Magalia-Pines Family Practice Medical Clinic 

Larry Gene Griffith, M.D.

Dr. Griffith was a most interesting man and spoke several languages and dialects, and he trained Don Sakal.  Dr. Griffith was recruited by the Special Forces (SF) to teach Green Beret Medics, because he had built guerrilla hospitals in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.  He was Missionary under a Church at the time and was treating both sides (North and South Vietnamese), and he remained a conscientious objector despite his Army enlistment (his firm terms to those who recruited him).

In 1979 Dr. Griffith was course director of the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) Phase II called the 300F1 course at Fort Sam in Texas.  Walt Hetzler was SFC at the time and head NCO of the class and Don Sakal was E-1 student under them. 

Dr. Griffith was the type of man who could improvise and make surgical instruments out of bamboo or hot water from a 50 gal drum wrapped with copper (improvisation is key to Special Forces).  Despite the Vietcong cutting the heads off of Dr. Griffith’s indigenous staff and placing one of his nurse’s heads on a stake before him, and entire human body staked up the rectum, Dr. Griffith remained steadfast in his humanitarian effort to treat everyone and anyone (both sides military and civilian).  He encroached into areas were secret SF missions were taking place and some SF solders hated him for treating the enemy.  The CIA watched Dr. Griffith closely.

Later Dr. Griffith moved on to Africa and was captured by Idi Amin who wanted him as personal physician to treat his syphilis.  Other  inmates supportive of Dr, Griffith started riot-type diversion in the prison yard, and Dr. Griffith escaped and fled through the jungle awakening beside snakes and he contracted Malaria (Black Water Fever) and nearly died.  This was the end of his overseas medical career.  Dr. Griffith was humanitarian and expert in tropical medicine and was awarded as one of the “Ten Outstanding Men in America” and in “Who’s Who’s” for his humanitarian efforts and achievements. 

(Note: Dr. Gene Griffith followed the footsteps of Dr. Tom Dooley who served as a physician in the United State Navy, and afterwards became famous humanitarian and political activist for South East Asia during the late 1950s, until his early death from Melanoma cancer.  Dooley's legacy continues through the work of the Dooley Foundation-Intermed International, which has carried on the work of Dr. Dooley for the past 50 years and presently supports medical aid projects in four countries: Laos, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Thailand. Supposedly Dooley was on promotional tour of a book when he was investigated for homosexual activities and forced to resign from the Navy in March 1956.  After leaving the Navy, Dooley went to Laos to establish medical clinics and hospitals under the sponsorship of the International Rescue Committee.  Following his death John F. Kennedy cited Dooley's example when he launched the Peace Corps and was also awarded a Congressional Gold Medal posthumously.  Dooley's work has continued around the world, with people of all religions, to help orphans and at-risk children not only in Vietnam, but also in Mexico, Colombia, Indonesia and Afghanistan.)

It was overtly clear that Dr. Griffith was just as novel a human being as Dr. Tom Dooley, and during the Special Forces Medical Specialty Course, 300F1, there were SF men (Green Berets) who hated Dr. Griffith for being a conscientious objector and following an allegedly gay doctor's footsteps, but mostly for treating the enemy during the Vietnam war.  Don Sakal recalls one SSG in particular who let Dr. Griffith know his dislike of him, but Walt Hetzler, SFC at the time took honorable fair approach to these men and kept them in their respective places.  However, most all within the Special Forces agreed that Dr. Griffith was the perfect man to train our U.S. Army Special Forces Medics and he did the job well and we all thank you sir!. 

After the military, Dr. Griffith moved on to Troy Montana where he remained in private practice for many years.  Later he moved to his native territory of Amarillo Texas where he remains in medical practice today. 

Frank Wallace, M.D.

Don Sakal learned about the significance of Frank Wallace, M.D. in early 2008 when Dr. Wallace, as DoD contractor Avatar World Link, offered to deploy Don to Iraq as Military Analyst/18D.  Small World, as Dr. Wallace was boss to Don’s brother Martin (Marty) Sakal who was also SF Medic.  Dr. Wallace was tasked with evolving the 300F1 course to 18D series. 

Dr. Wallace was perfect man for the job to rewrite the 300F1 to 18D, because he was also an SF Medic, 91B4S who later went to military Physician Assistant (PA) school.  The SF medic curriculum was long overdue for an overhaul (it never had one in its history).  The 18D Career Management Field didn't come into existence until 1984-85.  Dr. Wallace  had many accomplishments already as SF medic and PA, but taking on the re-write of an entire program was unique. 

Dr. Wallace had been part of a premier SF assignment (a classified detachment in Berlin called "Det. A") and was fluent in German and took on European behaviorisms to perfection.

Apparently, MG Bill Winkler, CDR AHS, saw his chance to ride Reagan's newly revitalized SOF capabilities train to become the next Surgeon General of the Army. Traditionally, the AHS slot was a stepping stone for that.  Dr. Wallace who was PA at the time, stood up the first SF medical training Co at FSH in Jun 1984 when he was the first XO (it gave him about 6 months to get the rewrite 300F1 to 18D job done).

The course director that pre SF company activation time was one of Dr. Wallace’s previous PA instructors, Anne Burkhart, and the Program Director SF Tm Ldr, Dick Chamberlain, the Army's first CW4 PA due to his commissioned time.  

Chamberlain PA convinced Dr. Wallace into coming out of the Rgr Bn (Dr. Wallace was the Army's first PA and WO to go through Ranger School) to take over, and reward for curriculum rewrite would be to better prepare Dr. Wallace for medical school (which it surely did).

Dr. Wallace works as Anesthesiologist in Texas and is founder of Avatar World Link, a defense contractor with successful contract completions to his credit.   

A comment about SF medics:

The SF medical aid man course was originally set up as the Physician Assistant (PA) forerunner and was deemed inadequate for what they needed SF Medics to do, and so it was thrown to the Special Operations community and then instituted through whatever channels they had at Bragg at the time and the Medical Command to start the 300-F1 course.  Doctors came and went and this page only lists a few, but there were other outstanding men behind the SF Medic (see brief history of SF Medic below).

Craig H. Llewellyn, M.D., M.P.H., MSTMH, FACPM

Professor Department of Military and Emergency Medicine F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Dr. Craig H. Llewellyn was teacher to CSM Walt Hetzler (Ret.) who trained SF Medics.  Dr. Llewellyn was founding Director of the Center for Disaster and Humanitarian and Assistance Medicine (CDHAM).  He entered the United States Army in 1963 as a Captain in the Medical Corps and served on active duty until his retirement as a Colonel in 1987. He is Emeritus Professor of Military and Emergency Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, and Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences School of Medicine where he served as the Chair of the Department of Military and Emergency Medicine from 1982 to 2001. Dr. Llewellyn earned his Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Medicine degrees from Yale University in 1959 and 1963, respectively. He also holds a Master of Public Health and a Master of Science in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene degree from the Harvard School of Public Health and completed his residency in Preventive Medicine-International Health at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. He has completed the International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance awarded by the University of Geneva, Switzerland.

Colonel Llewellyn served as the Commandant of Students at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences from 1982 until his retirement from active duty in 1987. Other Military assignments include: Commander, U.S. Army Biomedical Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground; Manager, Combat Casualty Care Research, Office of the Surgeon General; Commander, U.S. Army Medical Research Unit, Brazil; Chief, Department of Epidemiology and Director EPICON, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; Group Surgeon, Special Forces Training Group, Fort Bragg; Group Surgeon, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Vietnam; Flight Surgeon, 6th Special Forces Group (Airborne).

Among Dr. Llewellyn’s military awards and decorations are the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), the Bronze Star Medal (with V Device and Oak Leaf Cluster), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Meritorious Service Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), the Air Medal (with four Oak Leaf Clusters), and the Army Commendation Medal. He holds the Special Forces Tab, Combat Medic Badge, Master Parachutists Badge, SCUBA Badge, and Senior Flight Surgeon’s Wings; foreign decorations include the Peruvian Military Cross, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and the Brazilian Combatente da Selva Badge. He has also received the USUHS Medal—the highest university award and the Military Order of Medical Merit.

Dr Llewellyn has an extensive bibliography in the refereed literature on a broad range of topics including several chapters in national and international textbooks and has lectured extensively both in the United States and abroad. He has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization and the Pan-American Health Organization, and has held elected office in several professional organizations including the American College of Preventive Medicine and the Special Operations Medical Association (SOMA).

In 2004 he retired from USUHS after 22 years of service and continues teach in Emeritus status. He is a Special Consultant to the Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine (CDHAM), participates as guest faculty in the Homeland Security for Medical Executives Course (HLSMEC). Dr Llewellyn is also actively engaged as an independent consultant with several national and international governmental and non-governmental organizations and academic institutions.

Brief History of the SF Medic

Craig Llewellyn, M.D. was in charge in the 1960’s, and Col. Juel (spelling) was the first OIC of Ft Sam Houston’s involvement in the program when it was under BAMC.  In long sessions of nostalgia, the good Col. Juel told Walt Hetzler story about how the 300-F1 came to be and why PA wasn’t adequate, because they needed a medic who could set up guerrilla aid stations and care for the entirety of indigenous peoples behind enemy lines, as well as, be expert in warfare trauma which required the medic to be anesthesiologist and surgeon to do amputations, chest-tubes, delayed primary closures and more.  Without computer lab equipment SF Medics could do complete blood counts et al microscopy using simple chemicals and counting chambers while in the field, and bacteria could be grown on ager dish under the arm pit of a team mate under warm incubation while in rout.  SF medics were also trained in veterinary medicine to take care of indigenous community live stock animals, which for some are more sacred than the human being.  

Empirical knowledge would be found from the Medical Officers Craig Llewellyn, M.D., Col. Roger Juel M.D., Larry Gene Griffith, M.D., Cutherston, M.D., Krause, M.D., Frank Wallace, M.D., Chamberlain PA, and others, and enlisted core of SGM Elza G. Madison the original SGM of Dog Lab spanned about 1965 through 1971, Billy Akers 91A NCOIC when the course was run at Ft Bragg in the 70's., Bill Beswick and Walt Hetzler who ran MedLab, and Stan Shank, and Kenny Cannon and many more to include the SF Medics themselves, and more recently in Sept. 2010 a 2LT McDonald did some research about the evolution of the SF Medic while on active duty, but he probably did not know all the details about the men on this page who trained SF Medics.