Into the Dragon's Jaws: A Canadian Combat Surgeon in the Vietnam War by Dr. Garry L. Willard

In 1968, after the massive Tet offensive by the North Vietnamese army, there was a desperate cry by the International Red Cross for doctors to help deal with the heavy civilian casualties. Dr. Willard was a young Canadian surgeon, freshly out of training, that rose to that call. This is his testament to his time in Vietnam.

The story reads like an action novel, except for the highly detailed injuries and treatment that he and his fellow surgeons encountered. His experiences, while horrifying to most of us who have never seen a battlefield, show keen insight into the political landscape that was the Vietnam War.

With hundreds of pictures taken by Dr. Willard, it paints a realistic picture of his adventures.

That he could bring back the lessons learned to benefit Canadian Health care is a tribute to the man, the largest being the creation of Orange, the medical helicopter service which has saved so many lives.

He also explains how he travelled back 50 years later and saw the differences that had taken place after the aftermath of war had been healed.

This is a magnificent memoir!

Ironically, I met Dr. Willard and his wife on Manitoulin Island, where I was selling my own novels. We got talking and the conversation could have kept going for a long time afterward. Through this book, it did.