The combat doctor
Pronk, Dan2022
Book
'I had seen dozens of people die horrible deaths ... This time was different. This time it was a friend of mine dying in the dirt in front of me, and it was my job to save him.' Dr Dan Pronk served on over 100 combat missions in Afghanistan as a frontline special forces combat doctor, where the casualties he treated were his fellow SAS soldiers and commandos, local civilians and even the enemy. The thrill of adventure and the challenges of battlefield medicine brought out the very best in Dan; he discovered a sense of purpose in pushing his medical skills and courage to the limits. But there was a cost. In this frank and vivid memoir, Dan describes the highs and lows of his military-medical career, and the very real toll they took on his mental health and family life. He writes movingly about the burden of saving - and failing to save - friends and comrades, the feelings of helplessness and despair that haunted him, and the journey back to a meaningful and fulfilling civilian life. The Combat Doctor is an extraordinary story of resilience and growth, and a tribute to the doctors and medics working behind the scenes in conflict around the world.
Main title:
The combat doctor / Dr Dan Pronk.
Author:
Pronk, Dan, author
Work:
Imprint:
Sydney, New South Wales : Pan Macmillan Australia, 2022.[2022]
Collation:
xi, 335 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : colour illustrations, colour portraits ; 24 cm.
ISBN:
9781760988067 (paperback)
Dewey class:
355.345616.025092958.1047
Language:
English
Subject:
Pronk, DanPronk, Dan -- Mental healthAustralia. Army. Special Air Service Regiment -- Medical personnel -- BiographyMedicine, Military -- Australia -- BiographySpecial forces (Military science) -- Australia -- BiographyAfghan War, 2001-2021 -- Medical care -- BiographyPhysicians -- Australia -- BiographyAfghan War, 2001-2021 -- CasualtiesAfghan War, 2001-2021 -- Social aspectsAfghan War, 2001-2021 -- Participation, AustralianMedicine, Military -- Australia -- HistoryWar -- Relief of sick and wounded -- AnecdotesAutobiographies
BRN:
435605