On January 15, 2009 President George Bush gave a farewell address to the nation. A key component of his speech was thanking heroes that he had met during his eight years in office. One who was given special recognition was Truckee’s own Dr. William Krissoff. Bush said, ‘We see America’s character in Bill Krissoff, surgeon from California. His son Nathan, a Marine, gave his life in Iraq. When I met Dr. Krissoff and his family, he delivered some surprising news: He told me he wanted to join the Navy Medical Corps in honor of his son. This good man was 60 years old, 18 years above the age limit.’
Dr. Krissoff’s orthopedic surgery business opened n Truckee in 1979. Partnering with Dr. Stites they specialized in sports medicine. Krissoff is well known by many Tahoe-Truckee locals as the guy who patched them up after a skiing or biking mishap. Then in December 2006 Krissoff’s son, Marine 1st Lt. Nathan Krissoff, was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb outside Fallujah. Nathan’s brother Austin, is also a Marine, a second lieutenant stationed in Southern California. They both felt the call to join the Marines after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
After the death of Nathan Krissoff, Dr. Krissoff made the momentous decision to leave his surgery practice and began working towards using his medical skills to help Marines, by joining the Navy Medical Corps. Krissoff told The Reno Gazette Journal in December 2007, ‘My interest in Navy medicine was because they take care of Marines. Marines don’t have their own physicians – that’s what I will be doing. I will be assigned to a Marine unit wherever it goes.’ But while the Marines are looking for a few good men, they are usually looking for them much younger then Dr. Krissoff, who is over 60. That’s where President Bush came in to the picture.
In August 2007 President Bush met with the families of several slain soldiers at the national convention of the American Legion in Reno. (America’s largest group of veterans). He asked the families if there was anything they needed. Dr. Krissoff said, ‘I want to serve in the Navy Medical Corps.’ For Krissoff to join required an age waiver, something the military rarely allows for someone over 50, but after making his request to President Bush, the White House contacted Marine Corps General Peter Pace, and the normally year-long review process to obtain an age waiver was cut to two months.
Dr. Anthony Zissimos of Truckee told the Reno Gazette Journal, ‘Nate’s death changed the Krissoff family forever. Bill would probably say that his sons showed him the light.’ And that light has led Dr. Krissoff to Iraq where he will provide medical assistance to his son’s colleagues.
President Bush in his speech said, ‘Lt. Commander Krissoff could not be here tonight, because he will soon deploy to Iraq, where he will help save America’s wounded warriors and uphold the legacy of his fallen son.’
