Army Future Dentist wins Oklahoma City Marathon "back to back"

By Pete Rocha, 5th Medical Recruiting BattalionJuly 8, 2013

U.S. Army Future Dentist wins Oklahoma City Marathon "back to back"
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Army Future Dentist wins Oklahoma City Marathon "back to back"
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Jake Buhler began his athletic career early in high school and competed under scholarship in Cross Country for Utah Valley University. In 2010, Buhler began competing in half marathons and marathons with great success. In 2011 Jake won the Prairie Fire Marathon in Wichita, Kan., and took first place in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon in 2012 and 2013.

Buhler is a self-proclaimed "military kid" transitioning into his final year of dental school at the University of Oklahoma. Buhler is a recipient of the Army's Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) that pays for tuition, books and other fees associated with four years of dental school. After he completes dental school in 2014, Buhler plans to apply to the Army's Oral Surgery Residency Program to advance his career goals while serving on active duty as an Army dentist. A second lieutenant, Buhler has been a Future Soldier since 2010 when he commissioned for the active duty Army.

Buhler comes from a military background. His father, Col. William Buhler, served in the Air Force for 27 years and is currently practicing as a pediatric dentist.

"I have had the military background growing up my whole life. I loved that way of life, and am very appreciative of everything the military has done for my family. I want to give back what I was so fortunately given during all those years," he said. Buhler, a husband and father also said "I want to raise my family the military way."

When asked why he chose dentistry as a career Buhler said his love for science and knowledge of his father's career helped make his choice.

"I have always enjoyed the sciences while growing up in the public school system. I studied at and graduated from Utah Valley University with a bachelor's degree in biology," Buhler said. "With my science background and some shadowing of the dental profession, I really knew that I wanted to continue my education in the health/medical sciences.

"Through my shadowing experiences and the positive family influences on the profession of dentistry," Buhler continued, "I knew that I wanted to one day serve in the dental profession. I was amazed at each specialty of dentistry and the fine motor skills and visual perception that each clinician had attained through many hours of experience.

"I also realized the drastic influence each clinician made on the patients they were serving from an esthetic standpoint," he continued, "pain management or even instilling confidence in the patient after the procedure was completed. This was something I knew I wanted to aspire to do one day."

The Army HPSP pays 100 percent tuition for graduate-level healthcare degrees for any accredited medical, dental, veterinary, psychology, or optometry program in the United States or Puerto Rico. Army HPSP recipients attend the accredited school of their choice, receive a monthly stipend of over $2,000, and participate in Army healthcare team training during summer breaks. HPSP recipients are promoted to the rank of captain upon graduation.

To find out more information about Army HPSP scholarships, visit http://www.goarmy.com/amedd/education/hpsp.html.

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