According to a recent press release from the AAOMS, two oral and maxillofacial surgeons were among the first to arrive at Fort Hood after the tragic shooting November 5th.

Majors Mark Ranschaert, DMD and Joseph Dylan Bowles, DDS recalled the situation as “pretty chaotic”  – “like being in a combat zone.”  The surgeons arrived to find 30 injured soldiers and operating rooms that were already full.

The two men said they reverted to their training and “did what we do best: taking care of patients.”  One patient with a severe neck wound was likely saved by the two surgeons, who stabilized the solider and quickly had him transferred to Scott and White University Medical Hospital.

As noted by the association, oral and maxillofacial surgeons “are indispensable in the hospital ER when it comes to repairing facial trauma caused by car crashes and street violence.”