January 12, 2021
Story by Joe Vinduska
Photo听by Melissa Koren
When Richard听LaFlame听left high school, he thought he would go to college and travel a traditional educational and career path.听 However, after stalling out on his degree at Syracuse, he enlisted in the United States Army and put his education on hold to serve his country as a combat medic.听
鈥淲hen I听went on active听duty,听I felt like听that dream had died听for me,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 thought I was听not going to be able to finish college听and it听would have to be something听I would have to try and听finish听after听active duty and听it was just听profoundly disappointing for me.鈥澨
However, while stationed at Fort Riley,听LaFlame听enrolled in Barton鈥檚 Emergency Medical Services program and graduated with his associate degree in EMS in 1999.听听
鈥淕etting the opportunity to continue to work on my degree while still on active duty gave me a lot of hope that active duty wasn鈥檛 going to be just wasted time,鈥 he said. 鈥淎n added bonus was that some of my military training counted towards my degree.鈥澨
Barton鈥檚 flexibility was a key benefit not only for听LaFlame听but for his classmates as well.听
鈥淣ot all of the students at Barton were soldiers,鈥 he said.听 鈥淢any were non-traditional students trying to get their educations in the evening while still working. Having academic organizations that have the flexibility to allow for that is important.鈥澨
Another highlight of working towards his EMS degree at Barton, was the opportunity to interact with non-military personnel.
鈥淎s a soldier, the number of times that you interact with civilians academically is incredibly few,鈥 he said. 鈥淏eing in a class with civilians allowed me to form friendships and those connections became really important. It was a good example of how we needed to learn to network, and that wasn鈥檛 something that was always taught at the soldier level.鈥澨
LaFlame听used the momentum he built getting his degree from Barton and picked up right where he left off. He finished his bachelor鈥檚 degree at Syracuse University shortly after leaving active duty in 2000. He received his master鈥檚 degree in physician assistant studies from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2007 and his doctorate in 2019.听
鈥淕oing to Barton gave me confidence,鈥 he said. 鈥淭oo many people walk away from the degree they started and think they鈥檙e never going to be able to get there and it鈥檚 just not true. Sometimes you have to crash against the rocks, dig in, and realize you can restart and reinvent yourself.鈥澨
LaFlame听lives in New Hampshire and works as a physician assistant at the Veterans Administration鈥檚 Home-based primary care program.听听He continues to serve in the Army National Guard and said working as a PA is very rewarding.听
鈥淧hysicians can鈥檛 always spend as much time with their patients as they鈥檇 like and I enjoy that I can sit down, listen to the patient, and learn what is really important to them.鈥
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LaFlame听has now served more than 20 years in the military, including deployments to Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates.听 He started on active duty as a Private and is now serving as a Major in the New Hampshire Army National Guard.听 He has a special place in his heart for training medics and 鈥減aying the education forward.鈥澨
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鈥淣ever underestimate the power you have to overcome adversity and the value of hard work,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 want to thank 91快活林 for being part of my journey.鈥澨
For more information on Barton at Fort Riley, go to .