Rule Number Two: Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital (Hardcover)

by Heidi Squier Kraft (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A necessary...book for anyone wishing to understand." (Booklist )

"Wins respect with genuine empathy." (Military Times )

"Direct and honest...every page provides evidence of the long-lasting effect [Kraft's] time in Iraq has had on her." (Bloomberg.com )

"Emotional and powerful, it's a piece of work that is worth sitting down with." (Palos Verdes Peninsula News )

Product Description
When Lieutenant Commander Heidi Kraft's twin son and daughter were fifteen months old, she was deployed to Iraq. A clinical psychologist in the US Navy, Kraft's job was to uncover the wounds of war that a surgeon would never see. She put away thoughts of her children back home, acclimated to the sound of incoming rockets, and learned how to listen to the most traumatic stories a war zone has to offer.
One of the toughest lessons of her deployment was perfectly articulated by the TV show M*A*S*H: "There are two rules of war. Rule number one is that young men die. Rule number two is that doctors can't change rule number one." Some Marines, Kraft realized, and even some of their doctors, would be damaged by war in ways she could not repair. And sometimes, people were repaired in ways she never expected. RULE NUMBER TWO is a powerful firsthand account of providing comfort admidst the chaos of war, and of what it takes to endure.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (October 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316067903
• ISBN-13: 978-0316067904
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #70,001 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who cares for the caregivers?, October 19, 2007

By	John D. Olson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Dr. Kraft has written a fresh, emotionally bruising record of what it is to be a care giver not just to those who obviously need it, but to those whose experiences lash them from the inside. This is the book for anyone who ever wanted a concise version of the direct and indirect mental cost of combat.

The wrenching depictions of comrades in arms openly weeping for those who used to sit and laugh beside them, of leaders expressing love and care for those for whom they are responsible, of the small things and large which provide relief and anchors for those caught up in chaos all leave a reader wondering how it is anyone can truly survive combat unscathed. Intervention after intervention trod upon each's heels; from the schizophrenic Marine who argues with his combat knife, to the weathered veteran who wants hypnosis so he can stop his two-pack a day smoking habit, to talking down a Marine with a rifle muzzle to her head, weeping as she apologizes for what she is about to do, even when the interventionalists themselves find themselves on the receiving end of an ad hoc group session held by a commander of a neighboring unit who happens to be a practicing psychiatrist, even addressing the stress of being one of the new "untouchables" - graves registration Marines. "We did the best we could" is the strong underlying theme throughout this memoir. This is a powerful rendering of what we ask others to do, and suffer, in our name.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read brings the war close to home, October 25, 2007

By	E. Wallace (California, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and within the first chapter found that I had a hard time putting it down. Kraft gives a real-life perspective of the experiences and impressions of a modern day war. She provides a realistic view on the emotions and every day details that haven't been captured by the media. And after reading this, I feel closer to the war in Iraq and the individuals who give their time, hearts and minds to fighting.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rule Number Three, December 10, 2007

By	InterLinkOperator "BioRealist" (USA) - See all my reviews

Rule number three: Rule number one and two compel us to provide our armed forces with the compassionate combat stress care of doctors like Lieutenant Commander Heidi Squier Kraft.

Rule number one and two refer to a particular episode of M*A*S*H. Use the search inside feature for more about this. I met Alan Alda once. Having followed his career, I noticed he gives medical commencements. His advice after a near death surgical crisis is, "Treat me like a human being".

That is exactly what Dr Kraft describes in her memoir as a Navy flight psychologist, marine pilot's wife, submariners daughter, colleague friend and confidant. She is one of the Marines "Alpha" female care givers at the Combat Hospital in Anbar Province, Iraq.

I recall reading the news story of Marine Corporal Dunham's heroism and susequent Medal of Honor. It is comforting to know he was treated with such dignity and compassion by Dr. Kraft and her team at Alpha Surgical.

This book is a compelling read and allays some of my fears about how our military addresses combat stress. You will meet members of our military requiring the assistance of Heidi Kraft. Many looking for someone to talk with, at Alpha Surgical Hospital, so they can rejoin their units. Some would not make it.

I was also pleased to see 10% of Dr. Kraft's royalties are donated to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. As if she hasn't already given enough.

Ma'am, thank you!