Doc_Pardue
12-15-2006, 21:07
This is from Dr. Merrill Mirman, who was the Commanding Officer of the second unit I served with in Vietnam. Dr. Mirman is currently in private practice in Springfield, PA, he was a Capt., USA Medical Corps, Assistant Group Flight Surgeon, Ban Me Thout, Vietnam.
Letter To The Editor:
VIETNAM WAS A WHOLE NEW 'WORLD' FOR MEDICS
As I served as a commanding office to some Combat Medics in Vietnam, I will relate my feelings towards them. This is their story, which I am sure, is similar to medics in all wars.
When ask why our Armed Forces served in Viet Nam, the quote from Stolen Valor comes to mind: "Because America needs me." They did not run to Canada, or fake a medical condition. They did not shirk from duty when their country called.
To put the MEDICS in perspective regarding a war now seemingly long ago, consider this reflection from A Life In A Year: "The only problem was that B Company of the 504th Infantry got over-run and they lost eleven (11) medics. NVA attacks, Viet Cong attacks, mortars, rockets, machine guns, granades, ambushes, mines, punji sticks, snipers, brush and jungle, swamp and rice paddies, dust and dirt. Soldiers going berserk from stress and or drugs."
The USA was called "the world", because Viet Nam was nothing like these soldiers had ever experienced...it was totally unreal. Different languages. Different culture. Different color of the skin. Different religions. And, no front line to divide the goodies from the baddies.
Teenagers, out of high school, now in the military, now in combat. They volunteered to be a Medic --- "Doc" as they would become to be called by their comrades.
Tennagers who only months before, had played on the high school team, picked up girls in their cars, and hoped for a different future from what they now experienced.
Getting almost instant medical training, is what they received. Teenagers, who now MEDICS, would be responsible for giving care to the wounded, under battle-field conditions.
Teenagers, who could help make the difference between life and death of another soldier...often no older then they. And, who were there for the death and the dying.
As one of my MEDICS, Kerry Pardue, said: he learned 2 rules. Rule #1: Men will die in battle. Rule #2: as hard as he tried, he could not change Rule #1. Poems In The Keys Of Life: Reflections of a combat medic (http://www.freewebs.com/kerrypardue), Publish America, K Pardue.
Teenagers, as MEDICS, who risked their own lives for others. On "The Wall" in Washington, D.C. are 58,152 names of those who gave their life while protecting ours. 2096 of them are MEDICS. I in 29.
Merrill J Mirman, D.O.
Letter To The Editor:
VIETNAM WAS A WHOLE NEW 'WORLD' FOR MEDICS
As I served as a commanding office to some Combat Medics in Vietnam, I will relate my feelings towards them. This is their story, which I am sure, is similar to medics in all wars.
When ask why our Armed Forces served in Viet Nam, the quote from Stolen Valor comes to mind: "Because America needs me." They did not run to Canada, or fake a medical condition. They did not shirk from duty when their country called.
To put the MEDICS in perspective regarding a war now seemingly long ago, consider this reflection from A Life In A Year: "The only problem was that B Company of the 504th Infantry got over-run and they lost eleven (11) medics. NVA attacks, Viet Cong attacks, mortars, rockets, machine guns, granades, ambushes, mines, punji sticks, snipers, brush and jungle, swamp and rice paddies, dust and dirt. Soldiers going berserk from stress and or drugs."
The USA was called "the world", because Viet Nam was nothing like these soldiers had ever experienced...it was totally unreal. Different languages. Different culture. Different color of the skin. Different religions. And, no front line to divide the goodies from the baddies.
Teenagers, out of high school, now in the military, now in combat. They volunteered to be a Medic --- "Doc" as they would become to be called by their comrades.
Tennagers who only months before, had played on the high school team, picked up girls in their cars, and hoped for a different future from what they now experienced.
Getting almost instant medical training, is what they received. Teenagers, who now MEDICS, would be responsible for giving care to the wounded, under battle-field conditions.
Teenagers, who could help make the difference between life and death of another soldier...often no older then they. And, who were there for the death and the dying.
As one of my MEDICS, Kerry Pardue, said: he learned 2 rules. Rule #1: Men will die in battle. Rule #2: as hard as he tried, he could not change Rule #1. Poems In The Keys Of Life: Reflections of a combat medic (http://www.freewebs.com/kerrypardue), Publish America, K Pardue.
Teenagers, as MEDICS, who risked their own lives for others. On "The Wall" in Washington, D.C. are 58,152 names of those who gave their life while protecting ours. 2096 of them are MEDICS. I in 29.
Merrill J Mirman, D.O.