Darian Heers

Mat Wenzel

ENC 2135 63

8 December 2017

            Surgeons in the military undergo huge amounts of stress every day, both in the field and during operations in hospitals. They are required to the most elite doctors in the world, requiring them to undergo training both academically and physically. To perform lifesaving operations on our nation’s finest, they are demanded to embody information necessary to do their job. Since the medical field changes so often, it may be hard for military surgeons to keep up with the latest discoveries that are being published every day. The journal Military Medicine, is one way that helps those in this particular community overcome this obstacle. It allows those involved in military medicine to read about modern accounts from other military physicians and those who are involved in similar fields or situations- i.e. surgery, oncology, healthcare administration, etc.- and to inform them on problems or discoveries that are plaguing military medicine. Each month there is a new issue released that includes a plethora of articles.

Though much of the audience that the journal is intended for is the Military Medical community, another main goal of the journal is to get new people interested and involved in military medicine. Though there are many people who go to college to become doctors, a very few percentage of them join the military. The journal strives to get people aware of what’s going on in the medical military world. In theory this will allow more civilian medical students to change their focus and join the military. The journal as a whole does not have a tone, yet each separate article does and can range from scholarly to celebratory to mourning. The speaker of each changes as well, yet as whole the speakers are those who have already or are currently serving in the military medical field. The person who runs it is a former doctor and Captain in the military. Though the journal aims at spreading awareness about the need for doctors in the military, it isn’t as effective as one may hope. Even I, who am already interested in pursuing a career in military medicine, had not heard of the journal before my interview with Dr. Caddell. I feel that the journal needs to work on how it can be reaching more people if it employed different outreach strategies.

With both informational and emotional articles strewn without the tone tends to change with each entry. Some are very academic and dry, portraying data or statistics. While others can be very sad and moving, when service members discuss their personal experiences and opinions. This makes the journal very diverse. The journal itself each month is also peer-reviewed which makes it a very authoritative source, that is reliable for truthful information.

            Though as a whole the journal is designed to inform people, the articles aren’t just limited to informational features. Many of the pieces tell stories of what it is like to serve both in a medical position and other positions throughout the military. One of the particular texts is the poem, Woman in War by Omojo O. Malu (182; 1683). The poem works to portray the characteristics of women serving in the military. Though it was written by a man, he claims to have gotten inspiration for the piece while observing a close associate of his, while she was training at the Uniformed Services University. This can be very complicated or problematic, since it was indeed written by a man about a woman in war and her characteristics. Why couldn’t this article instead be written by a woman? After all, doesn’t she know her experiences best? This could be argued that this poem is another way to portray history from a man’s point of view. Though once reading the poem, it is evident that the author portrays a genuine admiration for his colleague and all women serving. He states that the poem is dedicated to all women who have or are currently serving in the United States Military. The tone of the poem is very admiring and celebratory. The main goal of the poem is to praise the brave women risking their lives, who don’t always receive the credit they deserve.

Other pieces in the journal tell stories of the different heroic tales from the perspective of multiple military medical personnel. One particular story is of an Air Force squadron that is transporting infants in file boxes out of Vietnam (182; 1680). After the fall of Saigon during the Vietnam war, the American military was charged with the aid of transporting the orphans out of the city. There were approximately 10,300 infants and children that were evacuated. It was necessary to transport the infants out in file boxes due to the lack of resources. After the children were evacuated, they were either taken back to America or its ally countries. This article is focused more on relaying a tale of previous military experiences. It could be intended for someone who is already in the military and is interested in others’ stories. It could also be aimed toward those who are considering this occupation and may be curious about the line of work. This text arose from the fact that many people felt inclined to reveal the truth about the life of a military physician. The piece allows those who are physicians in the military to express not only their knowledge but also their values. Many of these stories may portray why they decided to get into the military or why they continue to serve, this can inspire others who have the same ideals or experiences.

            I first learned of this journal while interviewing Dr. Erin Caddell. My father and hers are very close friends and though she is much older than I, we spent time together at different social functions when I was a child. We grew up in neighboring towns, and like me she decided to go to FSU for undergraduate studies. She is currently completing her residency at a Military Hospital in Georgia. The surgical field she plans on joining, is General Surgery, which focuses on the stomach, esophagus, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and bile ducts. Many injuries that occur in the field inflict those parts of the body. She chose this specific field as it would allow her to assess a vast majority of the injuries that soldiers obtain. Right now, I am interested in Trauma Surgery. This is where one performs surgeries on those who have experienced emergency trauma, anywhere on the body. I want to join this particular field, since I think it is what will benefit me most on the battlefield, and help me save the most amount of lives possible. During the interview I asked her if there was a text that those who are involved in the military medical community use often or is important. She pointed me in the direction of the Military Medicine journal. She explained to me that many involved in military medicine use the journal to spread their ideas or read others’ who are in similar positions to their own. It is very effective in the cultivation of information and ideas around the world. Each month there is a different issue that contains new article or excerpts that those in this field would find interesting. We also discussed why she decided to enter this field, and I learned her reasons were very similar to mine. She is also very patriotic and felt that becoming medical personnel in the military would allow her to give back to those who risk their lives every day for our freedom. She, at first, didn’t know which part of the medical field that she entered. Then one day, a recruiter from the Army came to speak to her pre-med extra-curricular club. He explained how they could further their career in medicine, in the military. He also went on about surgery being a needed field in the military. As she did more and more research, she decided on surgery as it would allow her to help the most amount of service men and women. Being employed in the surgical field would also allow her to get deployed, which increases her opportunities to save more lives. These reasons are the same ones that I have for entering the military as a surgeon too, this realization allowed us to connect even more.