Last Friday November 7th, an American patriot died. She wasn't a military veteran, but she served America's veterans, cared for them, stood up for them and gave hope to them. On Friday, the patriot and hero, Rose C. Trincher, MD died after her long battle with cancer. Rose was a colleague of mine who had relentless energy. She was in charge of the Spinal Cord Injury Unit (SCIU) at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center. She was brilliant in that role, planning an expansion and construction that continues today. She used her patients and the Paralyzed Veterans of America as the advisors to plan the new SCIU wings and the renovation of existing space. Working with the medical center's facility management staff and with the architect, the innovations that were designed were remarkable because they allowed the patient to be as independent as possible, an important desire of the SCI patient. In 2003 Dr. Trincher was tasked with a new, huge challenge: to put together a state of the art rehabilitation unit for active duty military personnel injured in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. She moved mountains to accomplish this goal, recruiting staff, planning modifications to space, laying out the program requirements and coordinating with the many contributing clinical and administrative programs at the VA medical center, the Southeast Regional Medical Command and Eisenhower Army Medical Center. The Active Duty Rehabilitation Unit which coordinates care for traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, post traumatic stress disorder, vision loss, traumatic amputation and medical rehabilitation, opened in 2004 after 6 months of intensive work. It was and remains the only unit of its kind in the country, a VA operated unit dedicated to the care, rehabilitation and reconditioning of America's soldiers, sailors and Marines. Rose Trincher truly was an American patriot and hero. I am better for having known her.

Ralph Angelo