Moheb Hallaba

Moheb Hallaba was born November 6, 1929 in Damascus, Syria and peacefully passed May 9, 2022 in his Clinton home with his daughter, Amber Hallaba, at his side. Mo attended medical school at the University of Alexandria and his internship was at University Hospital in Alexandria, Egypt and St. Clare’s hospital, affiliated with New York University. He came to the United States in 1956 after receiving the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. His intention was to study medicine and take his knowledge back to the Middle East where he would teach. However, he liked the United States so much; he decided to stay and became an American Citizen in 1956. In 1963, Mo received a Vascular Surgery Fellowship at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, OH. He later received his Board Certification by the American Board of Surgery in 1964. The majority of Mo’s surgical career was spent in Joplin, MO. He had a private practice where he performed general and vascular surgery. He was the first surgeon in Joplin to perform gastric bypass surgery and a carotid endarterectomy. He truly enjoyed taking care of his patients and learning about their life experiences. His patients were always commenting on how much the liked Doc Hallaba and appreciated his care. Wanting to give back to the country he felt had given him so much, Mo joined the Army reserves in 1983. He served in the Detachment 2, 325th General Hospital, based in Joplin. He was activated in December 1990 to serve in Operation Desert Storm where he was attached to the 159th MASH unit as a surgeon. After the ground war ended, Mo volunteered to go with the 912th MASH unit to Kuwait to perform humanitarian duties. He worked in a refugee camp in Safwaf which is close to the Iraq border. Mo retired as a Colonel in 1994. After retiring from surgery, Mo didn’t want to give up medicine completely so he worked in different locations in Oklahoma including the Clinton Veteran Center and Indian Hospital. He also traveled to cover several hospital Emergency Rooms throughout Western Oklahoma. Mo’s final wish was to be placed at rest in a military cemetery. The date of burial will be determined at a later time.