On July 1, 1969, I just became the chief resident in the General Surgery program in Louisville, KY.

It was a long dream that came true under the pyramidal system.

I worked my ass off for 4 darkest years of my life to get there.

I quit smoking "cold turkey" on 6-30-1969 knowing that I was going to be a real surgeon.

I used to sit in front of a small B&W TV (possibly 16-18 inch screen) all alone in my rented room.

I am not sure if I watched it "live" at the moment or watched later.

Anyway, I watched the moon landing and was greatly impressed.

Then, I did not realize that my life would be as much epic as the moon landing,

simply because there still was a lot of barriers to overcome. The future was uncertain.

In 1970, I finished the GS training and entered Thoracic Surgery training at the University of Louisville.

In 1971, I pass the general surgical board and then passed the thoracic surgical board in 1972.

Looking back far into the past, I had landed on the moon as well in July, 1969.

It was the beginning of a new world for me.

Thanks for asking me about the year of 1969. I was 29 years old.

"I was making a round at 서 3 외과 병동, old SNUH.   Heard the news on the floor and watched

the landing from a small B/W TV somewhere in the hospital later. I was 24. 

"Where were you, all on July 20^th, 1969 when Apollo 11 landed on Moon?"

This was the exactly same question asked by the lead character in one of my favorite movies

of  1960's story-telling, autobiographical, by Arthur Penn(Bonnie & Clyde) 1980 production.

Title,” Four Friends “—-Very well made movie by a great director and a great screen writer

named Steven Tesich but not a commercial success.

But I strongly recommend the movie and guarantee it would wet your eyes with the stories of 4 friends

during those harrowed years of our younger lives, during Vietnam War, Pueblo, 김신조,

-----https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kktCZJpS464 

https://youtu.be/ELeMaP8EPAA

(Trailer; Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)

Theater near you on July 26. 1969 in LA.

In 1969, I was 2nd year med school student. I did not care much about 

Appolo II or Woodstock. All I want “leave the hell 조선 ASAP! Let’s go

to America! 5 years later I was abroad to US in the plane looking down

the country. It was one of two coolest moments in my life. Another was

when I knew I solved 9 out of 10 math problems in the SNU entrance 

exam. 

Wow, 50 years! Half century?

Amazing stories to bringing us back for 50 years, aren’t they!

Many says ‘keep talking about the past events only’ is the sign of aging!

So?  I love it!  Good(?) old days like good old wines or good old wives?

Wish to hear more! What a fun!

BB Lee

My residency of Ob & Gyn was started on July 1, 1969
at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.

Program of Ob & Gyn Dept of WSU consisted of 3
years of Ob & Gyn training and elective service for
1 year of each resident's choice at rotating through
3 hospitals(Hutzel hospital, main Ob unit with some
private patients, Harper hospital, pure private set up
of Gynecology,Detroit General hospital,non private
Gyn only city hospital.).

Residency life was nothing different than experiences
of all of us as unbearably tough one!

Luckily our program was mixed well in private and city
hospital set up and we learned academically from professors
and surgical techniques by numerous excellent attending
physicians. I could not remember whether I watched Moon
landing live on TV or not, but I bet it wouldn't or couldn't.

Those are the toughest years of my life, but it was the foundation of
my career as OB and Gyn and it was worth every bit of it. KJ

Memory, memory, memory!!!!!!

I don’t know how long and how much my small brain could hold up nitty-gritty stuff registered in my memory

but I sure know many of them already slipped away to make me regret that I didn’t jot it down

as my wife always asks to share later with friends.

Indeed, one of the main reasons why quite a few former roommates, who shared overnight on-call room

force them to make a sentimental journey to Richmond, Virginia, was for such unique let-out opportunity

to share funny and also painful experiences over the drinks.

And whenever we talk about such stories we never miss to drink ‘cuba libra’,

cheapest one to become quick drunken, we could afford in those days with yearly 8,000.00 USD salary.

For example, through the last trip to Richmond for home coming day, I heard TWO stupid (?) new stories

involving me, from one of my junior residents from Ohio.

The first one was about the foods we had at the hospital canteen when we rotated to the VA Hospital,

including the soul food (e.g. pig knuckles) as a special(?) treat/occasion, turkey dinner like

a gigantic turkey drum stick for Thanksgiving Holidays, etc.

The darn thing was many recalls and still complains that ‘crazy BB Lee always got a special treat

by the food servers, 100% big fat black women, who always saved the biggest drum stick,

baby head size if I exaggerate a bit, for me for dinner.

Besides, they shoved/added extra half dozen crisp bacon strips on my tray to enjoy southern grits

for breakfast. Plain but funny stories to make us relax and laugh at how stupid we were, etc, etc.

The second story was my unintentional threatening(?) to my junior residents to frighten them

with ‘death threat (?)’, shouting ‘I’m gonna kill you if you continue to fool around, boy!”.

Indeed, it was a mere three years after I started my new American life so that I didn’t know much

about different impact/weight of each word like ‘I’ll kill you’ to American boys in comparison to Koreans.

I didn’t know they take my casual comment ‘I’ll kill you’ such serious way, still remembering.

Indeed, one guy said to me “BB, you know we called you ‘Killer North Korean’ and we were really scared!”

quoting one infamous story developed at the OR after midnight I always feel embarrassed.

If I have a chance I will share later!

Anyhow, I am sure you all have such funny moments to share, laughing as ‘Good old days!!!’.

Funny, we used to swear to each other ‘we will never ever go over dreadful Richmond even by the plane’

till we left Richmond but within 5 years they all came back to Richmond to enjoy Home Coming Days -

although we don’t do ‘show moony on the dining table’ when we all drunken any longer. Too old!

Wish to hear any funny memories to enjoy the weekend.

All the best,

BB Lee