Congressman Wenstrup Honored for Career of Army Reserve Service

Photo By Master Sgt. Joseph Bicchieri | Upon retiring from 25-years of U.S. Army Reserve service, Col. Brad Wenstrup and his wife Monica pose with Congressman Steven Scalise, who credits Col. Wenstrup with saving his life after a shooting in 2017. Wenstrup served as the Chief of Surgery to the 344th Combat Support Hospital in Iraq from 2005 to 2006, where he provided trauma care to Soldiers.  

DC, UNITED STATES

12.07.2022

Story by Master Sgt. Joseph Bicchieri 

Office of the Chief, Army Reserve

Congressman Honored for Career of Army Service
DEC 7, 2022
Washington, D.C.-

In the same room where he once received the Army’s highest award for heroism outside of combat, Col. Brad Wenstrup was honored for his 25-years of service in the United States Army Reserve. Friends, family, and co-workers filled the room at the Cannon House Office in Washington, D.C. As his wife, Monica, his son, Brad Jr., and his daughter, Sophia, watched with additional friends and family attending virtually, Mr. Stephen D. Austin, assistant chief of Army Reserve, awarded Wenstrup with the Legion of Merit. The gathering celebrated a remarkable career with personal notes and mementos from senior Army leaders, signed certificates of appreciation, congratulations, and no small amount of gratitude from people whose lives he had saved.
In his remarks honoring Wenstrup, Maj. Gen. Gregory J. Mosser, deputy chief of Army Reserve, stated “One of the things we are most proud of is our Citizen Soldier force. We call them Twice the Citizen for the support they provide their various communities while serving the Nation.” Whether he was caring for servicemembers in Iraq, a fellow Congressman wounded in a shooting, or military patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Col. Wenstrup demonstrated selfless service, integrity, and commitment of a Citizen Soldier. Mosser also recognized Monica’s contribution as an Army spouse. As Wenstrup himself said, “Her love and support has gotten us through.”
Growing up, Brad would play at being in the Army with his friends, with walkie talkies and toy guns, but he also knew at a young age that he wanted to be a doctor. He graduated from the William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in 1985 and completed his surgical residency in Chicago. He worked for years in private practice in Cincinnati, Ohio. However, Wenstrup said, “I kept seeing our country under attack.”
1998 was a turbulent year during which attacks on U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania claimed 224 lives and wounded more than 4,500 others. Even though no one in his family had been in the military, Wenstrup took it upon himself to call 1-800-USA-ARMY and joined the Army Reserve. Thus began a 25-year military career in which he would save lives and change others.
Given Wenstrup’s education and skills as a podiatrist, the Army commissioned him as a captain. The Army trained him in requirements for combat and trauma care. When 9-11 happened, that brought the role of our Guard and Reserve to the forefront, and the call came for him to deploy, Wenstrup recalled.
Even though Wenstrup had months of surgical appointments scheduled at his civilian job, the doctors at his partnership in Cincinnati let him know they had it covered, helping him fulfill his duties. He joined the 344th Combat Support Hospital in Iraq, where he served as the Chief of Surgery and the Director of the Wound Care Clinic. Wenstrup described the experience of providing trauma care to U.S. and allied service members saying, “It was probably the worst thing I ever had to do, but the best thing I got to do.”
For his actions at the 344th, Wenstrup was awarded the Bronze Star and combat action badge.
Wenstrup said friends and family back home would ask what he needed when he was deployed. Since the Army provided all the essentials of life, Wenstrup encouraged the community in the U.S. to put together care packages for the local people of Iraq instead of him. Wenstrup said, “As medical providers, we got to do great things.”
When the young daughter of an interpreter was gravely ill, Wenstrup got permission from his commander to admit her, even though the field hospital was intended only for trauma care. The doctors at the combat hospital called pediatricians they knew at home for advice to treat the girl, and a U.S. company shipped the specialized formula that the child needed to survive.
Changed by his experiences in Iraq, Wenstrup chose to continue his service by running for public office. In 2012, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on behalf of Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District.
Wenstrup’s service as a Congressman and a U.S. Army Reserve trauma surgeon would converge on June 14, 2017, as Congressman Steve Scalise lay wounded, shot by a high-powered rifle on an Alexandria, Virgina baseball field. Wenstrup and other members of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate had been practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity. When a gunman opened fire, Wenstrup ushered fellow members to cover. Once Capitol Police had subdued the active shooter, he rushed to Representative Scalise's aid. Wenstrup’s Army training and experience with combat wounds made a life-or-death difference in the treatment he provided for Scalise. As Mosser put it, “Brad did what he does best — provide medical care.”
For his actions on the field that day, Wenstrup was awarded the Soldier’s Medal, the Army’s highest award for heroism outside of combat.
This would not be the last time he would call upon his military experience in his civilian life. When a train carrying members of Congress collided with a truck on January 31, 2018, he was one of the individuals who moved to help the injured driver and passenger of the struck vehicle. He also continued his service in the Army Reserve, serving as the Medical Policy Advisor to the Chief of the Army Reserve and visiting military patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. During one of his visits to Walter Reed, he was reunited with Benjamin Cook, whom Wenstrup had known as a staff sergeant in Iraq. Since time they had worked together, Cook had completed his medical degree, and commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Army. Newly retired, Col. Wenstrup takes pride when he talks about what it means to take care of Soldiers and being a Soldier.

• Date Taken: 12.07.2022
• Date Posted: 12.09.2022 08:38
• Story ID: 434827
• Location: DC, US
• Hometown: CINCINNATI, OH, US