John N. Baldwin, MD

Webmaster’s Note: The following message was left by Gerry Cooney in the IWVPA Guestbook on August 10, 2008.

“I grew up next door to John Baldwin and would like to get in touch with him. I enjoy his writings and find myself “simpatico” on his positions.”

I forwarded the details on to John, and he responded to Gerry as follows:

Will, John, and Jean BaldwinWELCOME BACK

Dear Gerry: It is very hard to not visualize you as a little kid in diapers, running on the lawn at James Street, in and out of the hose sprinklers. Since I am 74, you must be about 62… and that is hard for both of us to imagine.

Much water under the many dams… growing up, education, marriage, kids, marriage, war, surgery, almost dying, losing parents, moving, getting old… all of this we probably have in common from our similar but different roots.

I believe it was you who visited us in Carmel… although it could have been Everett. But I believe it was you, back in about 1974.

So 35 years separate the visits. I am glad you found my work, hopefully my DVD on the IWVPA site… the video was made last year for Veteran’s day… from my and Jeannie’s slides and put together by the talented wife of a war wounded patient, Dennis Haines… who is alive and well in Pennsylvania… having had half his head blown off by an AK-47. One of the saves.

We live in Twain Harte, CA… on the map… East of SF, in the gold country foothills of cedar and ponderosa, 5 acres at 4,500 feet level… sort of like Dartmouth without the brutal winters and no hot summers.

All Baldwin kids are grown in their mid 40s… Nancy a business lady, married; John an earthquake geologist with own company in SF, married 3 girls; Cindie, nurse in KC married 3 boys.

We adopted a throwaway baby from a young woman 15 years ago at birth… he is almost 16 now… 10th grade, and living in a society whose values we don’t understand and some of whose friends have lip ear-rings and don’t ever shave.

If we survive the next 36 months we will have made it. Not to exaggerate, but the first 10 were fun – the last five hell.

I fish, hike, ski, work outside, teach surgery, consult on cancer cases, travel a bit when I can, am asked to speak at vet’s affairs (Kansas city, Rhode Island, CA, Pennsylvania)… on some of the things you might see on the IWVPA site. I am opinionated and yet willing to listen to new thoughts.

Glad you found me. I have a relatively photographic memory of names, even long ago conversations… and could reminisce with you about jumping off your garage roof into the forcysithia bush, watching the Cooney kids beat rugs on Saturday morning, hearing the screams when big Tom came home, the famous Packard, Nippy the dog, and all the rest… I was there and it sticks like glue in my mind. Janet, Tommy, Everett, Brenda and Gerry… all under the control of Big Tom and Mama Cooney, the catholic church and the wrath of the bigger kid. Amazing you guys grew up….

Good to hear from you. Anthony Pahl who runs the IWVPA is an Australian hero of the real type… Vietnam, choppers, all the rest. He has been here to Twain Harte and I will cc. this to him to thank him for putting your email into my list. The Internet is amazing… an absolutely amazing way to reunite… I can’t tell you how many like this I have had… patients, war vets, and even enemy soldiers… all have found me this way. Amazing………

All best JOHN B
August 10, 2008