Place treats war casualties at Landstuhl

Ronald Place, a general surgeon who did his residency training at Madigan Army Hospital from 1990 to 1995, with rotations at Harborview's Trauma Center, has been treating war casualties as chief of surgery at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

Because the hospital is the centralized receiving station for seriously injured American and allied soldiers serving in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, it has been called "Europe's Emergency Room." The staff of the largest American hospital outside the United States has treated more than 17,000 soldiers since 2001. More than 5,000 soldiers wounded in Iraq have arrived at the hospital since early 2003; 13 have died.

In an interview with CBS News, Place, a lieutenant colonel, noted that recent advances in trauma care at the scene, during patient transport, and in the hospital have saved the lives of many soldiers injured in such incidents as high-velocity rifle shots, tank rollovers, and explosions. In addition to treating casualties, Place conducts research to improve battlefield and in-flight emergency care. He also spoke with the military periodicals Stars and Stripes and Medics Forward about coming to terms with the emotional pain of his work.

Place received the Henry Harkins Resident Award in 1994 from the Washington State Chapter of the American College of Surgeons.