We Have a Mystery! Physician Died at Guantanamo 10 Months Ago

[Chicago1]

Subject: We Have a Mystery! Physician Died at Guantanamo 10 Months Ago
Message:
Dear All,

Enclosed is an article that I found from dailykos.com. This doctor is dead and of course, the Department of Defense is being secretive about it. Thought I would pass it on.

Waiting for the IMPEACHEMENT TO START WHILE THE SCANDALS KEEP UNFOLDING
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http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/23/191537/954

We Have a Mystery! Physician Died at Guantanamo 10 Months Ago
by SusanHu


Wed Feb 23rd, 2005 at 18:15:37 CST

Update <2005-2-23 20:39:52 by SusanHu>: See end of diary.
I'll share with you the very little I could find. A career Navy physician -- apparently an anesthesiologist -- died at Guantanamo last April. A memorial service was held for him on April 16, 2004 at the base chapel on Guantanamo. The Naval Criminal Investigative Unit is still investigating his death, which has been categorized as "connected to the war on terror." Only this Tuesday did the Navy announce his death:


Pentagon announces death of Navy doctor at Guantanamo Bay
BY CAROL ROSENBERG
Knight Ridder Newspapers

MIAMI - (KRT) - Ten months after the fact, the Pentagon Tuesday disclosed the death of a Navy doctor at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba.

Pentagon spokesmen would not explain the circumstances surrounding the death of Navy Cmdr. Adrian Basil Szwec, 43, of Chicago, a 19-year career naval medical officer who died at the base on April 12. ...

An announcement described Szwec's death only as "a noncombat related incident."

[Last Lemming]

1. anesthesiologist

my first thought is unintentional overdose---anesthesiologists are at highest risk of drug "diversion" and addiction because of the nature of their job (unlimited access to narcotics coupled with unlimited exposure to surgeons)

Ouch

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. This man was a good friend of mine.

I've sometimes wondered about his death.

[Last Lemming]

3. Here's his licensing information

licensed in California
Look up here:
http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/WLLQRYNA$LCEV2.QueryView?P_LICENSE_NUMBER=79652&P_LTE_ID=790

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

4. Let me clear up a few things.

Adrian was a career Navy man. Was an enlisted sailor, then went to college in the Chicago area (I don't remember where) and went to medical school through the Navy at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD, where he graduated in 1989.

He did his internship at the Naval Hospital in Oakland, CA (now closed).

He was an Undersea Medical Officer for the Navy for a few years (a specialist in diving medicine, treating decompression injuries and the like).

He did his residency in Anesthesiology at the University of California, San Francisco.

He was stationed at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego for a number of years where he performed anesthetics and trained residents.

His last duty station was as the anesthesiologist at the Naval Hospital in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I believe he held the title of Director of Surgical Services while he was there as well. Anesthesiologist tours there are typically one year but he had extended for a year.

Adrian was a few short months away from returning to San Diego where he planned to finish out his Navy career when he died.

Even though he was only in his 40s, he was rather overweight and the word was that he'd died of a heart attack at the time.

Adrian was an excellent doctor and a friend of mine, and I miss him greatly.

[Last Lemming]

5. This stupid war

may we return to a life where all our tragedies are personal not political