Virgil Thomas Deal Jr
Class of 67
Died: Dec 16, 12
A decorated Army doctor who served in
some of the military's most elite commands was identified as the
pilot killed in Sunday's plane crash in Robeson County.
Retired Col. Virgil Thomas "Tom" Deal Jr. was acting chief of
surgery at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center when he died, but he
was well known throughout the military, especially within the
special operations and medical communities. He had served as command
surgeon of Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base,
Fla., and was commander of Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington,
D.C.
"He was a beloved colleague and advocate for the veteran. Our hearts
are heavy with his loss," Elizabeth Goolsby, director of the
Fayetteville VA Medical Center, said Monday.
Deal Died: when his small plane, a Piper PA-28 Cherokee, crashed in a
wooded area off Parkton Tobermory Road on Sunday afternoon. He was
alone in the aircraft, which departed from a Summerville, S.C.,
airport and was on final approach to Fayetteville Regional Airport.
Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board arrived at
the crash site Monday to try to determine what caused the accident.
The plane crashed about 5 miles southwest of the airport and was
destroyed by fire.
Deal was appointed at the Fayetteville VA in October. He had served
in a variety of positions at Fort Bragg with the 7th Special Forces
Group, Army Special Operations Command and Joint Special Operations
Command.
According to an official biography, Deal has commanded hospitals in
the field and in garrison, including Madigan Army Medical Center at
Fort Lewis, Wash., and Walter Reed in Washington. At one point, he
served on a classified special operations medical contingency force
conducting worldwide missions in support of U.S. counterterrorism
operations.
Those who knew Deal described him as a humble man who had found
repeated success in life.
He was an Eagle Scout and graduated near the top of his class at
Madison High School in Madison, Tenn., they said. In medical school,
Deal was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, a medical honor society.
In 1983, following the death of his mother, Deal left the Army and
founded what would become the largest surgical practice in
Clarksville, Tenn.
For the next seven years, Deal would serve in the Tennessee National
Guard but volunteered to return to active duty at the start of the
first Gulf War, during which he earned a Bronze Star.
Deal again volunteered on Sept. 11, 2001, according to someone close
to him. While in New York City for a medical seminar, Deal performed
triage on a Chelsea pier.
Deal graduated from Austin Peay State University in Tennessee in
1971 with a degree in chemistry and biology. He received his medical
degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in 1974
and completed his residency at Brooke Army Medical Center in 1981.
Deal's military education includes participation in Special Forces
Officers Course, Military Free Fall School, AMEDD Officer Advances
Course, Command and General Staff College, Army War College and
Flight Surgeon's Course.
His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service
Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the U.S. Surgeon
General's Medal for Exemplary Service and the Armed Forces
Expeditionary Medal.
He was a member of the Special Operations Medical Association,
American College of Surgeons, Association of Military Surgeons
United States and Association of the United States Army.
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