The Backside of the Firefight:: A Surgeon's Shop Notes From Vietnam

The Backside of the Firefight: A Surgeon’s Shop Notes from Vietnam, by cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Allen Davies, former Lt. Col. who served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps and the Marines, is an exciting, fast-paced read that exposes the frenetic daily life of a heroic surgeon and medical staff in the Vietnam War. Filled with the emotional highs and lows they endured while struggling to preserve life, the book is a riveting page-turner you’ll want to read more than once. Much has been written about the sacrifices and endurance of the combat troops in Vietnam, but not so much about the medical teams who endured a different kind of mental and physical ordeal as they dealt with the wounded and maimed on a grueling, 24/7 non-stop schedule. Neither is the innovation on the operating table, necessitated by the remote and hostile locale, common knowledge. This book changes that. The chapters are short, informative, and easy to read. You won't want to miss reading, "The Man with No Face", "The Night of the Rolex", "Eating, Drinking and Sex", "Tet! What the Hell is That?", "Mamason, Babysan, and the Bullet", "Ascariasis, The Night of the Big Worm", and more. The chapter on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is most informative and the author’s thought-provoking, action-oriented wrap up is an inspirational message to a contemporary America that seems disillusioned and mired in difficulties. Dr. Davies has dedicated this book to a fallen comrade and to all others who never came home. Certainly, it is a must read!