They Called Me Doc: Treating Wounded Marines Wasn't Just A Job, It Was A Passion

by Larry C. Miller

Like everyone else, Marines have first names like Jim, John, Ted, Harry and so on. The Navy Corpsman that serves with the Marines all have the same first name and that is “Doc”. The Marines do the fighting and the Docs treat their wounds and hopefully save their lives. Earning the privilege to be called “Doc” by the Marines is an honor that every Navy Corpsman pursues with a passion and for many that honor will be paid with their lives. This is a true story about what it was like to serve as a Doc with a Marine Rifle Company at the high water mark of the Vietnam War. You will experience the day to day hardships and the battles in Leatherneck square through the eyes of a Doc. While the Marines are locked in a life and death struggle with a well-equipped, well trained and battle hardened enemy, it is the Doc that answers the call for “Corpsman-up” to somehow reach the Marine before he bleeds to death. It may just take a quick bandage to get the Marine back in action but all too often it’s the Doc who is there to see their friends take their last breaths. This is not the exaggerated story told by Hollywood or the liberal bias media of atrocities against the civilian population and the incompetent leadership and dope-abusing soldiers and Marines. This is a true story of one man’s experience of outstanding leadership (follow them to the fires of hell kind of leadership). It is a story that begs the question of how does the Marine Corps take the average and often times scrawny boy off the street and instill in him something special that allows the Corps to almost starve him, work him for eighteen hours a day, deprive him of adequate sleep for months at a time, make him go months without a shower, have him live in conditions that would be considered inhumane for any animal, have all of his friends killed around him in battle on one day then ask him to get up and fight again the very next day, all while being accused of crimes back home. Please, you owe it to yourself to read what these boys did for you and for a deceived Nation.

294 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 29, 2016

Reviews

[Ralph Spaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reading

My father was a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman for 27 years and did his time in Vietnam, I have always thought high of him and his time in the Navy. Semper Fi Doc. To Doc Miller, I really enjoyed reading your book. I knew some of what my dad went three and have always respected that.. Your book just reinforces what I already knew. FMF Corpsman are as much Marine as they are Navy and have earned great respect of all who know them. Thank you for a wonderful book.

[Louis Reichenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sailor turned marine doc in country.

A good story about a Navy corpsman that saw plenty of action

Serving with marines. In the extreme northern section of South Vietnam. They went through a lot together under extreme circumstances. They were not given the hero's welcome home they surely deserved. How could the nation be so wrong and turn their backs on them?

[Rob Ballister]

This book is being considered for an award from the Military Writers Society of America. A review cannot be posted until the awards are announced.

[Military Writers Society of America (MWSA)]

MWSA Review

Larry Miller's THEY CALLED ME DOC is an honest, intimate look into what has to be one of the hardest jobs in the military; that of a combat corpsman among infantry Marines in combat.

Miller does an excellent job of setting the story, providing a history lesson at the beginning of many of the major stages of the book so the reader understands the background. When that is established, he goes full bore into the meat of his experiences, and pulls no punches. He draws the reader in almost to the point where the reader can smell the smoke and the blood. It's a vivid accounting of war, including the positives of lives saved, and the agony of those lost, told from the point of view of someone right there in either case. Along the way, there are also anecdotes and stories of camaraderie that any vet will immediately recognize, regardless of when they served.

Hospital corpsman, grunts, or anyone who enjoys military memoirs will find this a worthwhile read, and those unfamiliar with corpsmen will gain a great understanding of those who were called ""Doc."

Review by Rob Ballister, MWSA Awards Director and Reviewer

[Maggie Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good read. The day to day life of a corpsman on the front line in Vietnam.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story; I'm honored to know you! Thank you so much for your service Mr. Miller!