his medical degree from mayo medical school in rochester minnesota and is msa degree from ashland university in ohio. he served as a combat physician and flight surgeon for the u.s. army and completed three combat tours in iraq. his writing has appeared in the best american essays, river chief, , and other literary journals because most recent work "crossings" is a memoir of an improbable powerfully drawn life, and the begin in poverty on united reservation -- oneida reservation in wisconsin but grew to encompass of medical practice. trained as emergency position dr. kerstetter thirst for intensity led them to volunteer in war-torn rwanda, kosovo and bosnia. and to join the army national guard. during his tours in iraq he was involved with everything from saving soldiers lives to organizing the joint u.s.-iraqi forensic team tasked with identifying the bodies of saddam hussein's sons. suffering a stroke upon returning from iraq, jon spent usually covering, impeded by near unbearable pain and complicated by ptsd. overcoming the perceived limits of his body and mind, jon reimagined his own capacity fo