Doc: Heroic Stories of Medics,Corpsmen,and Surgeons in Combat [Hardcover]

Mark R. Littleton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2005

The most decorated solder in World War I was not Sergeant Alvin York, as many believe, but a stretcher bearer named Charles Denver Barger. And Barger is just one of the legion of military medical personnel whose lifesaving feats are remembered in this inspiring volume. A tribute to those who tend the sick and wounded under the toughest conditions, Doc is made up of the sometimes humorous, often harrowing, and always heartfelt memoirs of quick-thinking medics and heroic nurses, of surgeons and physicians equipped with only the tools of mercy, performing acts of great courage.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Marine Corps Gazette, February 2006

“Doc presents a mesmerizing account of a kaleidoscope of experience spanning generations of battlefield medicine … The authors provide a searing portrayal of battle scenes and battle wounds that show both the graphic nature of war and the psychological impact that is sustained under intense battle conditions … The stories are real and the emotions are strong. This book is not for the faint of heart. It is a book to remind us what the word ‘sacrifice’ really means.”

From the Publisher

"He was stoic; he was solemn. His verbal comments were minimal, but his relentless actions represented the maximum. On that battlefield, marines close to death respected him and relied upon him as the lone person who could save them from that death. . . . I know of no last words. I sense, however, that he knew he’d done his duty, because he died rather peacefully considering the devastation that characterized his final minutes." - —"Profile in Courage: Don ‘Doc’ Rion," December 1966

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Press; 1st edition (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760321191
• ISBN-13: 978-0760321195
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,045,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring and personal history, February 8, 2006

By 

Viva La Villa (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doc: Heroic Stories of Medics,Corpsmen,and Surgeons in Combat (Hardcover)

From the very start, the first person accounts of war in Mark Littleton and Chuck Wright's "DOC" bring you immediately into the experiences of life and death in the battles fought by American sons and daughters since World War I. Each account from a medic or from one of the countless souls saved by a medic on some foreign shore reminds you of the millions of soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen who have put themselves in harm's way to defend our precious way of life. From Marine Jerry Jolly's quest to find the corpsman who saved his life in Korea to Wheeler Lipes' courageous performance of an emergency appendectomy in the austere conditions of a USN submarine on patrol, these stories will stir your heart. The medics, corpsmen, and nurses measure up admirably, facing horrifying injuries and using their determination and ingenuity to save lives and comfort the injured as best they can in the chaos of combat. As an Air Force surgeon, this book demonstrated to me the fine tradition of American military wartime medical care preceding me and the large footsteps I have to fill.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tales of Saving Lives on the Battlefield!, January 17, 2008

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Doc: Heroic Stories of Medics,Corpsmen,and Surgeons in Combat (Hardcover)

Ironically the bravest men on a battlefield often were unarmed; these being the medics and corpsman who rendered medical aid to wounded comrades. And immediately behind the lines were the combat surgeons and nurses who toiled, sometimes under fire, to save the wounded brought in from the frontlines. Mark Littleton and Charles Wright's book chronicles the exploits of these heroic medical men and women in this 2005 book from Zenith Press.

DOC covers life-and-death actions from World War II through the current War on Terror. The bulk of the accounts are from World War II. Five stories are from Korea; nine from Vietnam and three from recent conflicts. Most of the accounts are reminiscences; several are tributes from men saved by those unsung heroes.

Curiously only one of the 23 WW II stories deals with medics in the European Theater. Instead the book concentrates on the Pacific, especially the battles for Okinawa and Iwo Jima. More ETO coverage is called for.

In any case, the stories in DOC are often heartbreaking, sometimes graphic, but always moving. You can't read this book without coming away with an admiration for the 'docs,' especially the frontline medics and corpsman who braved intense fire when the cry of "medic" rang out. Often they saved their buddies; sometimes at the cost of their own life...Greater love hath no man!

Recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars Important, but not an exciting read, February 26, 2010

By 

boguman (Lebanon, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doc: Heroic Stories of Medics,Corpsmen,and Surgeons in Combat (Hardcover)

I was hoping for an exciting, inspiring read, but was disappointed. The stories here are valuable and need to be read. With only a half dozen or so exceptions, they were not the emotional thrillers I was looking for. I want to express my sincere thanks to the men and women whose stories are documented here. From the depths of my soul, I appreciate your sacrifices to our country.