The history of medicine in the United States military. Author, journalist, and USS Midway Museum spokesman Scott McGaugh reveals the riveting stories of the men and women who save lives on the front lines in Battlefield Angels, the first book about battlefield medicine in the US military. Told from the point of view of the unsung heroes who slide into bomb craters and climb into blazing ships, this unique look at medicine in the trenches traces the history of the military medical corps and the contributions it has made to America's health, for example, how the military medical corps pioneered the ambulance concept, emergency medevac helicopters, hospital designs, and contagious disease prevention. McGough also details how the military medical corps has adopted medical science discoveries, field tested them in battle, adapted them, and proved their value.

As a result of the pressing needs of the hour, the Sanitary Commission and the Christian Commission were organized. Their good deeds in supplying nurses and caring for invalids are well documented. Not as well known are the labors of the Catholic Sisters, who brought to their aid in caring for the sick and wounded, the experience, training and discipline of the religious bodies with which they were affiliated. This work aims to shed light on their work.

Author, journalist, and USS Midway Museum spokesman Scott McGaugh reveals the riveting stories of the men and women who save lives on the front lines in Battlefield Angels, the first book about battlefield medicine in the US military. Told from the point of view of the unsung heroes who slide into bomb craters and climb into blazing ships, this unique look at medicine in the trenches traces the history of the military medical corps and the contributions it has made to America's health, for example, how the military medical corps pioneered the ambulance concept, emergency medevac helicopters, hospital designs, and contagious disease prevention. McGough also details how the military medical corps has adopted medical science discoveries, field tested them in battle, adapted them, and proved their value.

"The country had only 600 trained nurses at the start of the Civil War. All were Catholic nuns. This is one of the best-kept secrets in our nation's history," Father William Barnaby Faherty once wrote. When the Civil War broke out, the Union and the Confederacy were prepared to fight, but they weren't prepared to care for the wounded that their fighting created. While many people volunteered to care for the soldiers, the only ones with any experience were Catholics sisters. Among the sisters, the most-experienced were the Daughters of Charity based in Emmitsburg, MD. When war broke out, they had already been caring for the sick for decades. However, the brutality of the war would test even their abilities as they ran hospitals, served on troop transports and provided care in battlefield hospitals and ambulances. They even had their own Central House occupied by armies from both sides of the war. The Daughters of Charity had such a high level of trust among the government officials that they were allowed in the early part of the war to move back and forth across the border between the two warring countries. Nor did they betray that trust as they served officers and soldiers, Union and Confederate, with the same level of care. With their wide, white cornettes looking almost like wings, the Daughters of Charity did resemble battlefield angels. The sight of those wing-like cornettes told soldiers that relief was on the way; someone who cared for them was coming.

Presents a history of one of the most dangerous aviation operations during the Vietnam War, call-sign Dust Off, in which air ambulances spearheaded the humanitarian efforts that were being executed during the war.

What would you do if you saw Angels fighting on your behalf?