As the war against terrorism continues, an increasing number of the Society’s membership adds time in the desert to their resume of locations in the military. I am currently enjoying my three months in the sun as Commander of an EMEDS + 25. As I have watched the medics, the fliers and troops work, I am convinced, more than ever, that we have the finest military and medical corps the world has ever seen. The spirit, the “can do” attitude, and the professionalism our active duty, Guardsmen and Reservists have shown, inspire me to work that much harder. The Society has seen a resurgence in membership and meeting attendance over the past three years. It is now on sound fiscal footing after some lean years. The meeting in Las Vegas this year, was the first time in over a decade the Society held a meeting away from one of the four teaching medical centers. Drs Mike Edwards and Christine Clarke orchestrated a very successful meeting with an excellent program. We heard reports from the frontlines with the first summations of EMEDS deployments to the Middle East following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Gen Carlton presented a summary of where the AFMS is headed and the many successes seen in the past several years. The Society should be proud of its role in helping to shape the AFMS over the last decade into the lean, responsive service that it is today, as many of its members were leaders in the restructuring seen in our readiness piece. The AFMS has become so light, lean and capable that most of the medical care, provided in the AOR for the first three months of Operation Enduring Freedom, was provided by the AF MFST, SPEARR, CCATT and EMEDS teams. Line commanders are aware and very proud of the medics. My current Wing Commander is so proud of the hospital, he makes a point of showing it to every DV that comes on base, even if it is the only thing he has time for. The Society of Air Force Clinical Surgeons must continue to lead the way, as the AFMS continues to face new challenges. TRICARE has reshaped the service like nothing else and continues to do so. We must change the way we look at providing beneficiary care, if we are to flourish. Our medical facilities must pursue marketing strategies that will encourage our beneficiaries to choose medical care with a military provider and not the civilian one. If we don’t, our patient population will continue to dwindle until we become irrelevant. Surgery can be used as a tool in that fight. As we become more adept at recovering money from insurance companies and Medicare we can turn our operating theaters from cost centers into cash cows. The Society must be an integral part of that transformation. Other challenges include residency education and research. We have many of the finest residents in the country. We must continue to encourage them to higher levels, with stimulating forums for them to present their research. I also challenge our residents to pursue evidence-based research, designed to develop and prove (or disprove) a hypothesis. The Paul Myers Resident Research Award competition has become increasingly more competitive. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma Resident Paper Competition has seen a sharp increase in quality papers over the last three years. Keep up the good work! The next annual meeting will mark the 50th Anniversary of the Society of Air Force Clinical Surgeons. We will be returning to the birthplace of the Society, San Antonio from 30 March to 3 April 2003. I invite everyone to come and make this the biggest, most well attended meeting ever. Drs Brian Perry and Thomas Grissom are putting together a stimulating program designed around a theme of “Education: Graduate and Postgraduate - How to Stay Relevant in the 21st Century”. We will be inviting past Society Presidents, Excalibur Award winners and other luminaries. Please spread the word to all of your colleagues, past and present, and invite them to the meeting. Send suggestions for the meeting, such as speakers you would like to hear, topics to discuss and activities you would like to see to all four of these emails listed rosepreuit@aol.com peter.muskat@lackland.af.mil william.perry@lackland.af.mil and thomas.grissom@lackland.af.mil. We are also looking for drawings of a 50th anniversary coin that will commemorate the meeting. Send pictures, drawings, and scribbles to us. And lastly, remember send in your dues promptly, our year goes from 1 June to 30 May, and you should receive your new dues mailing in August 2003. See you in San Antonio! PETER MUSKAT, Col, USAF, MC President, Society of Air Force Clinical Surgeons 2002-2003 2008-2009 SAFCS President's Message 2006-2008 SAFCS President's Message 2003-2004 SAFCS President's Message 2002-2003 SAFCS President's Message 2001-2002 SAFCS President's Message 2000-2001 SAFCS President's Message 2006-2008 SAFCS President's Message 2004-2006 SAFCS President's Message 2003-2004 SAFCS President's Message 2001-2002 SAFCS President's Message 2000-2001 SAFCS President's Message