More than 40 years after a New York doctor saved a soldier's life on the battlefield in Vietnam, the pair met again in an emotional reunion Tuesday, reliving the moment that connected them forever.
"I'm here, thanks to you," 83-year-old Paul Devault told his one-time surgeon, Dr. Jesse Blumenthal, as they embraced in a hotel lobby on the Upper West Side.
Devault, who also served in World War II at age 18, was a chief warrant officer with the Army's First Logistic Command.
He was shot in the back, and then developed a post-wound infection. His condition was critical.
At their reunion, the doctor recalled the surgical complications after the medical team at the 17th field hospital operated on Devault.
"You were kind of delirious," the doctor told his former patient.
Blumenthal made the rare decision to re-operate. Twice. The third surgery did the trick.
But after Devault was flown back to the U.S., to his home near Fort Worth, Texas, the two men lost touch.
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That was 1967.
Devault flew into New York for one reason: to meet the man who gave him a chance to live a life after the war.
To track down his surgeon, Devault went through his old medical records, looking for a way to find him.
"I didn't even remember the man's name," he said. "I thought it might be Bloomberg. But it was Blumenthal. When I saw it on the records, I Googled him."
That was just a week ago.
"I don't know if I have much time left and I wanted to meet the man and say thank you," he said.
Devault got to see his five children grow up. They all served in the military like their dad. The Army veteran worked 18 years in law enforcement, including for the Johnson County sheriff's department, and another 18 years as a veterans advocate.
As he and Blumenthal reminisced, the former patient's cell phone rang.
He spoke into the phone for a moment and then hung up.
"That was my son," said Devault, and his eyes welled with tears. "He said 'Tell him thank you for everything you've done.'"
