Sometimes when Iowa National Guard units come home from duty, there are hundreds of troops returning all at once. But Thursday, it was just one soldier.
Major Bill Stutts of Cedar Rapids is also Dr. Bill Stutts. He’s a psychiatrist and was returning from his specialized duty in Afghanistan.
Stutts says he’s proud to serve though it poses a disruption for his practice as there’s a fair amount of "starting over" with patients. "You actually have to have appointments scheduled, when you’re gone too long patients have to be seen, so they’ll go see somebody else," he says.
"This has been a very worthwhile experience for him. He got to do some really awesome things but, absolutely, we hope this is the last one," says Jill Stutts, the doctor/soldier’s wife.
This was Stutts’ second overseas deployment with the National Guard. He spent four months in Afghanistan on this tour. In 2003, he spent six months in Iraq.
Guard rules limit doctors to shorter deployments than most soldiers.