thedrifter
03-03-07, 06:17 AM
Book lauds battlefield medics, corpsmen
Doctor-author brings home the horror and heroism of their service in war-torn Iraq
By TERRY BROWN, Staff writer
First published: Saturday, March 3, 2007
Cmdr. (Dr.) Richard Jadick of North Augusta, formerly of Slingerlands, the only doctor who earned a Bronze Star with V device for valor in the Iraq war, has launched his own special mission.
Instead of focusing on his own heroism of saving the lives of 30 Marines during street fighting in Fallujah, he's telling stories of the bravery of Lt. Carlos Kennedy, his fellow Navy hospital corpsman, and others who helped take care of casualties on the battlefield, through a new book.
He along with Thomas Hayden wrote "On Call in Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story" (NAL Caliber; 2007; 266 pages).
At first, he said, he resisted writing a book on his heroism.
The Navy doctor already had been recognized on the "Today Show," "CNN News," "Fox News" and the cover of the March 20, 2006 issue of Newsweek magazine after he received his Bronze Star.
"When I was approached to write the book, at first I was worried that I would somehow appear to be putting myself ahead of my brothers (Marines and Navy hospital corpsmen)," he said. "Or worse, that it would be blood money; that I might end up profiting from other people's misfortunes, tragedies that I happened to be part of."
After he received support and encouragement from his corpsmen, Marines and relatives of those killed in action, he decided to write the book.
"They really wanted me to tell these stories -- stories of honor, courage, brotherhood and service, stories of horror and of humanity," Jadick said. "I wanted to shine light on the hospital corpsman, and help bring about much needed changes in military medicine."
Jadick will be signing copies of his book beginning at 7 p.m. on Wednesday the Barnes & Noble book store on Wolf Road in Colonie.
The book details how he earned his Bronze Star. He also names and highlights the bravery of corpsmen, Marine security forces and North Carolina and West Virginia Army National Guard medical personnel and ambulance crews who helped him.
Jadick had volunteered to be battalion surgeon and lead 54 Navy medical corpsmen assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
The deployment gave Jadick an opportunity to implement a change in handling battlefield casualties.
Jadick, fellow battalion surgeon Lt. Cmdr. (Dr.) Will Dutton and Command Master Chief Joe Loangholtz developed the concept of forward aid stations as a way to get medical personnel and care to casualties on the front lines instead of having to transport the wounded for miles to battalion aid stations. The first hour after a Marine or soldier is wounded can be critical in saving a life.
Jadick was not only a Navy doctor, but also a Marine. Once a Marine, a person is a Marine for life.
He had served as a Marine officer for six years. He earned his commission while a student at Ithaca College through a Marine Reserve Officers' Training Corps Program at nearby Cornell University. After his Marine duty, he accepted a Navy scholarship at New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he earned his medical degree.
Jadick took both of his roles -- as a Navy medical officer and as a Marine -- seriously. He and his medical team didn't sit back and wait for casualties. His team implemented the forward aid station concept. They deployed along with the Marines to the front lines so they could tend the wounded and moved them more quickly to safety.
Shortly after fighting broke out, Jadick received an urgent radio call to assist a wounded SEAL, a special operations sailor, the doctor summoned an armored personnel carrier for use as an ambulance to get the team to the SEAL.
Jadick and his corpsmen team stabilized the sailor and began to transport the wounded SEAL to an FAS. But before they got to the station, the team was called to provide medical care for seven wounded Marines lying in the street after an ambush.
Despite a raging firefight, and being shot at, Jadick and his corpsmen ran to the street, cared for and transported the wounded to their aid station.
"I've never seen a doctor display the kind of courage and bravery that Rick did during the Fallujah battle," Lt. Col. Mark Winn -- battalion executive officer who recommended Jadick for the Bronze Star -- told the Associated Press.
During the operation to clear Fallujah of insurgents, Jadick and his team stabilized and provided advance-trauma lifesaving care for more than 90 Marines, Navy personnel and other troops often while under intense enemy rocket-propelled grenade, mortar and small arms fire from Nov. 8 through Nov. 18, 2004, according Winn, who was on the battlefield with Jadick, and wrote in Jadick's award citation.
By the end of the 30-day Fallujah battle, Jadick and his team treated and stabilized more than 200 U.S. Marines, soldiers, sailors, Iraqi troops and a few insurgents in an Iraqi compound right in the heart of the battle zone.
A total of 21 of Jadick's battalion Marines were killed in action and 200 wounded. A total of 70 Marines and other U.S. troops were killed and more than 600 wounded in the Battle of Fallujah. More than 1,600 insurgents were killed, according to Marine officials.
The combat stories in the book focus on the bravery of the corpsmen. The accounts are so well and vividly written, the reader gets the feel of being in combat. Two warnings: The book is too compelling to stop reading with a lunch-hour break and descriptions of battlefield wounds and casualties are graphic.
The 1983 Bethlehem Central High School graduate is now on leave from active duty so he can attend to his urology residency at the Medical College of Georgia and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta, Ga. Upon completion of the residency, he'll return to Navy duty.
The doctor and his wife, Dr. Denise Jadick, have a daughter, who was born five days before he deployed to Iraq. He is the son of Richard V. and Barbara Jadick of Sneads Ferry, S.C., formerly of Slingerlands. of your soldiers and units can be sent to Duty Calls, Terry Brown, Times Union, Box 15000, Albany, NY 12212 or by e-mail at brownt@timesunion.com
Ellie
Doctor-author brings home the horror and heroism of their service in war-torn Iraq
By TERRY BROWN, Staff writer
First published: Saturday, March 3, 2007
Cmdr. (Dr.) Richard Jadick of North Augusta, formerly of Slingerlands, the only doctor who earned a Bronze Star with V device for valor in the Iraq war, has launched his own special mission.
Instead of focusing on his own heroism of saving the lives of 30 Marines during street fighting in Fallujah, he's telling stories of the bravery of Lt. Carlos Kennedy, his fellow Navy hospital corpsman, and others who helped take care of casualties on the battlefield, through a new book.
He along with Thomas Hayden wrote "On Call in Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story" (NAL Caliber; 2007; 266 pages).
At first, he said, he resisted writing a book on his heroism.
The Navy doctor already had been recognized on the "Today Show," "CNN News," "Fox News" and the cover of the March 20, 2006 issue of Newsweek magazine after he received his Bronze Star.
"When I was approached to write the book, at first I was worried that I would somehow appear to be putting myself ahead of my brothers (Marines and Navy hospital corpsmen)," he said. "Or worse, that it would be blood money; that I might end up profiting from other people's misfortunes, tragedies that I happened to be part of."
After he received support and encouragement from his corpsmen, Marines and relatives of those killed in action, he decided to write the book.
"They really wanted me to tell these stories -- stories of honor, courage, brotherhood and service, stories of horror and of humanity," Jadick said. "I wanted to shine light on the hospital corpsman, and help bring about much needed changes in military medicine."
Jadick will be signing copies of his book beginning at 7 p.m. on Wednesday the Barnes & Noble book store on Wolf Road in Colonie.
The book details how he earned his Bronze Star. He also names and highlights the bravery of corpsmen, Marine security forces and North Carolina and West Virginia Army National Guard medical personnel and ambulance crews who helped him.
Jadick had volunteered to be battalion surgeon and lead 54 Navy medical corpsmen assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
The deployment gave Jadick an opportunity to implement a change in handling battlefield casualties.
Jadick, fellow battalion surgeon Lt. Cmdr. (Dr.) Will Dutton and Command Master Chief Joe Loangholtz developed the concept of forward aid stations as a way to get medical personnel and care to casualties on the front lines instead of having to transport the wounded for miles to battalion aid stations. The first hour after a Marine or soldier is wounded can be critical in saving a life.
Jadick was not only a Navy doctor, but also a Marine. Once a Marine, a person is a Marine for life.
He had served as a Marine officer for six years. He earned his commission while a student at Ithaca College through a Marine Reserve Officers' Training Corps Program at nearby Cornell University. After his Marine duty, he accepted a Navy scholarship at New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he earned his medical degree.
Jadick took both of his roles -- as a Navy medical officer and as a Marine -- seriously. He and his medical team didn't sit back and wait for casualties. His team implemented the forward aid station concept. They deployed along with the Marines to the front lines so they could tend the wounded and moved them more quickly to safety.
Shortly after fighting broke out, Jadick received an urgent radio call to assist a wounded SEAL, a special operations sailor, the doctor summoned an armored personnel carrier for use as an ambulance to get the team to the SEAL.
Jadick and his corpsmen team stabilized the sailor and began to transport the wounded SEAL to an FAS. But before they got to the station, the team was called to provide medical care for seven wounded Marines lying in the street after an ambush.
Despite a raging firefight, and being shot at, Jadick and his corpsmen ran to the street, cared for and transported the wounded to their aid station.
"I've never seen a doctor display the kind of courage and bravery that Rick did during the Fallujah battle," Lt. Col. Mark Winn -- battalion executive officer who recommended Jadick for the Bronze Star -- told the Associated Press.
During the operation to clear Fallujah of insurgents, Jadick and his team stabilized and provided advance-trauma lifesaving care for more than 90 Marines, Navy personnel and other troops often while under intense enemy rocket-propelled grenade, mortar and small arms fire from Nov. 8 through Nov. 18, 2004, according Winn, who was on the battlefield with Jadick, and wrote in Jadick's award citation.
By the end of the 30-day Fallujah battle, Jadick and his team treated and stabilized more than 200 U.S. Marines, soldiers, sailors, Iraqi troops and a few insurgents in an Iraqi compound right in the heart of the battle zone.
A total of 21 of Jadick's battalion Marines were killed in action and 200 wounded. A total of 70 Marines and other U.S. troops were killed and more than 600 wounded in the Battle of Fallujah. More than 1,600 insurgents were killed, according to Marine officials.
The combat stories in the book focus on the bravery of the corpsmen. The accounts are so well and vividly written, the reader gets the feel of being in combat. Two warnings: The book is too compelling to stop reading with a lunch-hour break and descriptions of battlefield wounds and casualties are graphic.
The 1983 Bethlehem Central High School graduate is now on leave from active duty so he can attend to his urology residency at the Medical College of Georgia and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta, Ga. Upon completion of the residency, he'll return to Navy duty.
The doctor and his wife, Dr. Denise Jadick, have a daughter, who was born five days before he deployed to Iraq. He is the son of Richard V. and Barbara Jadick of Sneads Ferry, S.C., formerly of Slingerlands. of your soldiers and units can be sent to Duty Calls, Terry Brown, Times Union, Box 15000, Albany, NY 12212 or by e-mail at brownt@timesunion.com
Ellie