Publisher's Synopsis
This excellent book by the U.S. Army provides a unique view of an important MASH unit forward deployed medical team from World War I through the Iraqi Freedom campaign. Chapter One - World War I * Chapter Two - World War II * Chapter Three - The Vietnam War * Chapter Four - Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm * Chapter Five - The 1990s: Trouble in the Balkans * Chapter Six - Operation Iraqi Freedom * Chapter Seven - Last Days of the MASH The passage of time shows that a continual reduction in fatalities and debilitating injuries occurs when our Wounded reach medical and surgical care as soon as possible. That is a key message in this recounting of the history of the 12th Evacuation Hospital, 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, and 212th Combat Support Hospital and their 10 decades of service to Service Members, Coalition Forces, and the Nation. Throughout Army Medicine's history our experiences have strengthened our capacity and our resolve as a healthcare organization. We are America's most trusted premier medical team, and our successful mission accomplishment is testimony to the phenomenal resilience, dedication, and innovative spirit of Army Medicine's Soldier Medics and Civilians. Sanders Marble, Senior Historian with the AMEDD Center of History and Heritage, has insightfully detailed their story in Skilled and Resolute: A History of the 12th Evacuation Hospital and 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. Dr. Marble has created a history that is much like that of other histories in the Army-individual valor and unit glory. Similar histories do not, however, make identical histories, and the 12th-the oldest deployable medical treatment facility-owns a special place in the annals of Army Medicine. Time has marched on for military medicine, a second key message in this book. Today's battlefield and medical support on the battlefield are vastly improved from early wars of the Twentieth Century. Technology, force structure, and doctrine have changed, as has the composition and attitudes of the American public and the Army. This book is more than a narrative of what one distinguished unit accomplished. These pages are filled with personal insights on how individuals overcame hardship and circumstances to provide the best care possible at the time. This book will make you think about how our healthcare team was brought together and how it sustained its effectiveness during varied and prolonged operations.
