Life during wartime is often full of unexpected events, and not surprisingly, Colonel Martin Fackler’s career in military medicine during the Vietnam era took many twists and turns. Beginning in the Navy as an intern, he wrangled a coveted residency through an auspicious conversation with a high-ranking patient. Transferring to the Naval Support Hospital in Da Nang, Vietnam, in 1967, he cultivated skills in both trauma surgery as well as the German language. His exposure to Army medical systems during his time in Vietnam led to a transfer of branches, and service with the Army in Germany during the Cold War. Returning stateside, he developed a wound ballistic lab at the Army’s Medical Training Center, where he studied the impact of different types of bullets and ballistics on the human body.
We honor you, Martin Fackler.
