem—my work is an enjoyable and necessary activity.

Read about other veterans in the Tufts community here.