Dr. Marshall Willis

Ready , Willis and able : American Fork physician is ready for service in the National Guard.
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Dr. Marshall Willis is finally getting an opportunity he originally thought he would not have to wait for.

The American Fork resident and Chief of Family Practice at American Fork Hospital is fulfilling the military obligation he anticipated in his younger years.He is serving as a flight surgeon in the Army Aviation Unit , First Battalion , 211th Attack Helicopter Group.

Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s , when the draft was in effect and young men participated in the lottery system to determine who would be called in what order , Willis's number was in the low 50s.In many places , that would virtually assure his military service.

In his area in a logging community of northern California , there were not many young men who attended college or served as missionaries , so the quota of draftees was filled before his number was reached.

I waited to get drafted , but it never happened , he said.

Instead he studied zoology at BYU , then studied medicine in Europe where he was involved in a surgical clinic working with pancreatic tumors.He then did medical training in New York at the North Shore University Hospital.

He and his wife , Letizia , loved New York , but decided the northwest would be a better place to raise a family.On a trip to the area , they stopped in Utah to do some hiking.Driving through American Fork , they commented how beautiful the city was.

I wondered if they had a hospital here , he said.When we returned , I wrote a letter to the Administrator of American Fork Hospital – if there is one..

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Marshall Willis – if there is such a person..

With those beginnings , they packed up and came to American Fork , then spent a year in solo practice.Willis worked in the emergency room every Tuesday and Thursday , and did so for about 10 years.

Dr. Guy Richards had heart problems and asked Willis to keep his practice going while he recovered.When he came back , the two worked together.

I had a wonderful experience with him , he said.It was the highlight of my medical career..

Through the years his practice grew from the time that Richards retired to the full-blown Tri City Medical Clinic of today.Those changes have brought with them the opportunity to fulfill what Willis felt was his military obligation , although the luck of the draw did not require that of him.

I always planned on military service , he said.
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Willis has been with his unit for 11 years , and is on alert for a possible call.Part of his unit is currently in Kuwait , where they have been rotating assignments , maintaining a military presence for the last year.

The group flies both Apache and Blackhawk helicopters , using Apache for attack and Blackhawk for utility.Willis has also flown fixed wing aircraft and says that helicopters are much more challenging to maneuver.

You have to constantly fly them , he said.They are always trying to fall..

When he joined he had never flown before and learned at Fort Rucker , Ala..He also received military medical training at Fort Sam Houston , where he learned about the medical systems in the armed forces.

The two types of medical treatment are totally different , he said.In the military , you work to keep a soldier fighting and to keep the fighting force as strong as you can.

In civilian medicine you take care of the most wounded first , then work toward the least..

Although he has not received orders to report to Kuwait , he is still involved with his unit , even providing medical services to their families.

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Willis loves the out of doors and enjoys hiking and fishing.

He travels to Alaska and enjoys the fishing and scenery there , but still loves it in Utah.

He and his wife are not planning on taking on any new challenges yet , but may serve a medical mission later in life.Letizia is a pharmacist.

In the meantime , they are planning on enjoying their community , kids and grandkids , said Willis.

Even though he enjoys life here , he is ready to serve if the time comes , saying matter-of-factly , That is what we are trained to do..

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