MASH Doctor in Vietnam

Reuel Long’s experiences as an MD in the emergency rooms of Flint, Michigan, prepared him for only some of what he would see in a mobile army surgical hospital. Antiwar sentiment among the doctors in basic training at Fort Sam Houston set the tone for his tour as a general medical officer. In March 1971, the 27th MASH played a critical role treating survivors of the deadliest attack on any firebase during the Vietnam War. Long’s vivid memoir recalls the casualties he cared for during the war, including one he crossed paths with 44 years later—who in his own words describes his rehabilitation from the loss of his legs and his protesting the war from a wheelchair. An addendum gives an insider’s account of the U.S. military’s failure to remedy a fatal design flaw in the M16 rifle, which caused an unknown number of American casualties.

Reuel S. Long, M.D. graduated from the University of Michigan in 1964 and from the University’s medical school in 1968, completed his internship at McLaren General Hospital in Flint, Michigan, in July of 1969 and worked the emergency room in Flint for one year prior to being deployed to Vietnam. He completed his anesthesia residency at the University of Michigan after Vietnam and was engaged in the private practice of anesthesia for thirty years before retiring. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Reuel S. Long, M.D.

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 227
Bibliographic Info: 49 photos, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9048-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4805-7
Imprint: McFarland

Preface  1
The Call  3
The Early Career  6
Basic Training  22
The Respite  28
A Dark Day  32
Off to Nam  40
Getting Acclimated  43
The 27th MASH  47
A Special Triumph  66
A Special Discovery  69
Medevac  73
Unspeakable  76
Fire Support Base Mary Ann  79
R & R  82
Closing the Surg  87
Discovering the 95th Evacuation Hospital  91
TDY Pleiku  96
Okinawa  105
Family Leave  108
TDY Headquarters  113
Winding Down  117
The Final Six  120
The Residency  127
Return to Flint  136
The Chelsea Years  150
The Bakery Blessing  173
Invincible  178
Closing Thoughts  209
Addendum: The ­M-16 Debacle: The Untold Story  213
Index  221