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Book Review Starlight stars bright Chee Kong Teo Fourth Year Medicine (Undergraduate) University of New South Wales
Chee Kong served two years in the Singapore Armed Forces as an ar llery specialist prior to commencing medicine at UNSW. His qualita ve research on an bio c stewardship won Best Student Abstract in the Na onal Medicines Symposium 2012. He also recently re red from his post as Print Publica ons Officer for the AMSJ.
White T. Starlight: An Australian Army doctor in Vietnam. Brisbane: CopyRight Publishing; 2011. RRP: $33.00 Not many of us dream of serving as a medical doctor in the frontlines of war. War is a er all the an thesis of everything the medical profession stands for. [1] In Starlight, Dr Tony White AM vividly recounts his tour of duty in South Vietnam between 1966 and 1967 through correspondence exchanged with his family. STARLIGHT was the radio call sign for the medical officer and it bore the essence of what was expected of young White as a Regimental Medical Officer (RMO) in the 5th Ba alion of the Royal Australian Regiment (5 RAR). White was born in Perth, grew up in Kenya and read medicine in Clare College, Cambridge University. A er comple ng the first half of the six-year degree, he moved back with his family to Sydney where the pivotal decision to join military service was made. White accepted a scholarship from the Australian government to con nue at the University of Sydney in exchange for four years of service in the Australian Defence Force a er a year of residency. In May 1966, White’s war me du es commenced with 5 RAR in Vung Tau, southeast of Saigon, dubbed “Sufferer’s Paradise”. A er a brief se ling-in, the ba alion moved to Nui Dat, their opera onal base for the year. The ini al excitement of the 25-year-old’s first visit to Asia quickly faded as the reali es of war – the mud, the sweat and the blood – set in. Footnotes and explana on of military jargon and organisa on were immensely helpful in acquain ng the reader to the ba alion’s environment. As an RMO, White worked round-the-clock performing General Prac ce du es such as sick parades and preven ve medicine, emergency du es a ending to acute trauma, and public health du es monitoring for disease outbreaks and maintaining hygiene. The stark difference from being a civilian doctor is candidly described, “You live, eat, dig, and [defecate] with your pa ents and, like them, get every bit as uncomfortable and frightened. There is no retreat or privacy.” From the early “friendly fires” and booby traps to the horror of landmines, White’s affec ng le ers offer a very raw view of war’s savagery. It was a war fought against guerrillas, much like the present war in Afghanistan, where the enemy is unknown and threat may erupt into danger at any me. During the numerous opera ons 5 RAR conducted, White a ended to and comforted many wounded. With every digger killed in ac on, a palpable sense of loss accompanies the narra on. White clearly laments the “senseless killing of war” as he explained, “You spend all that me – 20 years or so – making a man,
References [1] DeMaria AN. The physician and war. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2003;41(5):889-90.
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preserving his health, educa ng and training him, to have him shot to death.” White himself had close brushes with death. He was pinned down by sniper fire on one occasion and even found himself in the middle of a minefield in the worst of tragedies encountered. The chapter “Going troppo” ruminates on the enduring psychological effects of these events as the year unfolded. The insanity of war is balanced by many heartening acts. First and foremost is the remarkable resilience of the diggers whose reless disposi on to work inspired White profoundly. White also voluntarily set up regular clinics in surrounding villages to provide care for civilians despite the threat of enemy contact. In an encouraging twist, both friendly and enemy (Viet Cong) casual es were rendered the same standards of care. Even more ironic was the congenial interac ons between the two fac ons within the confines of the hospital. Perhaps the most moving of all was White’s hear elt words of apprecia on to his family who supported his spirits through sending le ers and homemade goodies like fruitcakes, biscuits and smoked oysters. So why should you read this book? Textbooks do not teach us empathy. White shares in these 184 pages experiences that we all hope never to encounter ourselves. Yet countless veterans, refugees, abuse vic ms, etcetera have faced such terror and our understanding of their narra ves is essen al in providing care and comfort. In the final chapters of this book White gives a rare physician perspec ve on posttrauma c stress disorder and how he reconciled with the profound impact of war to achieve success in the field of dermatology. These invaluable lessons shine through this book.
Conflicts of Interest None declared.