“I‘m here to, first, get a better understanding of the tremendous work that is done here and what this place represents to you, your families, everyone who‘s been here,” he said. “The technology is cutting edge, the research is cutting edge, you‘re doing what nobody else in the world is doing.”

Hagel, an infantry squad leader during the Vietnam War who earned two Purple Hearts, is the third defense secretary in seven years to visit SAMMC, a 425-bed medical facility that is the Defense Department‘s sole stateside Level I trauma center.