Mattis coming home to give medal to Richland doctor

Secretary of Defense James Mattis is coming to the Tri-Cities to award another famous Richlander with an honor usually awarded to presidents.

Mattis, a retired Marine general and Richland native, will be in town Feb. 26 to award Dr. Lewis Zirkle the Department of Defense’s Medal for Distinguished Public Service.

Zirkle runs SIGN Fracture Care International, a Richland nonprofit dedicated to educating surgeons in developing countries.

It also donates tools and devices — made in Richland — needed to heal broken bones.

Zirkle is being recognized “for his continuing dedication to provide the injured poor around the world with the ability and the freedom to walk again,” said the Department of Defense.

The Medal for Distinguished Public Service has been bestowed on presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama, among many other officials and citizens.

The award ceremony will be broadcast live on SIGN’s Facebook page.

Zirkle was an Army surgeon during the Vietnam War. After opening his own practice in Richland, he kept returning to Vietnam and Indonesia to treat patients and teach surgeons.

He soon realized that while he could teach the surgeons, they still weren’t properly equipped.

SIGN came from that epiphany. The nonprofit, formed in 1999, has helped treat more than 210,000 patients in more than 50 countries.

Mattis, who graduated from Columbia High School, regularly returns home to see family in the Tri-Cities.

This story was originally published February 5, 2018 at 6:55 PM with the headline "Mattis coming home to give medal to Richland doctor."