Ruff's War: A Navy Nurse on the Frontline in Iraq [Hardcover]

Cheryl Lynn Ruff (Author), K. Sue Roper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2005

Twenty-five years in the Navy had made Cheryl Ruff an independent, resilient, strong woman - and a master at providing patient care while serving at various Navy hospitals around the world. But nothing prepared her mind, body, soul, and spirit for what she experienced on the frontlines of the Iraq war as a member of the Bravo Surgical Company. Known as the "devil docs," they followed directly behind the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force as they entered Iraq at the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003. Right along with the Marines, Commander Ruff, the only female nurse anesthetist at the front, and the rest of her surgical team learned to endure the brutal conditions of the desert while regularly confronting questions of life and death. Working in temperatures well over 100 degrees in full MOP gear, Ruff and her team set up mobile hospital tents in the sand wherever needed. As Black Hawk helicopters brought in steady streams of the wounded, they found it impossible to maintain standard sterilization procedures, and clean up often amounted to just shovelling the blood-soaked sand out of the tent. During surgery they often wore lighted helmets so they could continue operating if the generator failed and donned gas masks when warnings were issued. These horrific conditions, coupled with the gruesome images of shredded bodies and the cries of wounded children, became Ruff's world. This is her story of the war, up close and personal. It is a story of sacrifice, survival, and courage, movingly written by a woman unconditionally dedicated to the life-saving mission of the United States Navy Nurse Corps.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Two retired navy nurses collaborate effectively in this account of the tour of duty one of them, Commander Ruff, had in Iraq, where she was the only nurse anesthetist in the combat zone. After 25 years, Ruff had thought navy nursing held few remaining surprises. She was wrong. The constant flow of casualties taxed the resources of the hospitals and their staff, and those resources suffered more than somewhat from prevailing logistical difficulties. Nor is the best of modern field medicine always equal to the wounds inflicted by modern weapons. Sometimes operating with lights attached to their helmets and gas masks over their faces because of a warning, Ruff and her colleagues, as much as they undoubtedly wished to be elsewhere, still performed up to the highest standards of a valiant corps. She vividly recalls her honorable service, literally against the pains of war. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Publisher

"It takes a great deal of courage and empathy to put into print your deepest thoughts, fears, and anxiety for your fellow man as you describe your role as a Navy Nurse Corps officer. Commander Ruff has done just that. Her vivid descriptions of combat casualty care are realistic and honest. Military women for years to come will owe her and Commander Roper a vote of thanks." -- Rear Adm. Frances Shea Buckley, NC, USN (Ret.), Director, Navy Nurse Corps, 1979- 1983

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 209 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press; Second Edition edition (September 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591147395
• ISBN-13: 978-1591147398
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #307,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing first hand look at Iraq and war, December 27, 2005

By 

Ann M. Macpherson "passionate reader" (Newcastle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ruff's War: A Navy Nurse on the Frontline in Iraq (Hardcover)

"Ruff's War" is a great read --- it's a true story of a nurse on the front lines in Iraq. Having been a Navy nurse myself during the VietNam war, I heard many accounts of military nurses during that war. But this is my first read about Iraq. I found it to be truly a terrific book. It was like reading Cheryl's personal diary of her every day encounters and struggles while serving in Iraq. I kept thinking that this was a relatively short time in that country. And I try to imagine what it must be like for the military who are there for a much greater amount of time. Reading about her experiences has given me a look at how much those soldiers must endure daily for perhaps a year or more. It makes me wonder how any human being can survive living in that country under those conditions and fighting for their lives and others at the same time.
Obviously, Cheryl survived to return home, landing in the U.S. under her own ability to walk off that airplane. Reading about the war, makes me appreciate more what these men and women do for our country every day. It helps me know that they deserve much credit and support for their efforts and also makes me very sad to know that there are some who only return home in body bags. I'm very patriotic and proud of our troops. As an ex-Navy nurse, I applaud all they do and am proud to read of Cheryl's "adventures" in Iraq knowing she served our country and did what she needed to do. A terrifying time indeed but she gave us insight into that war and our military's endurance and dedication.
I'm so glad I read this book. Cheryl is from my home town area, grew up in my church in PA----a home town girl "done proud". Thank you for sharing your story of inspiration and struggles. It was an amazing read.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not impressed, June 20, 2007

By 

HM2 (FMF/CAC) (Camp Lejeune, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ruff's War: A Navy Nurse on the Frontline in Iraq (Hardcover)

I was not impressed with this book at all. As a hospital corpsman who has served in Iraq I couldn't help but laugh at the complaints of CDR Ruff. We all endured the same situations in Iraq and unfortunately some of us had to be deployed for a lot longer then 122 days. I picked up the book excited to read about someone elses perspective on the war, I was very disappointed to read only about how miserable one person was on her very brief deployment. Iraq is what you make of it, and complaining only makes it worse. Don't get me wrong I have great respect for the patient care but thats where my apprectiation for this book ends.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Story from the Front Lines, November 15, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ruff's War: A Navy Nurse on the Frontline in Iraq (Hardcover)

We are now beginning to see the first person reports of people coming back from serving in Iraq. It's only when you start to get the books that you can begin to make sense out of what's happening. The newspapers and especially the television reports are so brief, so headline oriented that you can't get the real story. And it will be ten or more years before the history books come out to put the whole story of the war into perspective.

Cdr. Ruff's story is one of a Navy nurse operating in close support to the Marines during the invasion of Iraq. She served with the 'Devil Docs' made famous by the embedded reporter Dr. Sanjay Gupta an embedded correspondent from CNN. This unit performed numerous surgeries under trying conditions on Marines, Iraqi prisoners of war, and Iraqi civilians. Cdr. Ruff was with the unit during the most crucial times during the war.

Her story is filled with factual notes, and more important gives the overall feelsings of an American serving in Iraq.

Good Reading.