From Military Service to Expert Care at St. Luke’s Health

Many of our physicians and staff were in the military before joining St. Luke’s Health-The Woodlands and The Vintage Hospitals, instilling in them the unique perspective and discipline that comes from putting one’s country first. We recently spoke with three surgeons about their time in the armed forces and how it influences their approach to medicine.

By the time he was a teenager, Dr. Yong Choi was well on his way to fulfilling his boyhood dream of attending the United States Military Academy and becoming a surgeon. He immigrated from Korea with his family when he was 6 years old. “I felt that going to West Point was the American dream,” he said.

Dr. Choi was one of only 20 cadets in his class at West Point allowed to enter medical school immediately after graduation. After earning his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, he spent over 25 years on active duty, including deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq during that time. 

“We have the best soldiers in the world,”  he said, citing the example of a severely wounded soldier in Iraq who was ordered to return home. “His first thought was ‘my soldiers need me. I can't leave them.’” It is those powerful examples of selflessness that move Dr. Choi to “feel fortunate to have taken care of one of the best patient populations in the world," he said. 

Today, Dr. Choi is chief medical officer and a general surgeon at St. Luke’s-The Woodlands and lives every day by West Point’s motto, “Duty. Honor. Country,” defining duty as “doing what ought to be done when it ought to be done when no one is looking.” In his medical practice, that translates to doing what’s best for the patient and including them in the decision making process. “I learned the importance of caring for the patient as an individual. Each patient has different needs and different ways they process information. Including them every step of the way makes them feel  invested in their own care.”

General Surgeon James Dickerson entered West Point two years after Dr. Choi and also earned his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Their common military background was a key factor Dr. Dickerson’s decision to join St. Luke’s-The Woodlands. “I wanted to work with someone who shared my experiences, my work ethic, and approach to things,” he explained, explaining how military standards never waiver. “You work until the job is done, you work without complaining, and you lead by example.”  

He calls upon that fortitude whenever he encounters a difficult medical case, never giving up and doing his utmost for the patient no matter the challenges of the situation. “You do what you have to do to provide the best possible care to the patient.”

Dr. Dickerson grew up in a military family and always wanted to serve his country and become a doctor. He retired as an Army colonel after 25+ years, with deployments to the Middle East and Africa. This Veteran’s Day, he hopes Americans will remember U.S. servicemembers. “We need to keep our soldiers and their families in our minds and our prayers,” he said.  “They are out there making sacrifices every day so that we can be afforded the great benefits and freedoms we have today.”

As a teenager, Dr. Jantzen Thorns couldn’t wait to join the Army and saw it as a path to prosperity.   He always wanted to be a physician even though no one in his family had ever attended college. He enlisted at 17 years of age as a way to pay for tuition and to develop personally. Mission accomplished. 

While in the service, he served as a combat medic, then a licensed vocational nurse, and finally, a dialysis nurse. After his honorable discharge, he went on to graduate from medical school at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and obtained a Master's of Public Health from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Today, Dr. Thorns is a general surgeon at St. Luke's Health-The Vintage and The Woodlands.   

"During the five years I spent in the Army, I got to see exactly what professionalism looked like. I got to see what it looked like to lead people, good leadership and bad leadership. And I got to see what it meant to actually care and demonstrate that," he said. 

Dr. Thorns leads his team in the operating room, borrowing an acronym from his basic training: "LDRSHIP: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage." Through the Army, I've been allowed to live the dream that I dreamed about as a kid. Most people can't say that.  I credit the Army for making me the man I am today.”