Dr. Leff. Gabriel Constans

that point, he hadn’t thought much about his upcoming stint in the military. He had been completely focused for the majority of his young adult life on getting high grades, placing on the dean’s list, taking physics and organic chemistry and anything else that was needed to be a good doctor. He gave his heart and soul to learning the art of medicine. He had not given the war in Viet Nam much of his attention. Sure, he read the news, saw occasional reports and knew about the demonstrations, but hadn’t taken much time to think about it in any detail.

      Dr. Leff regarded the service highly. After all, he had been in the Civil Air Patrol since his teens. He figured he would be in Thailand for a year; serve his country as a physician in the Air Force and return to finish his tour of duty somewhere close to Cincinnati. It would be the first opportunity he had to be a doctor “on his own” and he would be a captain and have some authority.

      The going away party was like icing on the cake. He hadn’t expected it and was deeply touched. His friends were far more worried about him than he was about himself. They asked him several times if he was sure about this military stuff and if he knew what he was getting himself in to. He was pretty casual about it all and in fact, somewhat excited about his new adventure. He said, “Hey, it will just be a year. No big deal. It could be interesting and I’ll be doing some good.”

      His friends hoped he was right. Even though many disagreed with the war they respected his decision and motivation for serving. They, along with their good friend Arnie, had no idea of the depth of deceptions and lies their government was perpetuating in their name.