Vietnam veteran Gary Jacobsen has seen the value of quality medical care.

Submitted photo courtesy of Gary Jacobsen A Luoi, Vietnam, village residents attempt to enter a VWAM clinic in September.

“I’ve had to control 150 people pressing on one glass door trying to get into our clinics for care,” Jacobsen said.

Jacobsen’s life for about one week each year is vastly different than the other 51. The Lake Havasu City resident takes a yearly trip to Vietnam as a part of Vets With A Mission, an organization comprised almost entirely of veterans who dedicate time in Vietnam to provide the impoverished residents in the country’s small villages with free medical care.

Jacobsen served as an Army Captain in Vietnam during the war, piloting Cobra helicopters. Just six years ago, he was scouring the Internet for the right volunteer group and when he came across VWAM, he felt as if he’d found his calling.

“It must’ve been about 35 years since I had last stepped foot in that country,” he said. “I think I had a hole in my heart for Vietnam and the people there.”

Jacobsen is not a doctor like many who volunteer their time with the organization, so he instead works with the constantly increasing crowds to make sure that the makeshift clinics are not overrun with those looking for care.

“I’m a support person, in charge of security and patient flow. Whatever the doctors need I get for them but I spend most of my time spent trying to control crowds,” he said. “The people in these villages are totally illiterate and very few are educated. If someone starts a rumor that we’re leaving and we’re not, panic ensues and we need to control that in order to help.”

Jacobsen said for many of the people, the mission trips might be the only time they see quality medical care in their entire lives.

“So they’re scared to death they’re not going to get it because if they don’t while we’re there, they might never get it,” he said. “They’ll do anything, jump over gates, squeeze under doors and through holes in the walls, just about anything to get in for help.”

Jacobsen returned Oct. 2 from his yearly mission and recalled the long days.

“There are hundreds more than we can serve that need our help,” he said. “We’ve served as many as 280 people in one day but we always have several hundred more people outside waiting. Sometimes it’ll be pouring rain, and they’ll wait all day to try to get in. We typically work on a first come, first serve basis but we also set up a triage and try to find those who are desperately in need.”

Locating someone in need out of a crowd of hundreds of people can be extremely difficult at times, he said.

“Sometimes I’ll see someone who is visibly ill so I have to go out into the crowds and get them and make sure they can get seen by a doctor,” he said. “It’s not easy having to push through hundreds of people who need your help to get to the one who needs it most.”

Jacobsen said that despite the difficulties, he is extremely proud of the work he and the group has been able to accomplish.

“I’ve done this for five years now and each time my favorite part is the same thing,” he said. “It’s the feeling when I get back of having done some real good in the world. We did something they will never forget and we did something pretty amazing for people that have no one else to help them. You can’t beat that.”

In order to join the group, the VWAM requires only a few things.

“You have to fund your trip yourself,” he said, which costs about $3,600 each time. “You also need a passport obviously and you need to agree to terms and conditions for behavior. We want to make sure we’re welcomed each time, and the government over there doesn’t necessarily like us.”

Jacobsen the group originally brought its own medical supplies but the Vietnamese government was not pleased that the supplies weren’t being purchased inside the country.

“They don’t let us bring our own supplies, so now we have to bring about $5,000 each time to buy everything we need when we get there,” he said. “It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.”

Jacobsen said he is thankful for the constant donations the organization receives.

“I raise funds each time for my own trip, and I can’t thank the people enough that have helped get me there each time,” he said. “I have a number of people who are willing to donate to the cause, and I thank God for that.”

Those interested in learning about VWAM can visit the organization’s Web site at www.vwam.com. To make personal donations to Jacobsen or to learn more about his experiences, he can be reached at 928-505-0281.

You can contact the reporter at nbruttell@havasunews.com.