Blood on China Beach: My Story as a Brain Surgeon in Vietnam

by Paul J. Pitlyk

More than once during his yearlong duty, thirty-two-year-old Paul J. Pitlyk wondered what had possessed him to leave the security of a neurosurgery practice in the Midwest to experience the blood, guts, and gore of brain surgery at a forward marine hospital during the Vietnam War. In Blood on China Beach, Pitlyk, a neurosurgeon from the Mayo Clinic, shares the story of how he learned his craft in a rudimentary hospital in Vietnam, twelve thousand miles from home.This memoir picks up where most Vietnam battlefield memoirs leave offwhen the choppers deliver the dead and gravely wounded to the field hospitals and the dedicated doctors and medical staff struggle under primitive and unsterile conditions to preserve life. In this environment, Pitlyk was charged with carrying out emergency neurosurgery on those soldiers sustaining head injuries. He details both the emotional and professional factors that played a role in his service and provides a unique perspective to the Vietnam War.Insightful and historically significant, Blood on China Beach shows Pitlyks reverence for life and his admiration for the bravery of the marines he operated on, even as he questioned his own ability to make a difference. This memoir shows Pauls evolution from child to man and from neophyte to surgeon.

254 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2012

Reviews

[Jill Miclean · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I certainly don't want to take anything away from the authors experience, this book was just ok for me. It was more of a memoir with lots of self reflection than a fast paced account of what it was like to be a surgeon in Vietnam during the war. For a story set at a surgical unit so close to the fighting they could hear it, there isn't much action and only a handful of actual cases. Just lots of self ruminations and repeated focus on the authors self doubts and long descriptions of his surroundings. The author tells his story in a very matter of fact, emotionless way, which is very typical of the surgeons I've know and probably a much needed characteristic but it also left me disconnected from him and the story. I also wanted to know more about his returning to the US and how that affected him but the book abruptly ends on the day he starts his journey back home which left me with a very unsatisfied feeling.

[Gordon & Lynne James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neurosurgeon or grunt Vietnam was a common experience.

A book that provides testimony that all of us who served had more in common than our specific jobs. The book is about a man who became more competent and better prepared for life in general. His performance as a surgeon was not unlike any of us in regards to having conflicted feelings about the war, experience of death, fear, loneliness, brothers and sisters for support, and anxiety about the future when going home. We all had similar experiences.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sincerity

The author truly explained the bitter life of a surgeon in Nam. I had a hard time putting this book down. I was touched by the sincerity of the young surgeon as he faced unimaginable tasks and circumstances in the war zone.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a plain-spoken unvarnished memoir of the author's tour of duty in two field hospitals in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966. As a surgeon specializing in neurosurgery, his encounters were among the most challenging medical procedures performed. His description of those challenges along with the austere conditions that existed in these facilities helped underscore the true existence of the heroic people who provided care for those with unbelievable injuries incurred in the course of battle. Some of the descriptions were graphic, but his presentation was clinical, not sensational, thus illustrating the realities of field medicine for the reader. His descriptions and anecdotes were serious but occasionally lighthearted, underscoring the value of interpersonal relationships fostered in this stressful environment. In addition to describing events and environment, the author makes a sincere effort to explore the philosophical and ethical aspects of field medicine, which I found to be a balancing factor overall.

The Vietnam war was omnipresent as a backdrop of my childhood, but I wasn't old enough to have full awareness of the events as they transpired. As an adult I feel compelled to learn more, and this book gave me great insight to a certain aspect of these events.

[William Alexander Cleaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. I couldn't stop reading. The book gave me the feeling I was 'looking over the author's shoulder' I must admit I'm a big fan of Mash and the China Beach TV series.

[Nancy R. Schumacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, I learned so much as to how the medical personnel handled working with less than optimal work environment. I could almost feel their pain, holding the hand of a young,dying soldier. Well done!