What drives someone to leave comfort behind and travel into a war zone? For Dr. Joe Griffin, a board-certified vascular surgeon in Baton Rouge and 1997 Louisiana Tech University alumnus, the answer was simple: faith.
Griffin’s faith and caring spirit led him to volunteer in North Carolina following the flooding caused by Hurricane Helene in fall 2024. This trip introduced Griffin and his wife, Dr. Evelyn Griffin, to Heroes for Humanity, a faith-based non-profit specializing in humanitarian aid and rescue.
Impressed by Heroes for Humanity’s work and the organization’s commitment to helping others, Griffin wanted to stay engaged and joined as an advisor on the board.
In June 2025, Griffin received a call from the organization’s founder about assisting with an evacuation effort in Israel for American citizens during the Israel-Iran 12-day war.
“Dennis called and asked that I join a three-person team leaving in 24 hours, and I knew it was something I needed to do to help my fellow man,” Griffin said. “John 15:13 says there’s no greater love than to lay your life down for friends, so when you get a phone call like that, you just do it.”
Griffin and team flew from Houston to Amman, Jordan before entering Israel and traveling to Jericho, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv. Over a nine-day period, the team successfully escorted 92 Americans over the Israeli border into Jordan.
“Each day, we’d hear the warning sirens going off and see missiles in the sky,” Griffin recounted, “and we had to navigate that both mentally and physically. Sometimes you’d hear — and feel — the impact and have to keep going on the mission while ensuring those around you stayed calm.”
After escorting Americans to the border daily, Griffin and his team would spend the remaining daylight hours volunteering to help clean up rubble and other debris at missile strike sites in Tel Aviv and Be’er Sheva.
Despite the tense circumstances and nearly constant focus on safety for himself and others, Griffin says he’ll never forget how rewarding it was to help people as part of a true humanitarian effort.
But Griffin is no stranger to leaning on his faith to remain calm in crisis while helping others.
“My past experiences in the medical field prepared me for this trip and rescue effort,” Griffin said. “As a senior trauma surgery resident at Charity Hospital in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, I was tasked with everything from evacuating ICU patients, navigating power loss, and coordinating with the National Guard — and I leaned on that experience while in Israel.”
Griffin was also a medical student at St. John’s Hospital in Queens, New York, on September 11, 2001. In the days that followed, he helped coordinate the injured being triaged from a hospital close to the Twin Towers, further reinforcing his preparedness and ability to remain level-headed and focused in tumultuous environments.
Reflecting on these experiences, Griffin credits Louisiana Tech as his launching pad.
As president of the premedical honor society Alpha Epsilon Delta, Griffin helped connect students interested in future medical careers. He also honed his leadership skills as a member of the student advancement team, acting as a liaison between faculty, alumni, and students.
My time at Tech set me on the medical path,” he reflected. “The connections I built with the faculty truly benefited me, and I still keep in touch with former professors when I visit campus.
Dr. Joe Griffin
It’s no surprise his advice for current students rings true for his own life: Attack life with everything you have and be willing to accept what you get in return — because you’ll love it.