The Combat Doctor: A story of battlefield medicine and resilience

by Dan Pronk

'I had seen dozens of people die horrible deaths ... This time was different. This time it was a friend of mine dying in the dirt in front of me, and it was my job to save him.' Dr Dan Pronk served on over 100 combat missions in Afghanistan as a frontline special forces combat doctor, where the casualties he treated were his fellow SAS soldiers and commandos, local civilians and even the enemy. The thrill of adventure and the challenges of battlefield medicine brought out the very best in Dan; he discovered a sense of purpose in pushing his medical skills and courage to the limits. But there was a cost.In this frank and vivid memoir, Dan describes the highs and lows of his military-medical career, and the very real toll they took on his mental health and family life. He writes movingly about the burden of saving (and failing to save) friends and comrades, the feelings of helplessness and despair that haunted him, and the journey back to a meaningful and fulfilling civilian life. The Combat Doctor is an extraordinary story of resilience and growth, and a tribute to the doctors and medics working behind-the-scenes in conflict around the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Medical, Biography, Medicine, Military Fiction, Australia, War

335 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Petra X]

A very disturbing quote, "My mind had broken through the taboo barrier that says you can't level a rifle at another human and pull the trigger and it felt unnervingly good." He was playing 'war games' and was ordered to shoot, the bullets were blanks, but it made me think how many people in America, have shot someone and ... enjoyed it and not been adverse to shooting a second time, or third.

Or perhaps people who have enjoyed shooting (targets, hunting, etc) and gone on to occupations, police, army, security where guns and shooting were part of the job. An ex of 2017 who had started off as a NYC cop said that there were a lot of men who became cops because they would be able to use guns and even kill, legally. Just a thought....

[India M. Clamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

12.1.25 UIP

[Terry Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible story of a Special Forces qualified doctor. It takes a special person to become qualified in one of these jobs, but to qualify for both requires long planning, immense resilience, and grit. Combat Doctor provides a very unique perspective of war in the eyes of a special forces medical element. It is interesting to see the dualities of role to kill and to save. The author had to juggle these roles in the complex environment of war.

Once the initial excitement of war and combat dies down, the author is faced with the true cruelties of war. Starting with innocent civilians he could not save, to deaths of his close friends.

It is sad to me that these talented individuals who worked so hard can sustain critical injuries, death, or suffer PTSD rest of their lives. At the end of the day, someone needs to do it, and it is these selfless heroes who are exposed to the horrid experiences and still choose to fight.

Amazing book, highly recommended!

[Neve Epis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The defence force is never something I’ve aspired to know about but Dr Dans reflection if his time, experiences and lessons hit some hard truths into the reality of frontline work and its impacts.

Overall I appreciated his vulnerability and honesty and if anything am left cautiously inspired

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! I really enjoyed reading about the process of becoming a 'Combat Doctor' and practising as one. The insight to the war at the time was confronting, it is well written and kept me reading on until the very last page. Would highly recommend reading and give this 5/5 stars.

[Kt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: non-fiction - memoir, military memoir, medical memoir

Does the blurb reflect the plot: it barely scratches the surface of the fantastic read ahead

Sum it up: I’m a big fan of military memoirs and The Combat Doctor is no exception. It’s written with a point of difference as Pronk did not just rise to top by passing SAS selection, he was also primarily a doctor in the Army doing multiple tours of Afghanistan and being deployed in East Timor. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows though and it’s a credit to Pronk how raw and honest he is, especially when dealing with the death of his friends on the battlefield and his home life. What lifts the book to a five star read is that it is exceptionally well written. The language isn’t verbose or condescending in its explanations of the medical and military lingo, making it easy to follow along. Add this to the emotions that regularly pour from the page and you have an eggtraordinarly good memoir that you won’t be able to put down.

Who should read it: fans of military and medical memoirs must read The Combat Doctor. Enthusiasts of memoirs generally will also appreciate it.

To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading, go to #ktbookbingo or @peggyanne_readsandruns on Instagram.

[Cathy Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would not normally read this kind of book but it explains to the lay person what military service entails. The author is able to be proud and critical at the same time, he tells a cautionary tale but does not apologise for what he has been involved in or how he has felt when at war. War is terrible, it destroys people mentally and physically, he does not shy away from this but somehow he is able to justify what can happen . After all our military are sent by us into these conflicts. We should listen to the stories of service people like Dan Pronk as he attempts to explain and find a peace he can ( and hopefully we can) live with when the war is over . A good read for me as it opened the door to a world about which I know nothing.

[Dan McCowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an insightful, motivating and raw account of a very respected veteran’s account of his service within the SOTG.

I cannot commit this book enough to any veteran or family member of a veteran who may be trying to deal with the demons that possess those who have seen service or have / are supporting those who have been affected by their service.

To Dan, I say thank you. Thank you for peeling back the layers and communicating your story so us veterans to can make our way back to home.

[Leigh Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly fascinating and thoroughly interesting to have a war on terror bio from someone other than a Brit or ‘murica super-soldier.

I found this thoroughly considered, genuine and gripping. Probl too is so self aware in the third person that he makes for an excellent narrator. The only downside side is the last 20-30 mins of psycho-adjacent-analysis and Jordan Petersen references

All in, a strong read.

[Yasu · Rating 2 out of 5]

4 stars for readability, 1 star for content. Not worth reading if you have something else on your list. Doesn't quite meet my criteria for 3 stars ("You might find it a waste of time if you're not a fan of the genre/author/series but I personally enjoyed it") so it gets rounded down to 2.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book. Evocative, thought-provoking and fascinating from first to last. I loved it.

[Rob Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into Dan’s military and personal experience. The audio book is great as he is the reader.

[Jus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody, great read!! Heartbreaking and sobering.