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American Morning
Paging Dr. Gupta From Kuwait
Aired February 14, 2003 - 08:45 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back here in Kuwait with the U.S. Marines, and back here with the man who does not stop, as Paula said, does not stop making house calls.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta here in the Kuwaiti desert.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good to be with you.
HEMMER: Nice to see you, too.
The vehicle behind us is here for a reason.
GUPTA: That is an M-1035 ambulance. It's a high back ambulance, unlike any ambulance you've probably seen back home. Look at the tires. This thing is going to get people through the desert who are sick, get them to level 1, level 2 triage centers. And certainly, medical information, medical staffing, a huge part of any camp, any military camp -- doctors, PAs, nurses, psychologists -- all sorts of health care professionals.
But besides the titles, they all have stories. We decided to find one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): With F-16s flying just a few hundred feet overhead and the Iraq border 20 miles away, Captain Shobitz decided to hang up his shingle. He's camp doc, and thinks of himself as the protector of the protectors.
CAPT. ERIK SHOBITZ, U.S. ARMY DOCTOR: Being able to take care of these soldiers, being trained in how to take care of them effectively, and knowing that I have the ability to save their life if they're hurt. They trust me. It's an amazing thing.
GUPTA: His path to medicine? Pretty typical.
SHOBITZ: So, college was four years, obviously, like anybody else getting a Bachelor's degree, and then four years of medical school beyond that, and then three years of residency training beyond that to become a pediatrician. So, we're talking 11 years. So, I was 17 when I finished high school and I was 28 when I finished residency.
GUPTA: Financed in part by the military in exchange for some years of service. Not long after he finished his medical education, his life, along with everyone else's, changed. SHOBITZ: And you only need to look back at September 11, 2001. I mean, on that day, our country was attacked. I was born in New York and raised in Virginia, so both states of my life were attacked on that date. And I find it a rare privilege and an honor to be able to take care of the soldiers who are protecting my family, so that it doesn't happen again.
GUPTA: An aspired doctor, now doing his duty in the desert.
SHOBITZ: I had epiphany the other day while I was out in the field, we were training, working hard, not much sleep, kind of dirty, rather smelly, no showers and decided I love this. This is great.
GUPTA: Teaching subjects not found in most medical schools.
SHOBITZ: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the first one was created was by the Germans in World War I, they created mustard gas.
GUPTA: And worrying, like most doctors do, about the future.
SHOBITZ: I get concerned about chemical warfare. It's a realistic concern, and I pray to God that we don't get hit with that, and I pray to God that we'll be able to solve this peacefully still, that we'll find a way to protect our own interests without having to kill anybody. I'm a doctor, I don't want to see anyone get hurt. But that's something that concerns me.
GUPTA: For the time being, the U.S. Army is glad Captain Shobitz is on call.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Yes, not easy to be a doctor in the military, I tell you. Oftentimes, it means a decrease in pay, a change of lifestyle, no question, loss of benefits and maybe even loss of a practice back home. But for doctors like Erik Shobitz, Captain Erik Shobitz, he really didn't even think twice about this.
HEMMER: Extraordinary guy.
GUPTA: He really is, he is.
HEMMER: A really great story.
This weekend, you're going to be on the air here on CNN.
GUPTA: 8;30 to 9:00, were going to be hosting the show, "Weekend House Call" both days here from Kuwait, talking about threats here in Kuwait, as well as at home.
HEMMER: Excellent. 8:30 in the morning, right?
GUPTA: 8:30, that's right.
HEMMER: A.M., you got it. How do you like my hat, by the way?
GUPTA: I like it. It's keeping the hair out of your face.
HEMMER: Too much wind out here. Good to see you, Sanjay.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired February 14, 2003 - 08:45 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back here in Kuwait with the U.S. Marines, and back here with the man who does not stop, as Paula said, does not stop making house calls.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta here in the Kuwaiti desert.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good to be with you.
HEMMER: Nice to see you, too.
The vehicle behind us is here for a reason.
GUPTA: That is an M-1035 ambulance. It's a high back ambulance, unlike any ambulance you've probably seen back home. Look at the tires. This thing is going to get people through the desert who are sick, get them to level 1, level 2 triage centers. And certainly, medical information, medical staffing, a huge part of any camp, any military camp -- doctors, PAs, nurses, psychologists -- all sorts of health care professionals.
But besides the titles, they all have stories. We decided to find one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): With F-16s flying just a few hundred feet overhead and the Iraq border 20 miles away, Captain Shobitz decided to hang up his shingle. He's camp doc, and thinks of himself as the protector of the protectors.
CAPT. ERIK SHOBITZ, U.S. ARMY DOCTOR: Being able to take care of these soldiers, being trained in how to take care of them effectively, and knowing that I have the ability to save their life if they're hurt. They trust me. It's an amazing thing.
GUPTA: His path to medicine? Pretty typical.
SHOBITZ: So, college was four years, obviously, like anybody else getting a Bachelor's degree, and then four years of medical school beyond that, and then three years of residency training beyond that to become a pediatrician. So, we're talking 11 years. So, I was 17 when I finished high school and I was 28 when I finished residency.
GUPTA: Financed in part by the military in exchange for some years of service. Not long after he finished his medical education, his life, along with everyone else's, changed. SHOBITZ: And you only need to look back at September 11, 2001. I mean, on that day, our country was attacked. I was born in New York and raised in Virginia, so both states of my life were attacked on that date. And I find it a rare privilege and an honor to be able to take care of the soldiers who are protecting my family, so that it doesn't happen again.
GUPTA: An aspired doctor, now doing his duty in the desert.
SHOBITZ: I had epiphany the other day while I was out in the field, we were training, working hard, not much sleep, kind of dirty, rather smelly, no showers and decided I love this. This is great.
GUPTA: Teaching subjects not found in most medical schools.
SHOBITZ: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the first one was created was by the Germans in World War I, they created mustard gas.
GUPTA: And worrying, like most doctors do, about the future.
SHOBITZ: I get concerned about chemical warfare. It's a realistic concern, and I pray to God that we don't get hit with that, and I pray to God that we'll be able to solve this peacefully still, that we'll find a way to protect our own interests without having to kill anybody. I'm a doctor, I don't want to see anyone get hurt. But that's something that concerns me.
GUPTA: For the time being, the U.S. Army is glad Captain Shobitz is on call.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Yes, not easy to be a doctor in the military, I tell you. Oftentimes, it means a decrease in pay, a change of lifestyle, no question, loss of benefits and maybe even loss of a practice back home. But for doctors like Erik Shobitz, Captain Erik Shobitz, he really didn't even think twice about this.
HEMMER: Extraordinary guy.
GUPTA: He really is, he is.
HEMMER: A really great story.
This weekend, you're going to be on the air here on CNN.
GUPTA: 8;30 to 9:00, were going to be hosting the show, "Weekend House Call" both days here from Kuwait, talking about threats here in Kuwait, as well as at home.
HEMMER: Excellent. 8:30 in the morning, right?
GUPTA: 8:30, that's right.
HEMMER: A.M., you got it. How do you like my hat, by the way?
GUPTA: I like it. It's keeping the hair out of your face.
HEMMER: Too much wind out here. Good to see you, Sanjay.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
