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On Call In Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story | 
 enlarge | Authors: Cdr. Richard Jadick, Thomas Hayden
Publisher: NAL Hardcover
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
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You Save: $20.48 (82%)
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Rating:  31 reviews
Sales Rank: 42921
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 5.6 x 1.1
Dewey Decimal Number: 956.7044342
ASIN: B000RWD3GY
Publication Date: March 6, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A riveting memoir from the Navy doctor praised as "Hero, M.D." on the cover of Newsweek.
Cdr. Richard Jadick's story is one of the most extraordinary to come out of the war in Iraq. At thirty-eight, the last place the Navy doctor was expected to be was on the front lines. He was too old to be called up, but not too old to volunteer. In November 2004, with the military reeling from an acute doctor shortage, Jadick chose to accompany the First Battalion, Eighth Marine Regiment (the "1/8") to Iraq. During the Battle of Fallujah, Jadick and his team worked tirelessly and courageously around the clock to save their troops in the worst street fighting Americans had faced since Vietnam. It is estimated that without Jadick at the front, the Marines would have lost an additional thirty men. Of the hundreds of men he treated, only one died after reaching a hospital. This is the inspiring story of his decision to enter into the fray, a fascinating glimpse into wartime triage, and a compelling account of courage under fire.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
 A book for the ages March 16, 2007
Perry M. Smith (Augusta,, Ga. United States)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
Richard Jadick just blew me away with this book. This is much more than a book about saving lives in desperate situtations. It also about creativity, teamwork, leadership, altruism and love for your fellow man. Who should read this book? Anyone interested in military history, in the relationship between the Navy and the Marine Corps, in traumatic care in peace and war, in the realities of intense combat, in combat injuries and their treatment. It is also a must read for anyone considering joining the military or becoming a medical professional. The very best chapters start with chapter 8 and continue on to the end of the book. If you thought Hemingway could write about warfare, you should read what Commander Jadick and his co-author have put together. A modern day classic.
Right Man at the Right Time April 8, 2007
S. Annand (Alexandria, VA United States)
18 out of 22 found this review helpful
I was one of the first to see Dr. Jadick speak on his book; indeed, I am the one on Book TV who asks him the question about previous books by battalion surgeons such as "Doctor at Dien Bien Phu" and "Doctor at Stalingrad."
I think there is something in this book for everybody. Jadick not only tells us about his high school life, but how he got into medical school. For instance, he did not make it into MD school, so he applied to DO (Osteopathy) and got accepted. I hope my niece tries that route. I have had a number of DOs and they are quite good. Indeed, they are over represented in the military if I remember right.
Jadick also served as a Marine officer. He was turned down due to an eye problem, which you can notice when he lectures, for West Point. He pushed on, though, and became a Marine officer after college. I can get behind that, as I also had to obtain a waiver for military service. Jadick also describes how he obtained a Navy scholarship while at med school. Again, something for all to take note.
For any doctor interested in battlefield surgery you should read this book. He talks about the "golden hour" after being wounded and points out it really is immediate attention that will save lives. The whole point to Jadick in Fallujah is that his concept of a Forward Aid Station treating soldiers immediately wounded is what saved an estimated 30 Marines.
Jadick has concerns that his oath as a doctor was possibly violated in Fallujah. At one point he told the Marines to go and kill an insurgent sniper who was taking pot shots at him and the wounded. He actually saw the insurgent killed. Was this wrong? He did, however, treat the enemy as required and he also felt necessary. He noted there were two types of insurgents: the hard core, who would attack and bite them, and the average joes who seemed happy that the war was over for them. Jadick felt that the attention he gave the second group was good propaganda for America. He felt it gave the insurgents the view that America was not trying to kill them all and could be fair.
I had asked Jadick about his thoughts on other such books, naming Grauwin's Dien Bien Phu book, whereby even x-ray machines were parachuted in to the battle. Jadick felt that the one lesson to take away was that the most important aspect to saving lives is the right person at the right time makes the most difference. For any doctor wanting to treat combat wounded, Jadick goes into detail about just how to handle these wounds.
Now I do have to fault this book. On page 142 he mistakenly references the "U.S. Army's Seventh Cavalry Division." I was a member of the 7th Cav in Vietnam and it is the REGIMENT, not Division. This regiment was at Ia Drang and the subject of "We were soldiers once," and should be correctly cited.
All in all I would recommend this for inclusion in the budding Battle of Fallujah library of books currently being published.
Rich Jadick and his corpsmen are the real deal March 11, 2007
MAG 49 DOC (Saint Louis, MO)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
This is a truly outstanding book which conveys the reality of combat medicine and the dedication of the physicians and corpsmen who accompany the US Marine Corps on the front lines. This should be required reading for every American. The Publishers Weekly review unfortunately missed the entire point of this book with their comment regarding the emphasis placed on each Marine who lost his life in the battle of Fallujah. This book wasn't written to make money, create fame or make best-sellers lists; it was specifically written to bring attention to and laud each of those Marines and US Navy corpsmen who serve a cause greater than themselves and who gave their lives for their country, their Corps, their fellow Marines and for our Freedom. Semper Fi.
excellent... March 22, 2007
A Physician (Dallas, TX USA)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
This is an excellent read that I was unable to put down. It is Cdr. Jadick's story as he moves through his recent deployment to Iraq and the Battle for Fallujah. The opening chapters briefly visit earlier experiences, as a college student, Marine communications officer, medical student and a previous deployment. These provide valuable context for understanding his motivations for volunteering for the deployment that is the major subject of the book.
Jadick tells his story and that of his men (and a woman). Their story is important and needs to be told. Jadick honors the corpsmen he commanded and the brave Marines they served. He takes us inside the powerful bonds that are forged under fire among these soldiers.
This book will satisfy on multiple fronts. In addition to the personal side, the action is described very well and will certainly entertain. The medical aspects are covered in satisfying detail, so the medical crowd will not be disappointed. They will likely learn something. It is particularly interesting to see the inner workings and organization of deployment military medicine.
I compare this title to "One Bullet Away" by Nathaniel Fick. These are two of the finest personal accounts that I have read from this War.
Bravo Surgical Chaplain March 23, 2007
Chaplain Camarda (Switzerland, FL)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
For the last two days I have been reading this book with gratitude and a much better appreciation of THE HELL we went through and THE HELL the fine Marines, Soldiers and Navy Docs went through. I already knew a lot.
I was the Catholic Chaplain assigned to Bravo Surgical from September 2004 until March of 2005. I kept a small green notebook of all the casualties and "angels" I ministered to. There are at least 30 of the men that Dr. Jadick mentions in his book in my little green notebook. I was there with Chaplain Cox when he grieved over LCPL D. Brown. I know the smell of brain matter. The Navy Chaplain Corps has a motto: Vocati ad Servituum which means "Called to Serve". It truly was a call and an honor to serve in Hell...but as Richard Jadick leads us...it is also a call to serve in Heaven. Those of us who served couldn't have been anywhere else. At 45 and passed over at least three times, and a Reservist...I did everything to resist going. I not only said, "No." I said "Hell NO!" Even when I could get out of it, my devotion to God and Country allowed me to answer "yes". I thank God I made the right choice.
Now I know better what the men went through before they got to me, thank God many living.
This book is hard to read. However it is a must read. It isn't political. It simply tells it how it is. If you want the Chaplains point of view in the exact same area google: "Father Ron Camarda" and check out "Best Christmas Ever" and "Father Ron a Year Later". This article written by Mark Woods for the Florida Times Union on Christmas Day 2005 took presidence over the Jaguars making the playoffs after 6 years.
This is truly an amazing book about Stories. Thank You, Thank You, Semper Fi! The men mentioned in this book are embedded in my heart for ever and I don't care how heavy my heart gets, WE MUST BRING OUR TROOPS HOME and that means MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, PSYCHOLOGICALLY, and SPIRITUALLY. There are way too many wounded troops who need support today and tomorrow.
Thanks and Praise!
Ron Moses Camarda, CHC, USNR-Ret
Parochial Vicar: San Juan del Rio, St. John's FL
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