A Message to Our Military from Plastic Surgeon S. Larry Schlesinger, MD, FACS:
We offer discounts on plastic surgery services to members of our Armed Forces.
I enlisted in the Army as a Private E-1, and got all the way up to Sergeant E-5 before I went to Artillery OCS. I had a great time, both as an enlisted man and as a line officer. I loved the Army, you can even say I grew up in the Army. I got off active duty to go to medical school. I graduated first in my class in medical school directly related to the maturity I gained while in the military. I gained discipline, and I definitely learned never to hand in a “C” paper to a superior officer. Even though I was accepted to Yale for my residency in surgery, I decided to go back into the Army as a career officer.
Strangely enough, during my internship at Tripler Army Medical Center, I fell in love with plastic surgery and found that I had a real knack for the aesthetic aspect of plastic surgery. Unfortunately, the military had no MOS to cover cosmetic plastic surgery. I served out my time in the Army as a flight surgeon, and got out after ten years, having had a wonderful experience and having a great deal of positivity towards the people who serve their country and towards the dependents that support them.
When you eliminate my family and the sports that I love, I guess plastic surgery and the military are two areas I have the greatest respect and aloha for. Giving a discount to military and dependents is my small way of giving back for all the military did for me.
I am also a member of Iraqstar and have done free surgeries on military men who have had facial injuries while being deployed. You can read about my contribution to our servicemen and women here in the Honolulu Star Bulletin.