Members of the Vietnamese Army and U.S. Navy OPERATION BRAVA eye team with some of the post-operative patients. Photo by Maj. Robb P. Etnyre, USMC

Vietnamese Army and U.S. Navy medical personnel conducted over 40 surgical operations, including several for victims of severe blast injuries, during OPERATION BRAVA. OPERATION BRAVA is a U.S. military humanitarian assistance program that promotes host country relations by conducting medical education, training, and patient care in the surgical management of injuries caused by explosive ordnance. This was the first BRAVA visit to Vietnam. It took place at Hospital 103 and the National Institute for Burns in Hanoi, Vietnam, in June 2003. The Vietnamese and U.S. doctors and nurses saw over 100 patients and provided follow up care for patients undergoing surgical procedures. The 16 member U.S. Navy medical team – including orthopedic and head and neck specialists, plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists, nurses, and technicians – shared information on U.S. medical procedures and techniques with their Vietnamese counterparts

Vietnamese and U.S. ophthalmologists perform cataract surgery during OPERATION BRAVA. Photo by Maj. Robb P. Etnyre, USMC

A happy post-operative patient shares a laugh with Capt. Karl Holtzinger, USN, the eye surgeon on the OPERATION BRAVA team. Photo by Maj. Robb P. Etnyre, USMCPhoto

OPERATION BRAVA cataract patients wait for post-operative instructions. Photo by Maj. Robb P. Etnyre, USMC

Vietnamese Army doctors (top) – Senior Col. Le Nam, Director, National Institute of Burns, and Maj. Nguyen Nhu Lam, National Institute of Burns – perform an amputation with U.S. Navy surgeons (bottom) – Capt. D.C. Covey and Capt. Lawrence Roberts. Photo by Maj. Robb P. Etnyre, USMC

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