Description
Book Synopsis The book chronicles the Navy Medical Department''s participation in Vietnam, beginning with the Navy''s rescue of the French survivors of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and ending with the Navy''s rescue of Vietnamese refugees fleeing the fall of South Vietnam in 1975.
When American involvement reached its peak in 1968, the 750-bed Naval Support Activity Hospital Danang (NSAH) was in full operation, and two hospital ships--the USS Repose and the USS Sanctuary--cruised offshore. Whether the situation called for saving the lives of injured sailors aboard a burning aircraft carrier or treating a critically wounded Marine for shock in the rubble-strewn streets of Hue, Navy medical personnel were in Vietnam from the beginning of American involvement to the very end, saving thousands of lives.
This book tells the story of the Navy Medical Department''s involvement through stark and gripping first-person accounts by patients and the Navy physicians,
Trade Review
a valuable read"" - The Journal of Military History
""beautifully written and artfully compiled...an important addition...highly recommend[ed]"" - Navy Nurse Corps Association Newsletter
""highly readable"" - Journal of Navy Medicine
""Jan Herman, historian of the Navy Medical Department, has done most impressive work with this moving collection of first-hand accounts chronicles Navy Medical Corps service in Vietnam"" - Proceedings
""collection of profoundly moving narratives...photos are heartrending"" - SciTech Book News.
Table of Contents
- Preface 1
- 1. Passage to Freedom 3
- 2. An American War 25
- 3. Hearts and Minds 45
- 4. Medical Battalions in a Frontless War 68
- 5. Intrepid Surgeons 101
- 6. Corpsman Up! 108
- 7. Medal of Honor 150
- 8. Naval Support Activity Hospital Danang 155
- 9. Ships of Mercy 178
- 10. Holocaust on Yankee Station 200
- 11. Hue 211
- 12. Khe Sanh 230
- 13. Prisoner of War 251
- 14. Mending 269
- 15. Full Circle 289
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- Epilogue: The Journey Back 317
- Appendix 1: The Cast 329
- Appendix 2: Medal of Honor Citations 336
- Appendix 3: Small Arms 339
- Glossary 341
- Chapter Notes 345
- Bibliography 349
- Index 353
