TRAVELS AROUND THE WORLD
Fig . 3 : The Burn Project Mission Team from Louisville . Dr . and Mrs . Ben Rigor , Dr . Larry Florman and daughter Tammy , Dr . Elisabeth and Dr . Gordon Tobin are shown with their Vietnamese hosts , in the garden honoring the “ Father of Vietnamese Medicine .”
Hanoi , Da Nang , Saigon and Can Tho each mission visit ( Fig . 4 A & B ). Vietnamese doctors and nurses were so motivated to learn these skills that they would walk for five or six days from distant provinces to attend our symposia . We published our techniques in the Vietnamese Journal of Burn Care , and I edited the first textbook on modern burn care to be translated into Vietnamese ( Fig . 5 A & B ). Our project became a model for other mission groups to incorporate education into their programs , imparting skills that empower care providers of the countries visited . 1 Of our efforts , a Vietnamese medical leader said , “ This small team with large hearts changed burn care for our entire nation .” We were also introduced to Vietnamese culture , geography , unique foods and traditional medical therapies . These included acupuncture anesthesia for major surgeries , elixirs of venomous snakes and lizards and native herbal remedies ( Fig . 5 A & B ).
Fig 4B : Dr . Elisabeth Tobin teaching microbiology and antisepsis techniques in Hanoi in 1991 .
Fig . 5A : Cover of the Vietnamese Burn Care Journal reporting the visit and teachings of our Louisville Burn Team .
Fig . 5B : Title page of Dr . Tobin ’ s 1998 textbook on modern burn care , translated and published in Hanoi .
Clinton in pursuit of reconciliation and restoration of diplomatic relations ruptured by the war . The Vessey Commission chose us as the first civilian team to visit Vietnam and demonstrate American goodwill , as a symbolic first step toward reconciliation . The successful conclusion of that process came with formal restoration of diplomatic relations in 1995 ( Fig . 7 , next page ). Vietnam has been a reliable U . S . ally ever since .
Afghanistan Mission in the Mid 2000s
Fig . 4A : Dr . Gordon Tobin teaching burn surgery at Hanoi ’ s National Institute of Burns in 1992 .
Medical Diplomacy and International Goodwill
Medical missions generate goodwill with enduring benefits by demonstrating firsthand the compassion of Americans . For example , our 1989 Hanoi mission with Operation Smile was organized by the U . S . State Department and the Vessey Commission , which served Presidents Ronald Reagan , George H . W . Bush and Bill
After 9 / 11 and the U . S . -led overthrow of the Taliban government then ruling Afghanistan , we endeavored to take our Burn Care Program to Kabul , with sponsorships of the Greater Louisville Medical Society and the U . S . Army Indiana National Guard unit . The outbound mission was canceled when improvised explosive device fabrication techniques originating in Iraq reached our adversaries in Afghanistan , and security risks became unmanageable . We then altered course and brought Afghan surgeons to Louisville for extensive training in burn and trauma care at the University of Louisville , Jewish and Norton Children ’ s Hospitals . Also , we arranged airlifting
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