thedrifter
03-08-07, 07:36 AM
Doctor honored for his work during combat in Iraq
A native of the Capital Region gets national attention for his heroics in Iraq
By KUMI TUCKER
COLONIE, March 7
Doctor Richard Jadick was awarded the Bronze Star for his work on the front lines of Fallujah, Iraq. The Slingerlands native is credited with saving 30 lives in one battle. Doctor Jadick has been on the cover of Newsweek magazine as “Hero M.D.” Wednesday, he was back in the capital region, to read from his new book, On Call in Hell.
“When we opened the hatch there were insurgents in the back as the hatch came down who fired into the ambulance. And very calmly, two marines came. I saw them come from the outside of the ambulance and do what they do best and take out that threat so I was able to come off that ambulance and start to triage and treat Marines,” said Commander Jadick.
Commander Richard Jadick spent eight months in Iraq as a surgeon with the First Battalion Eighth Marine regiment. He drew a crowd to the Barnes and Noble on Wolf Road, as he talked about his new book, On Call in Hell. Jadick grew up in Slingerlands, graduating from Bethlehem Central High in 1983.
“He's done, an outstanding… he's very set in his ways, how he's going to get things done, he accomplishes it, and I'm proud as the devil of him,” said family friend Dr. Paul Ryan.
The Navy doctor worked on the injured on the front lines.. doing whatever he could, wherever he had to be while under heavy fire. He described what it was like during a battle in Fallujah.
“There was an ambush downtown and we rode into it and I knew as I was treating these Marines that we were too far away and that we would lose Marines if we weren't closer. The minute that that hatch opened, fear and terror are two words that can barely describe what I felt at that time. The only thing that kept me moving is the other fear, which is my fear of failure. I was afraid to fail the team. To fail my men, to fail my colonel, to fail my family,” said Jadick
These days, Commander Jadick is a medical resident in Georgia. He says he still comes back to the capital region often, to visit family here.
Ellie
A native of the Capital Region gets national attention for his heroics in Iraq
By KUMI TUCKER
COLONIE, March 7
Doctor Richard Jadick was awarded the Bronze Star for his work on the front lines of Fallujah, Iraq. The Slingerlands native is credited with saving 30 lives in one battle. Doctor Jadick has been on the cover of Newsweek magazine as “Hero M.D.” Wednesday, he was back in the capital region, to read from his new book, On Call in Hell.
“When we opened the hatch there were insurgents in the back as the hatch came down who fired into the ambulance. And very calmly, two marines came. I saw them come from the outside of the ambulance and do what they do best and take out that threat so I was able to come off that ambulance and start to triage and treat Marines,” said Commander Jadick.
Commander Richard Jadick spent eight months in Iraq as a surgeon with the First Battalion Eighth Marine regiment. He drew a crowd to the Barnes and Noble on Wolf Road, as he talked about his new book, On Call in Hell. Jadick grew up in Slingerlands, graduating from Bethlehem Central High in 1983.
“He's done, an outstanding… he's very set in his ways, how he's going to get things done, he accomplishes it, and I'm proud as the devil of him,” said family friend Dr. Paul Ryan.
The Navy doctor worked on the injured on the front lines.. doing whatever he could, wherever he had to be while under heavy fire. He described what it was like during a battle in Fallujah.
“There was an ambush downtown and we rode into it and I knew as I was treating these Marines that we were too far away and that we would lose Marines if we weren't closer. The minute that that hatch opened, fear and terror are two words that can barely describe what I felt at that time. The only thing that kept me moving is the other fear, which is my fear of failure. I was afraid to fail the team. To fail my men, to fail my colonel, to fail my family,” said Jadick
These days, Commander Jadick is a medical resident in Georgia. He says he still comes back to the capital region often, to visit family here.
Ellie