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Only a few serve U.S. in office and in uniform

Washington, December 28, 2013

 
"About two days out of every month, Rep. Brad Wenstrup gets a gut check when he leaves Capitol Hill for his other job: surgeon for the Army Reserve.

He travels the 12 miles to Bethesda, Md., where the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has treated servicemen and women since 2011, and he pitches in where he can.

Sometimes, that means talking to residents; other times, it means helping in surgery.

Because he serves two days a month, he can’t develop long-term relationships with patients.

On Memorial Day, he had planned to enjoy a recess from his congressional duties. Then he got a call: Many casualties were coming in from Afghanistan, could he help? The Cincinnati Republican changed his plans, staying Friday and Saturday to help with sometimes complicated surgeries that required multiple surgeons.

Wenstrup, 55, is a rarity, one of just 14 members of the U.S. House who still serve in the military through the Guard or Reserves."

Read the full article from the Columbus Dispatch here.