Welcome Home From Vietnam, Finally

Biographies & Memoirs

synopsis

Synopsis

I served as an Army trauma surgeon at the 85th Evacuation Hospital, Phu Bai, Vietnam, '70-'71. Into our emergency room were intermittently deposited the wounded, some grievous others not, by the daredevil Dust Off medieval pilots who risked imminent death with each mission. We routinely witnessed the devastation of war on the body, mind, and soul. The corpsmen, technicians, nurses, anesthesiologists, and surgeons explored every known and out-of-the-box technique to salvage life and limb. If the wounded arrived alive at the 85th, he had a 95% chance of survival. It was and still is that 5% whose injuries were so severe or whose blood loss could not be stemmed that haunt us today. That's PTS. By storytelling for fifty years since returning to the US in late August 1971, I have avoided the (D) and mollified my demons. The intense emotions during my traumatic experience have softened greatly but, I am back in Vietnam on a daily basis. In 2015 I compiled my stories into Welcome Home From Vietnam, Finally, A Vietnam Trauma Surgeon's Memoir. It is gripping, honest, real-life, and disturbing. Then we realize that the 58,000+ lives lost did not change a thing. No dominos fell and Vietnam is now our close trading partner. They have been gracious victors.

bio

Author Biography

Dr. Gus Kappler served as a trauma surgeon during the Vietnam War at the 85th Evacuation Hospital ’70-‘71. His well-received 2015 memoir, Welcome Home From Vietnam, Finally, describes his surgical experiences and personal transformation. After his military service, Gus enjoyed a successful solo surgical practice in the small city of Amsterdam located in the majestic Mohawk River Valley in upstate New York. He and his family enjoyed hiking, camping, snowshoeing, hunting, kayaking, and photographing in the valley and the nearby Adirondack Mountains. Gus’s current historical medical mystery, One Degree, reflects his real-life knowledge gained in Vietnam, during solo surgical practice, living and recreating in the Mohawk Valley, teaching at Weill Cornell Medicine, and in understanding global politics. Through reading One Degree, he wishes to remind us of how morality, personal goals, and life choices may be complicated by the unique influences introduced by an unfamiliar environment. The reader is introduced to the development of PTSD, the condoning of corrupt practices, and the virulent pursuit of wealth and power.

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Author Insight

#8) Finally, the OR

From the #18 insight under ONE DEGREE: "Physicians, especially surgeons, must become expert compartmentalizers. Whatever the result in the first case, one must engage their full mental and physical attention to tackle the next issue. However, it is impossible to scrub the bad outcomes and complications from our minds. To seek closure, we must analyze every aspect of our patient care." These repeated mental gymnastics wear down a physician's steady state. Outside, they at first appear unaffected. Inside, one's resistance to crumbling is wearing down. As with the military, our society, in general, stigmatizes mental illness. Would you visit a doctor who sought a psychiatrist's help? Most would not! The suffering physician then attempts more enormous compartmentalizations that begin to leak. A short-term resort is self-medication - alcohol or drugs. The helplessness and isolation become overwhelming; families fall apart, and divorce increase. Brain tissue, neurons, die, and areas of cavitation are visible on MRI. Prefrontal cortical executive function falters to the point wherein suicide becomes the most reasonable choice to exorcise one's demons. The suicide rate for physicians exceeds that of the general public. This same scenario is endemic in active duty military and veterans. Please watch https://youtu.be/T9EMz23LBZk

Book Excerpt

Welcome Home From Vietnam, Finally

This young man’s prolonged surgery required 106 units of blood. He survived the surgery and regained consciousness, but due to the massive tissue damage, prolonged surgery (even with time-saving surgically acceptable shortcuts) and massive transfusion volume, he developed renal, i.e., kidney failure. I accompanied him on a flight to Saigon’s Third Field Hospital for dialysis and was abruptly dismissed by their staff.

“Tree (Dave,) Gus and Roger

I had poured my heart and soul into this boy. I was totally invested in and committed to his survival. I was consumed by him. Then suddenly, I had to turn off the physician and compassion switch and return to the 85th Evac. But that’s medicine. To mentally survive, one has to be efficient in drawing boundaries and move on to the next patient with an unfettered mind. He was my true first patient after residency training. There, one’s actions were monitored, dissected, and altered by a physician more senior in the academic hierarchy. I was now on my own.

A week later, I was notified that he had died.

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Gus Kappler MD FACS

Welcome Home From Vietnam, Finally

Synopsis

Author Biography

Author Insight

#8) Finally, the OR

Book Excerpt

Welcome Home From Vietnam, Finally

Comment on this Bubble