Dr. James Finnegan spent one year in Vietnam during the war as a combat surgeon, including heading a surgical team in Khe Sanh during the famous 77 day siege of that combat base. His stories are personal, unique, and describe a side of the war seldom reported in the media. Each story is based on the true personal experiences of a physician who himself received a Purple Heart for wounds he sustained in action.
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By finster59
May 25, 2010
Disappointing. It read more like a collection of war anecdotes that might be told at a cocktail party than a real description of what life was like as a surgeon in a combat zone. For example there is a chapter about ADLs ( activities of daily living)that fails to give any real description of what they did on a daily basis. He mentions not showering for three months (!) but gives scant info on why or how they coped with that. If you are truly interested in the medical aspect of the Vietnam War there are way better books.
My husband & I just finshed Dr. Finnegan's book. It is a powerful story told in a totally different perspective than other books about the Viet Nam experience. My husband is a retired Marine Sgt who was wounded in 1966. He has always been thankful to the Doctors and Corpsmen that saved his life. We highly recommend this book to all Marines that served in Viet Nam, especially if you were wounded. You will laugh and cry while following Dr. Finnegan's experience.
