12, 20 & 5: A Doctor's Year in Vietnam

A memoir by Dr. John A. Parrish recounting his year as a physician at a marine camp in Phu Bai during the Vietnam War. Assigned to treat combat casualties, Parrish encountered extensive medical trauma that transformed him from an inexperienced intern into an experienced doctor. The work presents his personal account of confronting the human costs of war while separated from his wife and two children. Parrish's days were defined by a relentless cycle of treating wounded soldiers, with each helicopter arrival bringing fresh casualties. The title references the recurring announcements of incoming patients: 12 litter-borne wounded, 20 ambulatory wounded, and 5 dead. The memoir offers an intimate perspective on how war shaped one physician's professional and personal development during what he describes as the most turbulent and formative year of his life.