My Journey As A Combat Medic

Patrick Thibeault has served in the US Army in various capacities since the 1990s, originally training as an Airborne soldier before specialising as a combat medic. My Journey as a Combat Medic covers his original training and deployment before providing a look at the roles he's since played in the US Army's forces, including his recent deployment to Afghanistan. It is a no-holds bar look at the modern medic in the US Army, allowing us a glimpse at the training as a soldier and as a specialist, as well as deployment and front line duties and the impact of service on civilian life, including an honest look at PTSD, from the author's own personal experience. Rather than a technical manual, My Journey as a Combat Medic is a detailed first hand account, concluding with a letter to new medics, providing a career's worth of advice and knowledge as they begin their journeys.

September 11, 2001 changed the world and changed the United States. But most of all, it changed the men and women who were sent to Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein and his brutal regime and to bring freedom to the Iraqi people under his rule. This is the story of one combat medic and his journey to and from one of the most dangerous cities in Iraq Sadr City. Follow SPC Bingham as he gives a detailed account of the day-to-day life of a soldier and combat medic during the initial stages of what has come to be known as Iraqi Freedom. Through his journal entries, we learn of the sadness, happiness, anger, and fear of those who served so far from home. Through his reflections, we learn what it all meant ten years later for himself and his family. We learn what daily life on the streets and dealing with a culture and language that was as foreign and confusing to them as it was for the people they were protecting. Freedom comes at a price. We all just have to know how much we are willing to pay.

Our story takes you on a journey from our lives before the war to the mountainous terrains of Afghanistan and the barren deserts of Iraq. It is our desire to bring to life what it is like for the American Soldier fighting in the war on terror overseas. Not just from a Soldier's perspective, but from the Combat Medic's perspective. We want you to learn about the heartaches, the fear, the excitement and the terror of combat today. These stories are not intended to bring glory upon ourselves. They are written to show the courage and bravery of every American Soldier with whom we served. While this book is written from our first person view, the "I" and "we" are inclusive of all the Medics that have served Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Every medic deployed in support of these operations have similar stories to tell. The title, Not On My Watch, The 21st Century Combat Medic expresses the fervor with which we serve. First, our motto: Not On My Watch. This speaks not only of the personal pride and sacrifice that we, as Combat Medics have in our assignment, but also of our willingness to sacrifice in order to save a fellow Soldier's life. We are saying, "As long as I am there, I am going to sacrifice everything I have to give the wounded Soldier a second chance at life". The latter part of the title stresses how combat and combat medicine has evolved to our generation from the generation of the heroes who served from the very first shot of the Revolutionary War until now. We have met the men and women of past wars at welcome home ceremonies, the local VFW's, and through everyday interactions. Every story is different, yet every story is exactly the same: The same courage, bravery, honor, and dedication to fellow Soldiers on the battlefield. We remember the look of pride in the eyes of every Vietnam, Korean, and WWII veteran as they shook our hands at the airport upon our arrival back to the United States. It is that look that lets us know that although we never stormed a beach on that Day in June of 1944, or never took that hill in the jungle with certain death on the ascent to the top, we did serve a cause that blankets our great country with Freedom. We are Americans fighting and defending the rights of every American. We are Americans dedicated to bringing peace and democracy to every citizen of the globe. Our cause is just and this is our story.

Noted military historian Ted Barris once asked his father, Alex, “What did you do in the war?” What the former US Army medic then told his son forms the thrust of Barris’s latest historic journey—an exploration of his father’s wartime experiences as a medic leading up to the Battle of the Bulge in 1944–45, along with stories of other medics in combat throughout history. Barris’s research reveals that this bloodiest of WWII battles was shouldered largely by military medics. Like his father, Alex, medics in combat evacuated the wounded on foot, scrounged medical supplies where there were seemed to be none, and dodged snipers and booby traps on the most frigid and desolate battlefields of Europe. While retracing his father’s wartime experience, the author weaves into his narrative stories about the life-and-death struggles of military medical personnel during a century of service. In this unique front-line recounting of the experiences of stretcher bearers, medical corpsmen, nurses, surgeons, orderlies, dentists and ambulance drivers, Barris explores the evolution of battlefield medicine at such historic engagements as Fredericksburg, Batoche, the Ypres Salient, the Somme, Vimy, Singapore, Dieppe, Normandy, Falaise, Bastogne, Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. Barris’s sources reveal—like never before—why men and women sporting the red cross on their helmets or sleeves didn’t flee to safety but chose instead to rush to assist.

For many surviving military veterans, the Vietnam War is an indelible part of their lives. That they survived is due in many cases to the heroic, life-saving actions of combat medics like Bill "Doc" Strusinski. Being a frontline medic was, and still is, one of the most dangerous jobs in the Army. Medics were targeted by the enemy and often called upon to aid fallen soldiers in the line of fire. In Strusinski's riveting book, Care Under Fire, Strusinski thrusts the reader squarely into moments of terror during firefights, the exhaustion of endless patrols, the anguish of losing buddies despite best efforts to save them, and the intimate bonds created during times of desperate need. This is a book about war, yes, but even more about how one man was transformed by his "sacred duty" to offer care under fire to the young soldiers he fought beside.

Their job is to put themselves in the heart of danger - to run into battle to rescue the wounded and to risk their own lives to try and save the dying. Doctors, nurses, medics and stretcher bearers go where the bullets are thickest, through bomb alleys and mine fields, ducking mortars and rockets, wherever someone is hit and the shout goes up - 'Medic! We need a medic over here!' War at its rawest is their domain, an ugly place of shattered bodies, severed limbs, broken heads and death. This is the story of those brave men - and, increasingly in this day and age, women - who go to war armed with bandages not bombs, scalpels not swords, and put saving life above taking life. Many have died in the process, the ultimate sacrifice for others. But wherever the cry of 'Medic!' is heard, it will be answered. From the beaches of Dunkirk to the desert towns of Afghanistan, there can be no nobler cause.

"A significant number of veterans suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder-an issue that arises after exposed to distressing incidents or environments, in this case war. The term comes across as a bit nebulous for most of us when seeing it on the news, however, Samuel's account of PTSD helps to put things in perspective." - Seth Rose, masculinebooks.com This is a true story of a soldier's journey through the Iraq war and his relentless battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Private Boney joined the U.S. Army in 2003. After basic and advanced medical training, he was deployed to Irtaq with the 1st Calvary Divisions 15th Forward Support Battalion in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Follow along as he recalls his experience as a combat medic surviving mortar attacks, assisting casualties, and a gruesome gorilla warfare fight in the Wadi-Us-Salaam cemetery; the largest in the world.

"This eye-opening journey through centuries of medical care on the battlefield is a fascinating read. The research is impressive, the writing style relaxed but what makes this book stand out is the personal stories of women and men who risked their lives to save others." - ANNE MACMILLAN, HISTORIAN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR OF WAR STORIES Double Emmy award-winning author Martin King takes you on an enthralling journey through the history of medicine on the battlefield, covering the battles of Ancient Rome, both World Wars, Vietnam and many more. Hear true stories of the brave men and women who risked their lives to save others in the chaos of conflict, including: • Tillie Pierce, the 16-year-old girl who tended soldiers from both sides during the American Civil War • Mary Seacole a black nurse who ran her own medical center during the Crimean War • Nellie Spindler, a staff nurse in World War I who was tragically killed in the Battle of Passchendaele • John Bradmore, the man who saved Prince Henry in the War of the Roses Battlefield Medics includes first-hand accounts from veterans of various wars and conflicts, as well as a foreword by Colonel Robert Campbell of the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army. Told with King's usual flair for engaging narrative and eye for historical detail, this illustrated account provides a testament to these remarkable medics and the vital part they played in history.