He brought lessons from 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina to Pierce County. Thank goodness | Opinion

Salute to Dr. David Bales

Two pivotal events that rocked our nation eventually became a positive force in Pierce County.

On Sept. 1, 2001, our country was under attack, and New York City suffered a devastating loss of life. Although many people rushed to help, the kindness of strangers cannot assure what licensed professionals can provide: competent care.

In response, President George W. Bush formed the Medical Reserve Corps, inviting volunteers to join and creating a registry of credentialed emergency workers capable of jumping into action during any disaster.

Then, in August 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, causing chaos and overwhelming first-response efforts.

Dr. J. David Bales reported to duty as a civilian military physician based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and was soon deployed to New Orleans.

This firsthand experience with emergency response prompted Dr. Bales to commit to protecting the residents of Pierce County from natural disasters.

He soon persuaded the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department to create a Pierce County Medical Reserve Corp unit, bringing the federal initiative to life at a local level.

Dr. Bales was perfectly positioned to make his vision a reality. His specialties of family medicine, internal medicine and preventive medicine validated his standing as an expert in the field of disaster preparedness.

Bales was connected to the medical community; he served as president of the Pierce County Medical Society in 2009.

As The News Tribune’s Matt Driscoll recently reported, Bales served as medical director on the PC MRC Leadership Team from its beginning in 2007 until February of this year

Since its beginning, the Pierce County MRC has responded to public health threats, such as H1N1 and Covid 19. It has grown to 800 members, both licensed healthcare providers and logistics support. It has been activated in a range of public health settings: school-based immunizations, weather emergencies, homeless outreach, student clinical placements and more.

Let there be no doubt that the citizens of Pierce County are healthier today because of the foresight and determination of Dr. J. David Bales, Jr.

A grateful community salutes him.

Jan Runbeck, Tacoma

Ukraine relief should be spent at home

President Dwight Eisenhower famously said, “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, from those who are cold and are not clothed.”

“This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children,” Eisenhower warned.

“We pay for a single fighter plane with a half-million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people.”

Truer words could not have been said about the $100 billion the United States sent to Ukraine while letting 650,000 homeless sleep on our streets.

Byron Edelman, Kent