Going on helicopter assault runs and treating combat mass casualties might seem a world away from what Thomas Dear, DO, does in his BJC Medical Group practice. But those experiences helped shaped the doctor he is today, he says.
“With all of the experiences that medicine in the military offers, you are not just a doctor,” he says. “You are a medical officer and get to participate in whatever your unit is doing at the time.
“I have been able to go on assault runs in a UH-1 helicopter, witness coordinated Marine Air Wing and Division tactical maneuvers and experience combat mass casualty events, as well as tons of other activities that many of my civilian colleagues haven’t had the opportunity to experience.”
Those experiences, Dr. Dear says, have influenced his approach to his work as a family practice specialist at Medical Arts Clinic in Farmington, Missouri.
“It’s given me tons of perspective and experience working in high-stress environments,” he says.
Dr. Dear, 35, grew up in Versailles, Missouri. He decided as a teen to enter the medical field after helping his father, a dentist in Versailles.
He also wanted to serve his country as a doctor with the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC). Because the USMC does not have its own doctors, and is served by U.S. Navy doctors, Dr. Dear signed on with the Navy in 2010.
After Officer Development School, he served his family medicine internship at Naval Hospital Pensacola in Pensacola, Florida.
Then, Dr. Dear spent about three years with the 8th Engineer Support Battalion (ESB), based out of Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
“I loved my time with 8th ESB,” he says. “This is the last standalone battalion (not falling under a regiment) at Camp Lejeune. This gave me the ability to work completely independently with the largest Marine battalion on base. I got to work with great service members, both my Marines and my Corpsmen.”
After working with the 8th ESB, Dr. Dear spent two years at Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune completing his family medicine residency. After his residency, he moved to Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina, to work with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 272.
Dr. Dear completed his last tour in the military in 2021. He had worked at Parkland Health Center during his time in medical school, so joining BJC Medical Group in Farmington was a sort of homecoming. He moved to the area with his wife and their two children.
And his military experience, with new challenges daily, has helped Dr. Dear settle into a practice with a diverse range of patients and medical issues.
“I like the variety. Cases are always changing,” he says. “It keeps things interesting.”