Good Medicine, Hard Times: Memoir of a Combat Physician in Iraq - Paperback

by Edward P. Horvath (Author)

Good ​Medicine, Hard Times is the moving memoir of one of the most senior-ranking combat physicians to have served on the battlefields of the second Iraq war. Former US Army Colonel Edward P. Horvath, MD, brings readers through the intricacies of war as he relates stories of working to save the lives of soldiers, enemies, and civilians alike and shares the moral dilemmas faced by medical professionals during war. Enlisting in the Army as a fifty-nine-year-old physician, Dr. Horvath knew that he had a greater calling in life: to save the "neighbor's kid"--no matter who that neighbor or the kid might be. Over his three deployments, he strived to do that amid cultural clashes, insurgent attacks, military controversy, and the suffering of children caught in the crossfire. In his clear-eyed, empathetic, and unforgettable account, he shows what it means to provide compassionate care in the most trying of circumstances, always keeping in mind that every person he cares for is someone's child.

Author Biography

Edward P. Horvath, MD, is a veteran of the US Army Reserve Medical Corps. In 2011, he was Task Force Deputy Commander and Chief of Clinical Services for a combat support hospital near Tikrit, Iraq. Previously, he staffed the emergency room and outpatient clinic at the same base. Colonel Horvath was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and later received one of the nation's highest military honors, the Legion of Merit. In 2013, he received the American Red Cross Hero Award for extraordinary courage in saving lives. He is a primary care physician at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.