"The heroes of the title are the dedicated men and women of military medical support units who served in five instances (from WWII and the Korean War to the US-Vietnam conflict) where American forces were under siege: Bataan, Anzio, Bastogne, Chosin, and Khe Sanh. The individuals described here demonstrated incredible courage, skill, and perseverance through their effort to aid the wounded, when hope and supplies were almost non-existent. Although ignored by many combat histories, they endured the same terrible conditions, deprivations, and enemy fire that the fighting men did, suffering many casualties along the way. The sometimes horrific details and documentation found here will help students research and understand the surrounding events. Formerly a staff officer of the US Army Medical Corps, Helling (Univ. of Mississippi Medical Center) has also authored Desperate Surgery in the Pacific War ( 2017), covering in detail the medics who served all over the Pacific theater. Television series like M*A*S*H and China Beach come nowhere close to accurately portraying what medical personnel have endured in such desperate situations, where death for oneself or one's patients is a constant presence. A much-needed companion to the many works focused exclusively on combat history, this work is accessible and suitable for anyone interested in the subject.

Highly recommended. All readers."-- Choice "The author, a former U.S. Army Medical Corps officer and current Professor of Surgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has produced a ground-breaking account of American military medicine as practiced at five venues: Bataan, Anzio, Bastogne, Chosin, and Khe Sanh. Why these five? As the title suggests, not only were American personnel besieged at these locations, but the conditions under which medical care was provided were emblematic of the most difficult circumstances in which military medical care could be provided. Helling is to be commended for writing this major contribution to the literature of military medicine, a book that belongs on the shelf with classics like Cowdrey's Fighting for Life and The Medics' War and Cosmas and Cowdrey's Medical Service in the European Theater of Operations ."-- Journal of America's Military Past.