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Patriotism Pervades U.S. Hospital In Germany

Capt. Sean Casperson, commander of Charlie Company at Landstuhl, is responsible for 440 people. He is a graduate of Plant High School and has been at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center since shortly after Sept. 11, 2001.

Michael Egger/News Channel 8

By KEITH CATE kcate@wfla.com

Published: Dec 1, 2005

LANDSTUHL - REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, Germany -- Army Capt. Sean Casperson has been at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center since shortly after Sept. 11, 2001.

The hospital was a quieter place then. But as the war heated up, things got busy at Landstuhl.

"I've seen the size of the hospital almost double, and I've really seen a sense of worth or accomplishment in what everyone is doing now," Casperson says.

As commander of Charlie Company at Landstuhl, Casperson is responsible for 440 people. The graduate of Plant High School in Tampa relishes the work.

"There's a spirit of patriotism that is absolutely invigorating here, where soldiers almost to a man can't wait to get back to their unit, because they believe in what they're doing," he says.

Maj. Barbara McGann works 12-hour shifts at one of the hospital's busiest stations. McGann is assigned to a hospital unit out of St. Petersburg; she's been at Landstuhl since January. During that time, she's moved hundreds of patients through the surgical floor, getting them stabilized so they can move on to the next stop.

"They need to get back to the States," she says. "You know if they're injured that badly, that they need to get out of here. We get them stabilized, do what we can for them and then get them back out to the States."

McGann thinks often of her four grandchildren in Sarasota.

"I have four little grandkids at home, and I'm missing birthdays ... but this is a great assignment," she says. "It's busy, it's strenuous, 12 hours a day and most of us are actually putting in like 14 hours a day ... but it's nothing compared to what our soldiers are doing."

Keith Cate