Leonard Robinson parked his old car at an angle in the only handicapped parking spot outside the American Legion.

He came to the George W. Vroman Post No.2 American Legion in Casper to talk about veterans issues with a Wyoming U.S. senator.

During the meeting, Robinson spouted off about 20 different ailments he suffers from as a result of the Bataan Death March in 1942.

Scurvy, malaria, diphtheria. The list continued.

"And he's still driving," fellow veteran Buck King joked.

"That's because I put two new knees in him," said Sen. John Barrasso, a Casper orthopedic surgeon.

"Give credit where credit's due," King said.

Ted Lee of Casper credits Barrasso with helping him win 127 medals in the Senior Olympics. Barrasso operated on Lee five times.

Lee's wife, Jackie, had her knees replaced by Barrasso - one in 1996 and the other in 1999. Barrasso worked on her knees again in early 2007.

"Then you had to go and get a new job," Jackie Lee said to her former doctor.

In June 2007, Gov. Dave Freudenthal appointed the orthopedic surgeon to the U.S. Senate position left vacant after Republican U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas died of leukemia.

Because he was appointed to the office, Barrasso faces his first general election for a U.S. Senate seat - against Democrat Nick Carter, an attorney from Gillette - on Tuesday.

Barrasso has been dubbed Wyoming's Doctor by some because of his years on radio and TV, offering advice about staying healthy.

Even though he has given up seeing daily patients and performing surgeries, people in Washington still seek Barrasso's medical advice.

During Barrasso's first week as a U.S. senator, 30-year veteran Sen. John Warner, R-VA, asked to speak with the doctor. A semi-nervous Barrasso asked, "What is it?"

"It's my shoulder," Warner said.

A room full of Wyoming Republicans erupted in laughter.

Barrasso told the story of Sen. Warner during a luncheon Wednesday at the Petroleum Club, which was hosted by the Natrona County and Wyoming GOP.

Cynthia Lummis, Republican candidate for the U.S. House, said she remembered seeing Barrasso on C-SPAN during his first week, debating on the Senate floor about illegal immigrants.

Barrasso said he likes his new full-time job, though driving past Wyoming Medical Center recently conjured up memories for the doctor.

"I spent a lot of time there," Barrasso said.

"Fortunately, I have always enjoyed whatever I am doing," he continued. "I enjoyed being a surgeon and I enjoy what I am doing now."

People who know Barrasso say one needs to chug a Red Bull and lace up his or her running shoes to spend a day with him because of his busy campaign schedule.

His wife, Bobbi, does it in her high-heel black boots.

No matter who he is talking to - senior citizens, high school students or elected officials - it's always "Bobbi and I."

Barrasso asked Bobbi Brown, by far his biggest campaign supporter, to marry him right after he took office. They wed in the fall of 2007.

Standing in the lobby at the Casper Senior Center on Wednesday morning, Barrasso waited several minutes for his wife to finish talking to Jan Christensen. He said everyone knows his wife.

"She's the love of my life," Barrasso said.

Barrasso spent part of Wednesday morning at the senior center for its weekly Chew and Chat, where seniors talk about issues while eating cookies.

The issues were interrupted when Barrasso accidentally hit a man with a fly swatter while trying to kill a fly.

Once again the entire room laughed.

Later in the day, Barrasso met with Robinson and four other veterans.

Loren Davis, a Marine who served in Iraq, told Barrasso he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. He received the help he needed, but he said he was lucky.

Davis said some military members are being sent back to Iraq for their third and fourth tours, even though they have severe PTSD or traumatic brain injuries.

"It's not the ones that are out (of service), they have the facilities," Davis said. "It's the ones that are still in that have problems."

Dave McNulty said there is still a stigma and people are reluctant to ask for help, especially if they want to remain in the military.

"From this war, these injuries are not necessarily the same ones we have seen in other wars," Barrasso said. "They're not wounds of limbs."

"No, they cut much deeper," Davis said.

The senator said that's why he introduced a bill to help those with brain injuries to receive the help they need from the Veterans Administration.

Eating oatmeal cookies with seniors, listening to veterans' war stories, lunching with Republicans and, finally, chatting with a group of high school sophomores, this doctor proved himself to be a seasoned campaigner.

Barrasso interrupted a pop quiz on the Middle Ages when he visited Susan Griffith's social studies class. He sat atop a table in the front of the room, which was also shared by 10th-grader Monica Loisel.

At one point during a discussion about the Middle East, Barrasso drew a map of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. His drawing abilities - every country was square-shaped - made some of the students snicker.

Barrasso asked the students who they would vote for for president.

Amanda Scoffield, 15, raised her hand for Barack Obama, but said, "In the commercials, they just make fun of each other."

The final question came from Daney Tanner, a language arts teacher:

"This is your home, where your job is. Why would you volunteer to spend half your time in Washington? It's expensive to have two homes. Plus, it seems like someone is always mad at you."

Barrasso turned to Monica Loisel and said, "Are you mad at me?"

And again Barrasso made a room full of people laugh.

"I feel like I can make a difference in people's lives," Barrasso said. "I did so as an orthopedic surgeon. I felt I could do more as a senator. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Too bad his speech wasn't long enough to help Mrs. Griffith's sophomores out of their pop quiz.

Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com