Review & Giveaway: My Journey As a Combat Medic by Patrick Thibeault

Teddyrose@1

12 years ago

Book Description:

Publisher: Osprey Publishing, July 24, 2012
Category: Military Medic, Memoir
Tour Dates: January, 2013
Available in: PDF, Kindle , 176 pages

My Journey as a Combat Medic is a no-holds-barred look at the modern medic in the US Army, allowing us a glimpse at the training as a soldier and as a specialist, as well as deployment and front line duties and the impact of service on civilian life, including an honest look at PTSD, from the author’s own personal experience. Rather than a technical manual, My Journey as a Combat Medic is a detailed firsthand account, concluding with a letter to new medics, providing a career’s worth of advice and knowledge as they begin their journeys. This book is about the soldiers who bring compassion and humanity to the battlefield.

My Review:

Before this, I never read much about the military before, except for what is in the news. I loved the idea of reading a personal account of one guy from the military and that is why I accepted this book.

I wasn’t expecting such a well written account. I guess I was stereotyping and thinking that people from the military couldn’t be real writes. I was wrong!

My Journey As a Combat Medic was well written and grabbed me from the first page. Patrick Thibeault was in the military for a very long time, starting in Desert Storm in the 90’s and ending in Afghanistan. He wanted to be the best medic possible and took advantage of all of the courses and opportunities the army had available to him.

His description of learning to be a paratrooper was nail biting. He made several jumps over his army career.

This is a heartfelt account as well. No matter who his patient, soldier, enemy or civilian, Patrick did his best to help all. He even treated children. towards the end of the book Patrick talks about PTSD- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and how it has affected him. However, he makes clear that he doesn’t regret his service to his country.

Patrick, I want to thank you for your years of service and your on-going work outside the military. I applaud you!

If you’re like me and don’t agree with most of the wars that are fought in the world, it doesn’t matter. The military is an important aspect of our world. This is an inside account of one of our troops. It is not a blood and guts account, so no need to be squeamish. Highly recommended!

5/5

About Patrick Thibeault:

Patrick Thibeault was raised as an Army brat. He lived in Germany, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, Fayetteville, North Carolina and his father was stationed in Seoul, South Korea where he attended Seoul American High School and graduated in 1989. During his time in Korea, Patrick watched several of the Olympic games in person as they were in Seoul, South Korea in 1988. He grew to respect and understand the different cultures he encountered.

Upon graduation from high school, Patrick enlisted in the Army becoming a paratrooper medic. The first unit that he was assigned to was the elite 3^rd Battalion / 160^th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). Patrick deployed to Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm back in 1990. During his tenure with the 160^th, Patrick had the opportunity to grow both as a soldier and as a medic. He attended SERE school (Survival training), went to Army enlisted flight medic school at Fort Rucker, and attended Primary Leadership training at Fort Stewart, Georgia among other types of military training. He deployed both stateside and overseas with the 160^th and even spent some time on the USS. Theodore Roosevelt. During his time with the 160^th, he was on both on enlisted crewmember flight status and parachute status.

He then joined the Kentucky Army National Guard. Patrick deployed twice to Ecuador during his time with the Kentucky Army National Guard. He continued to grow in the medical field and nursing field and started nursing school at Eastern Kentucky University. Patrick’s first job as a nurse was as a registered nurse in Indianapolis,Indiana. Patrick transferred to the Indiana Army National Guard where in 2000, his entire brigade travelled to Fort Polk, Louisiana to participate in the combat simulations at the Joint Readiness Training Center or JRTC.

He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in nursing in May 2003 from Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2004, he deployed with his unit, the 76^th Infantry Brigade in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. His unit was part of Task Force Phoenix. This task force trained the conventional Afghanistan Army and had soldiers embedded into these Afghanistan units both during training and combat operations. Patrick worked briefly as a liaison for Task Force Phoenix at Bagram Airbase before going back out into the deserts of Afghanistan to serve as a medic.

Patrick started on his master’s degree to become a Family Nurse Practitioner upon returning from combat in 2005. He graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in December, 2008. Patrick then transferred to the 138^th Field Artillery Brigade, part of the Kentucky Army National Guard, where he remained till he retired in January, 2011. Patrick currently works part time in a medical intensive care unit part time as a registered nurse and works full time in a urgent and primary care clinic as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

Hobbies include Corvettes,writting poetry, working out, Star Trek, and reading medical books. He is married to his wife Connie. They have a dog named Rocco and two cats named Savannah and Georgia. He named his cats after the beautiful city of Savannah and the other cat after the state of Georgia when he was stationed at Hunter Army Airfield, in Savannah,Georgia.

His awards and decorations include the Combat Medical Badge, 2^nd award from both Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom. The Meritorious Service Medical from Afghanistan, the Air Medal from Desert Storm. Patrick also has earned the Expert Field Medical Badge, parachute wings, and the enlisted crewmember aviation wings.

Currently Patrick is working on a book of combat medic poetry, a book about working as a nurse and a nurse practitioner from the perspective of a man and a fictional book about a time travelling medical provider who gets stuck in the past while trying to learn medicine and nursing and working on his website at http://www.medicstory.com/

Now for the Giveaway! The author, Patrick Thibeault has agreed to giveaway one PDF copy of My Journey As a Combat Medic. This giveaway is oppen worldwide and ends on February 14, 2013. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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