Women Aren't Supposed to Fly
Women Aren't Supposed to Fly

Author: Harriet Hall

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2008-03

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 0595499589

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This irreverent romp through the worlds of medicine and the military is part autobiography, part social history, and part laugh-out-loud comedy. When the author graduated from medical school in 1970, only 7% of America's doctors were women, and very few of those joined the military. She was the second woman ever to do an Air Force internship, the only woman doctor at David Grant USAF Medical Center, and the only female military doctor in Spain. She had to fight for acceptance: even the 3 year old daughter of a patient told her father, "Oh, Daddy! That¿s not a doctor, that's a lady." She was refused a radiology residency because they subtracted points for women. She couldn¿t have dependents: she was paid less than her male counterparts, she couldn't live on base, and her civilian husband was not even covered for medical care or allowed to shop on base. After spending six years as a General Medical Officer in Franco's Spain, she became a family practice specialist and a flight surgeon, doing everything from delivering babies to flying a B-52. Along the way, she found time to buy her own airplane and learn to fly it (in that order) and to have two babies of her own. She retired as a full colonel. As a rare woman in a male-dominated field, she encountered prejudice, silliness, and even frank disbelief. Her sense of humor kept her afloat; she enlivened the solemnity of her job with antics like admitting a spider to the hospital and singing "The Mickey Mouse Club March" on a field exercise. This book describes her education and career. She tells an entertaining story of what it was like to be a female doctor, flight surgeon, pilot, and military officer in a world that wasn't quite ready for her yet. The title is taken from her first cross-country solo flight: when she closed out her flight plan, the man at the desk said, "Didn't anybody ever tell you women aren't supposed to fly?"

A World War II Flight Surgeon's Story
A World War II Flight Surgeon's Story

Author: S Carlisle May

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2021-07-06

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13:

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As Nazi German planes darkened the skies of the European Theater during WWII, the United States rallied to the challenge. Brave pilots fought and died under often intense and dangerous conditions, racing to end the war which was creating such devastation and loss of lives. Keeping these men flying were the flight surgeons. The doctors who treated the minds and bodies of the crews. Stress, injury, infectious disease, and difficult living conditions took their tolls, as the flight surgeons fought to keep the army air force in fighting form. Dr. Lamb Myhr was one such flight surgeon. As he served in North Africa, England and the mainland of Europe, Dr. Myhr treated horrific injuries, unfamiliar illnesses, and venereal disease, as well as supervising the health and safety of the entire base. As pilots and crew struggled with fatigue, disease, and devastating losses, Dr. Myhr healed, counseled, and taught them, often with limited resources. He worked long hours in unsafe conditions, making split-second decisions to save lives. His war experiences offer a rare glimpse into the daily life of a flight surgeon on the frontlines through Dr. Myhr's records, correspondence, personal pictures and memories, exploring firsthand the perils and pressures of one of these unsung heroes.

Flight Quack
Flight Quack

Author: Alan S. Levin

Publisher:

Published: 2022-01-18

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781734639162

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Over fifty years ago, I was a Harvard-trained pediatrician drafted as a Navy Flight Surgeon, thrust into the Vietnam War and onto the front lines, stationed in Dong Ha, leading up to the massive Tet Offensive. It was early 1967 when I arrived.As U.S. Marines, our motto is "Never Leave a Man Behind." That means Medevac helicopter crews were rushed into live combat under the protection of Huey gunships to rescue wounded comrades. During these thunderous extractions, often in a state of sheer terror, I frantically tried to save as many young Marines as I could, practicing crude but life-sustaining procedures in the belly of a chopper, under intense fire, as we fought for our own lives.My first enemy kill came during a night incursion onto our base. I was attacked in my bunker by a teenaged Viet Cong fighter. I stabbed him mortally with a single thrust of my blade. I felt his heart stop beating. In Vietnam, I knew I would either die or go insane. When my close friends began getting killed in action, including a pilot buddy who burned to death when his chopper crashed, I snapped mentally.As I sank deeper into my psychosis, my desire to kill grew stronger. While in-country, I volunteered for the CIA's Operation Phoenix, a counter-insurgency campaign, designed to conduct psychological warfare on local leaders who were enemy sympathizers. I was assigned to assassination teams, strictly targeting civilians. Such missions were extremely risky, but I had a death wish. Unfulfilled, fortunately.Miraculously, I did survive to pursue a career in medical research and law, love my wife and walk my dogs. For my actions, I was awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Valor and a Combat Action Ribbon with 3 Gold Stars. However, I'm not bursting with pride. I'm still grieving. It's hard to cope with the guilt of surviving and of what I was directed to do. War is not glorious, like the movies or video games.No one wins. Except those few who greatly profit from it.

Riding Rockets
Riding Rockets

Author: Mike Mullane

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2007-02-06

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13: 0743276833

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Selected as a Mission Specialist in 1978 in the first group of shuttle astronauts, Mike Mullane completed three missions and logged 356 hours aboard the Discovery and Atlantis shuttles. It was a dream come true. As a boy, Mullane could only read about space travel in science fiction, but the launch of Sputnik changed all that. Space flight became a possible dream and Mike Mullane set out to make it come true. In this absorbing memoir, Mullane gives the first-ever look into the often hilarious, sometime volatile dynamics of space shuttle astronauts - a class that included Vietnam War veterans, feminists, and propeller-headed scientists. With unprecedented candour, Mullane describes the chilling fear and unparalleled joy of space flight. As his career centred around the Challenger disaster, Mullane also recounts the heartache of burying his friends and colleagues. And he pulls no punches as he reveals the ins and outs of NASA, frank in his criticisms of the agency. A blast from start to finish, Riding Rockets is a straight-from-the-gut account of what it means to be an astronaut, just in time for this latest generation of stargazers.

Aeromedical Evacuation
Aeromedical Evacuation

Author: William W. Hurd

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 383

ISBN-13: 0387986049

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The definitive treatment on the medical evacuation and management of injured patients in both peace- and wartime. Edited by eminent experts in the field, this text brings together medical specialists from all four branches of the armed services. It discusses the history of aeromedical evacuation, triage and staging of the injured patient, evacuation from site of injury to medical facility, air-frame capabilities, medical capabilities in-flight, response to in-flight emergencies, and mass emergency evacuation. Specific medical conditions are addressed in detail, including such general surgical casualties as abdominal wounds and soft tissue, vascular, maxillofacial, head and spinal cord injuries, ophthalmologic, orthopaedic, pediatric, obstetric-gynecologic casualties, burns, and more. Over 80 illustrations provide a review of transport equipment and both medical and surgical treatment. A must-have reference for all armed forced physicians and flight surgeons, for general and trauma surgeons, internists, intensive care specialists, orthopaedic surgeons, and public health service physicians.