Dr. Kyle Swanson to be honored during Minden Airshow

Military veterans of all ages will be honored at the 5th Annual Aviation Roundup, August 22 and 23, 2015 at Minden-Tahoe Airport. Among those veterans being recognized is Dr. Kyle Swanson, an orthopedic surgeon with Tahoe Orthopedics & Sport Medicine in Carson City and Lake Tahoe. The Army veteran served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan where he performed surgeries on soldiers and Afghan civilians injured during the conflict of war.

“Performing surgery in combat zones makes you a better physician. You are working in an uncontrolled environment and treating unpredictable injuries,” Dr. Kyle Swanson said.

That may be why Dr. Kyle Swanson, along with four orthopedic physicians at Tahoe Orthopedics & Sport Medicine including Keith Swanson, MD; Stephen Bannar, MD; Robert Rupp, MD; and Daniel Robertson, M.D. served as orthopedic physicians in the military. Dr. Keith Swanson will provide medical coverage at the Aviation Roundup alongside Physician Assistant Damian Garza who recently joined Tahoe Orthopedics & Sport Medicine after retiring from a 20-year military career in the Air Force.

Dr. Keith Swanson has always had a passion for aviation. Following in the military footsteps of his father who was a Navy pilot in World War II, Dr. Keith Swanson learned to fly while deployed in Germany. Upon returning to the U.S. in 1979, he began practicing orthopedics at Lake Tahoe and purchased and used an airplane to conduct orthopedic exams in rural areas.

Dr. Keith Swanson and Garza, along with other care team members, will provide medical support for the anticipated 30,000 airshow spectators, as well as for the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds who will be performing at the weekend event.

Bobbi Thompson, Minden-Tahoe Airport Manager, describes the airshow as an international event recognizing our community and dedicated to our country’s veterans and current military men and women.

“There is a longstanding military history surrounding the Minden-Tahoe Airport. In 1942 Douglas County purchased the land where the airport is located. It was originally a military training base where women were trained to ferry planes to Europe during World War II,” Thompson said.

The event will feature national organizations including Honor Flight, an organization that offers to fly World War II veterans from Reno to Washington DC, and Ageless Aviation, a group dedicated to flying World War II veterans in open cockpit aircrafts and providing other veteran services. The USAF Thunderbirds, the Navy F18 Super Hornet, and seven internationally known civilian performers, along with multiple static display aircraft and vendors will be in attendance.

Veterans who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia and Afghanistan will be recognized alongside Dr. Kyle Swanson during a special ceremony at Sunday’s event.

“It is an honor to be recognized, but it is the soldiers fighting on the frontline who deserve to be recognized for the sacrifices they and their families have made,” Dr. Kyle Swanson said. “As a country, we need to make it a priority to support our soldiers when they return from war and thank them for their service.”

For more information about the 5th Annual Aviation Roundup, or to purchase tickets, visit www.aviationroundup.com or call the Minden-Tahoe Airport at 775-782-9871.

-South Tahoe Now Staff Report