Alan Kent

IRON MOUNTAIN - Alan John "A.J." Kent, 60, of Iron Mountain died Monday afternoon, Feb. 11, 2008, following a lengthy and valiant battle with cancer. He was born May, 27, 1947, in Hancock and graduated from Hancock High School in 1965. He then enrolled in the United States Navy and went on to become a Marine combat medic, thus beginning his long and storied medical career. On Sept. 16, 1989, he married Mary Ellen Kuenstler, who survives him in death. A.J. served his country with honor and distinction in Vietnam. While half of his combat company was killed or wounded, A.J. refused to leave the line, eventually suffering a serious hip wound. He left the military with a Purple Heart, Bronze Star and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. His efforts to bring medical care to his fellow Marines were the subject of Pulitzer Prize winning articles by renowned front-line journalist, William Touhy, who later included A.J. in his memoir "Dangerous Company." A.J.'s gritty and moving first-hand account of the Battle of Hue City is part of this country's permanent history of combat medicine in the Archives of Naval Medical History. A.J. lived and died as a patriot. In his final days, he refused to pass on the opportunity to vote in the January primary election. In a weakened state and bound to a wheelchair, he ventured to the voting booth with the aid of his son to cast one last ballot. Like many Vietnam veterans, A.J. faced hard times after returning from war, but through the help of friends and family, he found his life's calling in continuing his care of the wounded. A.J. put his medical expertise to use by enrolling in the physician assistant program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He received further medical education from the Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, the University of Michigan Medical Center, the Chicago Medical School and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. In 1975, A.J. joined the staff at the V.A. hospital in Iron Mountain, where he continued to serve until retiring in February 2006. Throughout his career, A.J. has been a tireless national proponent for PAs. He helped organize the VA Physician Assistant Association, which he served as a board member, vice president and treasurer. On his own time and money, A.J. regularly visited Washington to lobby Congress on behalf of his fellow PAs, leading to PAs earning the right to issue prescriptions, and ensuring salary and benefits for those PAs working for the VA. He was instrumental in achieving the first professional guidelines for PAs in 1974 and 1975, which many states later used to draft their own guidelines. While battling cancer, A.J. continued to lobby the federal government to create a PA advisor position to the U.S. Undersecretary of Health. His vast professional triumphs received proper credit in 2006 when the American Academy of Physician Assistants named him PA of the year. Throughout his long career, A.J. received recognition from local and national organizations, including the United Way, the Red Cross and numerous veterans' organizations. He also received the prestigious Hands and Heart award from the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, given to those who provide exemplary medical care as well as emotional support and guidance to patients and their families. A.J. was a member of the St. Mary Queen of Peace Church and has served on the Dickinson Area Catholic School Board. He was a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart and the American Legion. Though he stood all of five-foot-six, A.J. embodied a larger-than-life persona. Whether serving in combat, hunting bears or lifting his young nephews off the ground by his biceps, he was the epitome of human strength - in mind, body and spirit. A.J. was an avid skier, fisherman and hunter, and loved to share those passions with his family. It was on the ski slopes that he met and fell in love with his wife, who would later have the Great Lakes' grandest boat named for her. Numerous authorities will also attest that no one grilled up a better beef tenderloin. His love for helping the sick and wounded was only surpassed by his love for his family. A.J. left this world confident that his strength will continue to live on in the family he leaves behind. In addition to his wife, A.J. is survived by his son, Adam; daughter, Laura; mother, Laura Kent of Hancock; sister, Roberta (Robert) Johns of Massillon, Ohio; brother, David Kent of Hancock; Daniel (Mindy) Baralt of Whitewater, Wis., who was like a son to A.J.; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and other extended family members, especially Marie, Audra, and Emily Pera and Joe Lerschen. He was preceded in death by his father, Robert Kent. Last year, A.J. also lost his lifelong and dearest friend, Jim (Fonzie) Petroff. Friends may call from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday at St. Mary & St. Joseph Catholic Church. Funeral services will be held at 6 p.m. at the church. Fr. Michael Woempner and Fr. Daniel Zaloga will offer the Mass of Christian Burial. Burial will be in Cemetery Park. The family asks that any donations be made to the Iron Mountain High School Student Activity Fund for sports camps. Donations can be sent to the Iron Mountain High School at 300 West B St. Condolences to the family of A. J. Kent may be expressed online at www.ernashfuneralhomes.com. The family has entrusted the Erickson-Rochon and Nash Funeral Home of Iron Mountain with the arrangements.

Alan Kent

February 11, 2008