medics+cl+and+ag

Andrew G & Christopher L


 * __Vietnam__ __Medics__**

Medical doctors played a key role in the Vietnam War. They had to deal with tropical diseases as well as combat injuries. In the words of LTC Louis Winkler, “This was hell.” Even some women had to work in combat hospitals as nurses to tend to wounded and sick soldiers. Without this group, many of our U.S. soldiers would not have lasted for long. Tropical diseases slowed the troops down. Malaria was one of the worst diseases they had to deal with. Malaria could hospitalize a soldier for at least five weeks. Also, the hot, moist climate of Vietnam caused skin diseases which caused the skin to dry out and look distorted. The bacteria from Vietnamese mud could cause a bacterial infection called “pattyfoot,” similar to WWI’s trenchfoot. During combat the medics relied heavily on helicopters. The medic’s code for a medivac was a “dustoff.” In a dustoff, the wounded soldier would be placed into the running helicopter. The chopper would take off with the wounded man heading toward a field hospital in a neutral area of Vietnam. This way of treating soldiers was ideal for jungle warfare. Women played a big part in the war effort – not just in the United States but in Vietnam, as well. Over 58,000 Americans were killed in Vietnam and 200,000 wounded and women were there! Women were not in the field but were nurses in field hospitals and assistants in recovery. Without women, many soldiers would have died. In the words of LTC Louis Winkler, MD regarding medics, “The final lesson of Vietnam must be that there is a need for physicians who are well trained in both field and clinical medicine – specialists in combat medicine – to serve as brigade/division/corps surgeon. It is illogical to expect a fully trained pediatrician, internist, or surgeon with only the basic medical office course to function in this capacity.” He is saying combat-trained medics were hard to find in Vietnam. Those doctors who served in Vietnam were heroes, functioning in a strange environment without any training – doing their best to save lives. Wars are not only won by soldiers but by those who care for the soldiers. The men and women who cared for the health of our U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam war were just as important as the soldiers who fought.