Florida Veteran Health Heroes

donald “don” Erbes, dmd Dr. Donald “Don” Erbes always knew he wanted to be in the military because his father served in World War II. In 1965, he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and enlisted in the Army. He was deployed to Vietnam and served as an airborne ranger infantry officer. Even though Dr. Erbes loved serving and made lifelong friends in the Army, he knew his family was worried about his safety and welfare. After he received his third Purple Heart and recovered from wounds he received in Vietnam, he requested a reassignment to spend his remaining military career stateside. Dr. Erbes was assigned to a post teaching ROTC at Ohio State University (OSU). He also provided career counseling to sophomores at OSU, which made him reflect on his own career path. His life’s dream was to be an Army officer, so he felt lost after leaving the military. In 1970, at the end of his military career, Dr. Erbes took a job with AT&T in Texas. He decided that corporate America wasn’t for him, so he chose to return to school to become a dentist. In 1976, he graduated from dental school at Baylor University and moved his family to Florida to open his private practice. Dr. Erbes contributed 40 years of selfless service to the dental profession through his private practice and community involvement. He founded an indigent care dental program in Alachua County and served in leadership roles at many area organizations, including the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Gainesville Economic Development Council, Gainesville United Way and the Gainesville Sunrise Rotary Club. He also taught at the University of Florida (UF) College of Dentistry and was an active member of the Florida Dental Association (FDA). As a former FDA liaison to the Florida Board of Dentistry, he contributed to the development of legislation to help military veterans and their families become licensed in the dental profession. Dr. Erbes has received many awards for serving his profession and the people of Florida, including the Award for 10 Years of Excellence in Teaching and Service to UF College of Dentistry in 1992, the 2006 FDA Leadership Award, the 2011 FDA Service Award, the 2012 FDA Dentist of the Year Award and the 2015 FDA Schwartz Lifetime Achievement Award. OUR HEROES Page 4