. >> reporter: toby cosgrove wears a suit these days as the c.e.o. of the cleveland clinic. but during the vietnam war, he was surgeon in the airforce-- earning a bronze star for heroism. >> it helped me a great deal in running this hospital. one of the things that i saw was troops being moved from the battle site to forward hospitals to back line hospitals and subsequently out of the country. and we've adopted that same sort of thing. >> reporter: so it has a fleet of aircraft and ambulances to move patients to the best facility for their needs. the hospital also actively recruits veterans and not just for patriotic reasons. >> we know that the military has probably thought more about leadership over hundreds of years than probably any other organization. and they do a great job of it. they do a lot of training. they have a very right criteria of how they promote people. >> welcome to the clinic. how may i help you? >> reporter: antwon peterson is the first person many patients meet when they come for emergency treatment. >> i love it! i love it! helping people, helping sic