In Vietnam, Hal Kushner served as a flight surgeon with the 1st Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division. He was captured by the Viet Cong a few days after his Huey helicopter crashed in a rainstorm on Nov. 30, 1967 and was held in captivity in brutal conditions until his release on March 16, 1973. Kushner describes Vietnam, his initial medical duties, and 5 ½ years of captivity – a mean guard, starvation, caring for one another, and being “punished” by their captors rather than “systematically tortured” for infractions such as killing the camp commander’s cat or attempting to escape. Dr. Kushner feels a bond to those men with whom he served, but he prefers to look forward rather than back. His philosophy has served him well; he denies any PTSD, he has had no nightmares or flashbacks, and he’s proud of his successful medical practice.
Key Words: E & E course, Geneva Convention, medical platoon commander, LZ Dog, LZ Two Bits, An Khe, Tam Ky, Knights of Malta, beriberi, Ho Chi Minh Trail, Vinh, Operation Lam Son 719, the Plantation, Hanoi Hilton, The Great Rehearsal, Operation Homecoming, The Greatest Generation
Key Names: General Krulak, General Steger, Colonel Woodard, Captain Karl Shenep, Colonel Bob Nevins, Major Steve Porcella, WO-1 Giff Bedworth, Sergeant McKee, Captain Stratton, First Sergeant Williams, Julius Long, Frank Anton, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy, Coy Tinsley, General Russell Ogan, Secretary of Defense Hagel, Congressman John Mica