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GIVEAWAY!! Blog Tour: My Journey as a Combat Medic by Patrick Thibeault

My Journey as a Combat Medic
written by Patrick Thibeault         
published by Osprey Publishing

find it here: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Goodreads


Why did I pick this book: I participated in the blog tour hosted by Premier Virtual Author Book Tours(I received a copy of this book for review purposes.)


Did I enjoy this book: I did enjoy this book. I found it interesting, I learned a lot, and I have a new respect for combat medics…for medics, in general.

One word of advice, read the introduction by the author. Don’t skip over it. This portion explains that the book is not told in chronological order but by experience. This information really helps the reader. I skipped over the introduction and then I was confused. Then, I read the introduction and the whole thing made sense! So, read the intro.

The stories put me in the action and the experience with Patrick. These were real stories, real events, real feelings. I liked the advice that Mr. Thibeault gives at the end of the book for those thinking about becoming a medic in the armed forces. I also learned a lot about post-traumatic stress disorder. 

All-in-all, this was a good, worthwhile read.

Would I recommend it: I would recommend this book if you like nonfiction/memoirs, true war stories, or if you want to be a medic in the armed forces.


Will I read it again: I will not read this book again.


About the book – from Goodreads: 
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 first hand account, concluding with a letter to new medics, providing a career’s worth of advice and knowledge as they begin their journeys.

Patrick Thibeault has served in the US Army in various capacities since the 1990s, originally training as a Airborne soldier before specialising as a combat medic. My Journey as a Combat Medic covers his original training and deployment before providing a look at the roles he’s since played in the US Army’s forces, including his recent deployment to Afghanistan. It is a no-holds bar 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.

Every Free Chance Book Reviews is pleased to welcome Patrick Thibeault, author of My Journey as a Combat Medic, to the blog today. He has prepared the following guest post for all of you.

The inspiration for My Journey as a Combat Medic was to fill a void, to get closure, and to share my experiences with the rest of the world.


I wanted to fill a void because only a handful of books about combat medics have been written. Even less of them by the combat medics who actually served on the front lines with the combat troops and not in some hospital somewhere.  I have seen in the movies and books about these elite combat units and the important jobs they do, and the job of the combat medic is no less important. In many ways, the job of the combat medic is the same both in peacetime and in combat. We support our infantry soldiers that actually go out and do the fighting. Injuries and illnesses occur both under fire and during training. People prefer to read about the times under fire, but I include some about the training in My Journey as a Combat Medic, because, in my experience, our training in many ways is much harder than when we go into combat. I felt a void because my job as a combat medic is often overlooked, even by our leaders.  Most people remember me not by my name, but called me Doc or medic.  In formations, before a mission, they would ask where the Doc is, and I would respond and the platoon leader would point me out to everyone that I was the medic and to remember my face. I wanted to fill that void for other medics who have gone before me in all the other wars our nations have fought in, not just here in the USA, but around the world. Ultimately, our job as medics is to fight death and preserve life, regardless of creed, flag and where you come from. I wanted to share this important story and to fill this void.


I wrote for closure on a deep personal level. I deal with PTSD. Deal with it is not really the best choice of words because I have good days and I have bad days. I thought that by writing a book about my combat medic days, it would help me to come to terms with my experiences. The term combat medic is often misused because a medic actually has to be in combat to call him or herself a combat medic. I have met some young high school kids who tell me that they want to be a combat medic.  I think to myself, be careful about what you wish for because of the consequences of war such as dealing with PTSD. I say nothing but wish them the best of luck. The combat is what caused me to have PTSD. That is life though. I wouldn’t wish PTSD on anyone and I remember when I was still a teenager in combat. I went to war a kid and I came home a man and deal with the consequences of war.  I wrote My Journey as a Combat Medic for other veterans and anyone else who deals with PTSD, or who wants to understand it from a combat medic’s point of view.  I can’t say that my experiences are any more unique than the thousands of other combat medics who have served, but for me, putting pen to paper and hand to keyboard was very therapeutic. I cried at some parts when I wrote this book because I was reliving the events as I wrote them down. I also laughed at some of the good times. It was an important part of my closure. I chose the word closure and not the word healed, because I don’t think anyone with PTSD is really ever healed. We are scarred from the inside at the very least, and from time to time, just like a physical wound, these scars hurt us.


I wanted to share my experiences. I wanted to tell the world how it is like to jump out of an airplane wearing 90 pounds of combat equipment, or to go on patrol in the jungles in South and Central America. I wanted to share my thoughts, actions, failures, and achievements both in peace time and in combat. I felt I was obligated for the sake of history to share my story. Ultimately, I would love to see My Journey as a Combat Medicmake it to the big screen so everyone could watch the story. I want people to read about the adventures of treating prisoners of wars and  getting shot at and walking around land mine infested Afghanistan, not knowing if the next step is literally going to be the last step I ever take, but knowing that I must carry on because the folks that I support need me. I wanted to share my take on the future of Afghanistan and about the good people and their hopes and dreams. 

About the author: 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. 

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 3rd Battalion / 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). Patrick deployed to Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm back in 1990. During his tenure with the 160th, 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 160th and even spent some time on the USS. Theodore Roosevelt. 
He then joined 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 76th Infantry Brigade in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. 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 138th 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.
His awards and decorations include the Combat Medical Badge, 2nd 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.


Find Mr. Thibeault here: web, blogGoodreads

And now for the GIVEAWAY!! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win an eBook copy of My Journey as a Combat Medic in PDF format.
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Happy reading wherever you are and whenever you get a free chance!!!
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3 Comments

  • by Teddy Rose
    Posted February 14, 2013 7:52 pm 0Likes

    I’m glad you enjoyed the book! Thanks so much for taking part in the tour and hosting Hy.

    Best,

    Teddy

    • by The Every Free Chance Reader
      Posted February 14, 2013 8:07 pm 0Likes

      It was my pleasure!

  • by Arch@BloggingProfitsUnleashed
    Posted February 15, 2013 1:08 am 0Likes

    Yehey awesome giveaway … combat medic is by far one of the important part of the squad I guess i might consider this book since i like military stuff

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