Rich Preuss

Rich Preuss grew up in South Bend, Indiana. He is the oldest of ten children, and he enjoys spending time with his family. Rich graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2007 with a B.S. in Physics with an Arabic language minor. He then served for seven years as an active duty Navy SEAL, deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan, Latin America and The Caribbean. He has held leadership positions in SEAL and allied foreign military units conducting a wide range of missions, from direct action combat to foreign internal defense and counter narcotics operations. Rich begins medical school in August, 2015, at the University of Virginia School of Medicine with the support of The Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation. He plans to become a trauma surgeon, and will continue to serve in the SEAL Reserves. As a doctor, Rich will connect with veteran patients in a way that only a fellow combat veteran can, and he looks forward to serving veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as those from past wars. Additionally, he plans to work as a physician in suffering communities around the world that desperately need quality medical care, such as in war zones and areas suffering from natural disaster. He also hopes to join an expedition to the South Pole as the team doctor. Rich is grateful for a challenging and rewarding SEAL career that has led him to the medical profession and prepared him to succeed as a doctor.