Page 15 - Amarillo Senior Link Magazine Fall 2021 - Online Magazine

army
rmy
aIr force
a
kuwaIt & Iraq
fraNce

of Veterans
in the Texas
Panhandle and
South Plains
areas.

As an Army
wife, Rebecca
continues to
hold down
the home
front. She
homeschools
their daughter
and writes bestselling, sweet and inspirational
romance stories under the pen name of Jo Grafford.
(She claims her various jobs over the years gave
her something to write about.) Rod and Rebecca’s

memorable events of that year is that the college
where he provided sports medicine coverage, George
Mason University, made it to the NCAA Final Four
Men’s Basketball Tournament. Rod was able to travel
with the team throughout the tournament. Rod also
was the Director of Sports Medicine for the Family
Medicine Residency and Chief of Primary Care at
Ft. Benning. He then moved back to Kuwait to be
the Command Surgeon for Kuwait Operations. After
serving in Kuwait for 15 months, he was sent to Ft.
Leonard Wood to be the Chief of Soldier Services
and Readiness Medicine. Next, he commanded a
Clinic in Ansbach, Germany. After that, he served
as the Deputy Commander for Clinical Services
(Chief Medical Officer) and Deputy Commanding
Officer at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Ft
Campbell, KY. Then he attended the Air War College
at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, AL. His
military career culminated at Walter Reed National
Military Medical Center, where he served as Chief of
Staff, as well as the Interim Director for Fort Belvoir
Community Hospital for three months and Walter
Reed National Military Medical Center for three
months.

Upon his retirement from the Army, Rod and his
family moved west where he continues to “serve
those who served” as the Director of the Amarillo VA
Health Care System. He considers it the highest honor
to continue his post-military career by taking care

Amarillo Senior Link 15