Daniel Edgar Speilman

West Point, 1965

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Jim Talbot on June 23, 2020:

I didn't know Dan when we were at West Point. I was in !st Regiment from Maine, but with Southern roots. Like many, as we exited RVN there was a force that pulled many of us toward medicine. As a Battery Commander pulling dead and severly wounded out of the FDC after an attack that was ill conceived by a West Point Colonel .It spured me to request Medical School. It just took a year or two longer than Dan. Upon starting in 1976 at the UTX Health Science center, in San Antonio, I was provided with two sponsors One was Dan a '65 classmate, three years ahead and the other was David McDermott '69. What a surprise. We would occasionally go out to USAA headquarters where Davids parents had a lovely home.We all loved San Antonio so military friendly. Ft. Sam, the Armies medical Head Quarters. Wilford Hall the Air Force medical headquarters. We would have Joint Grand Rounds and the Service centers would pay for the best speakers and UTX would mooch off them. I recall talking with Dan about eye surgery. The Chairman at UTX was a dynamic, charismatic Ophthalmologist from Johns Hopkins who convinced so many Texans to go into ophthalmology that he was pushed out and became Chairman at West Virginia. I am sure Dan and he later connected. After I started a solo practice in New Canaan. I called Dan to see if he would like to join me in the north, but he was quite happy down south. Our loss. I was so sad to hear of his passing. Only the Good die young.

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