Dr. Michael Lavor wasn't expecting to go to war.
The 63-year-old surgeon's orders came as a bit of shock, he said.
At his age, Lavor said, his thoughts were on retirement - not going to Afghanistan. He's set to leave Sunday for training and will be in Afghanistan from September to April.
He'd served as a U.S. Navy corpsman for 12 years and rejoined the U.S. Navy Reserve two years ago.
While it will be a long time away from his family, and the timing is unexpected, it also ended up being "very fortunate," he said. Lavor managed to squeeze in his two daughters' May and June weddings and his own 40th wedding anniversary in June before leaving. His orders came in January and the weddings had already been planned, he said.
Many people don't realize the Navy's presence in Tucson or the role of medical personnel in the military, he said.
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Lavor has been working as the officer in charge for the U.S. Navy Reserve's medical unit in Tucson. While the unit is small - 18 people - it sees more people mobilized than some larger units, Lavor said. The unit has highly trained people, he said, noting that dentists, psychiatrists and surgeons are difficult to get.
Lavor has been a surgeon for about 25 years and has a substantial background in general, vascular and trauma surgery. In Afghanistan, he'll be on an Army base and will care for people from all branches of the military. He will train and teach during his off hours.
Lavor said he was drawn to surgery because he's always loved to fix things. The physical workload won't be difficult, as he puts a lot of effort into his practice, Saguaro Surgical, he said. He said he feels honored to go and he's hoping he can help save some lives. The hard part will be being separated from his family.
"What our military sacrifices from a family standpoint is substantial," Lavor said. It is also a commitment from the hospitals to allow their people to leave, he said. Lavor is on staff at St. Joseph's Hospital, Tucson Medical Center and El Dorado Surgery Center.
Telling his wife was the hardest part, he said. While the separation will be tough, he said, he will be busy working and his wife is "very supportive" of the military.
When he returns, he plans to continue his work and to start looking toward retirement.
serving overseas
Among those serving overseas from the Navy Reserve's unit in Tucson:
• Hospital Corpsman Second Class Stephanie Aguirre of the Pima County Sheriff's Department will be serving in Afghanistan.
• Cmdr. Kelly Carr, a nurse at St. Joseph's, is serving in Afghanistan.
• Cmdr. James Mcclelland is a psychiatrist serving in Germany.
• Lt. (j.g.) Bennie Sumner, a nurse at University of Arizona Medical Center, is on the USNS Mercy.
• Lt. Doug Tomlinson is a retired dentist serving on the USNS Mercy.
• Hospital Corpsman First Class Andrew Pashos is a fireman serving in the United Arab Emirates.
• Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Michael Sparks works at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System and is attached to the Bahrain unit.
Among those who recently returned from serving in Afghanistan:
• Lt. Anthony Moretz, a surgical physician assistant.
• Hospital Corpsman First Class Josue Zuniga, a fireman.
• Lt. Corey Glassford, a nurse.
Bethany Barnes is a University of Arizona student who is an apprentice at the Star. Contact her at starapprentice@azstarnet.com or 573-4117.
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