Lower School Parent, Commander Eric Twerdahl, Shares About His Service at Veterans Day Chapels

Lower School parent Commander Eric Twerdahl (Henry ’29 and Teddy ’31), a vascular surgeon with the U.S. Navy, shared his experiences with Lower and Middle School audiences during their Chapels in honor of Veterans Day during the week of November 11.

Introduced by his sons, Henry and Teddy, Commander Twerdahl spoke about his work at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda and his role as Chair of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Commander Twerdahl pursued advanced medical and surgical training in England and Boston for 13 years before deploying three times as a trauma surgeon to regions including the Gulf of Guinea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Red Sea.

With the Lower School students, Commander Twerdahl shared photographs illustrating how operating rooms are adapted for various settings—including the jungle, at sea, on submarines, and in hospitals. He explained how surgeons are trained to provide care to armed services personnel, ensuring they are prepared to operate effectively in any environment.

During his Middle School Chapel talk, Commander Twerdahl spoke about one of his heroes, Dr. Edward Churchill, who voluntarily left his post as Surgeon-in-Chief of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to lead the surgical effort in the Mediterranean Theater during World War II. Commander Twerdahl recounted his first exposure to surgery on the Churchill Service as a third-year Harvard medical student and reflected on having spent more of his life in Dr. Churchill’s hospital than in any other place, including his childhood home.

We thank and honor Commander Twerdahl for his 20 years of service to our country!