On Friday, the Panhandle Blocks Quilts of Valor and Legion volunteers presented Dr. Mark Chu with a Quilt of Valor in honor of his service in the United States Army and Airforce.
Panhandle Blocks Quilts of Valor Volunteer Kathy Dye thanked Chu for his service and presented the history of the Quilts of Valor organization and the meaning behind the quilts given to veterand.
Box Butte General Hospital CEO Lori Mazanec read Chu’s military history and also thanked him for his service, and continuing to serve his community as an ER doctor.
Chu said, “Every time I hear the National Anthem or the Pledge of Allegiance, I still get goosebumps. I am so grateful to be American and proud to have served this country.”
Chu also mentioned the importance of the American Flag and the pride he has for the United States.
Chu joined the US Army as a Private First Class in 1984. Upon completion of Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training in Ft. Knox, Kentucky, he was assigned as a Tank System Mechanic in Fort Irwin, California.
Eighteen months later, he was accepted to Officer Candidate School (OCS) and graduated as a Second Lieutenant at Ft. Bening, Georgia.
From June 1985 to July 1986 he attended Officer Basic Course for Chemical Officers at Ft. McClellan, Alabama, and graduated at the top of his class.
Following his first assignment as a Battalion Chemical Officer with the 2nd Brigade, 47th Infantry Battalion at Ft. Lewis.
Chu attended the University of Nebraska College of Medicine under the Health Professional Scholarship Program and graduated in 1992. His three-year residency at the Northwest Iowa Family Practice Foundation culminated in receiving his board certification as a Family Practice Physician, promotion to Captain, and an invite to join the staff physicians at Heidelberg Army Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany.
In 1996 Chu was assigned to the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M*A*S*H) in Wiesbaden, Germany, and deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Upon completion of his deployment, Chu was promoted to Major and served as the clinic commander at the Buedingen Health Clinic from January 1997 to August 1999.
When his European tour came to an end, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and it was determined his services were needed at Munson Army Hospital, in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas as the Chief of Primary Care, until his decision to separate from active duty in December 2002.
In January 2003, Chu joined the Nebraska Army National Guard and set up his Family Practice at the Ogallala Community Hospital. The next two years with the Army National Guard saw Chu deploying for a four-month tour to a Medical Company at Camp Caldwell, Iraq. In January 2006, Chu transferred from the Army National Guard to the 153rd Medical Group in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He retired Feb. 9, 2009.