A pediatric cardiologist - - not necessarily the kind of doctor you think would be stationed with a battalion of Marines in one of the most volatile areas of Iraq. But for nearly a year in 2003-2004 that is exactly where Joel Hardin, M.D., pediatric cardiologist, found himself. Embedded with the 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines he brought medical care to soldiers as well as Iraqis.
Now, a United States military veteran and director of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine's Pediatric Cardiology Division, Hardin looks back at his military service seeing how it helped shape him to become the physician and person he is today.
"I am a more patient and flexible person after being in the military. You are in an environment filled with anxiety and limited resources. Plans that worked in one place completely fail in another and you have to accept it. Jokingly we say the Marine's motto is not just Semper Fi, always faithful, but frequently Semper Gumby, always flexible," said Hardin. "Even here at Loyola we face difficult situations and what we do can get stressful, but those lessons I learned help me put things in perspective. I don't get so worked up about the small things any more."
Hardin became a naval reserve officer in 1996 inspired by many of his physician role models and mentors who also had served.
"There was something different about them," said Hardin. "When times would get stressful for others they remained calm. They had the kind of leadership you could admire and I wondered, 'how did they get like that?' and 'I want to gain experience like that, too.'"
Trained as a pediatrician Hardin thought he'd be working with military families, but soon learned that would not be the case.
"When you first start your medical training it's very broad-based and you learn about a lot of different areas. As you go along, that training gets more specialized, more focused. When I learned I would be caring for the soldiers themselves I rapidly got unfocused," said Hardin. "My role as a military medical officer was completely different than what I do now, but that is common in military life."