Dr. David Nelson, helping America's wounded soldiers

Dr. David Nelson enjoys flying, but not for the reason one might think. He is part of a group that has helped more than 1,700 wounded soldiers with their recovery.

The Center For The Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio is where some of the most seriously injured U.S. soldiers go to heal. For some of them, flying with Dr. Nelson is their best way of reconnecting with the outside world.

Dr. Nelson is an Army veteran himself, having flown AH-1G or "Cobra" attack helicopters during the war in Vietnam. As a private pilot, Dr. Nelson volunteers his time and his twin engine cessna 425 with Veterans Airlift Command. VAC, as it's called, is a completely civilian organization of pilots helping wounded soldiers reunite with family or attended special events ... at no cost.

Dr. Nelson recently headed to New Mexico -- just south of Albuquerque -- to meet another VAC pilot and meet two soldiers returning to rehab at Intrepid.

"My friends who were hurt and killed in Vietnam with me... what are we 38 years later and I still get emotional about it. I really do," Dr. Nelson said. "I still remember their names and their faces and stuff like that."

According the the Department of Defense 35,944 U.S. service members have been wounded in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom since 2003.

"America has matured to the point of understanding that you can disagree with an action of the government but the people who carry it out still deserve your support," Dr. Nelson says in the video. "And I just think that's incredible. I think these guys deserve everything we can give them."

If you have any comments you'd like to add, or have questions for Dr. Nelson, please post them here or give us a call at Austin Orthodontics!