Ben Sherman Reviews

Added July 29, 2004

Medic!

The Story of A Conscientious Objector In the Vietnam War

Author: Ben Sherman
Publisher: Random House
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: June 2004
Genre: Non-fiction: Autobiography
Format: Paperback
Price: $6.99
ISBN: 0-89141-848-2
Author Email/Website: www.shermantraining.com/
Reviewer: Melissa Levine

In 1969 Benjamin Ray Sherman was sent to Vietnam classified as I-AO status, noncombatant duty. His tour followed two years of petitioning his local Selective Service Board, serving four months in a secured holdover barrack, a successful letter writing campaign to the Pentagon, and training ten weeks as a field medic. Medic! The Story of A Conscientious Objector In the Vietnam War explores the experiences of a young working college student who refused to kill in the name of loyalty to country.

Although Private Sherman was not supposed to be assigned to a combat zone due to his classification, within his first two months in the 9th Infantry stationed at Dong Tam near the Mekong River in South Vietnam, Sherman was exposed to blood and carnage and listed as killed in action (KIA).

On his third day at his new post, Sherman was confronted with a near death situation. He was assigned to the morgue where the work entailed the meticulous cleaning and preparation of dead soldiers for return to their families. An irate soldier, striped of his corporal rank following questionable behavior, brutally beat Sherman. He was assisted by two fellow soldiers then whisked off to serve on a Navy ship by his superior officer, Sergeant "Smitty" Smith. With Smitty as his mentor, Sherman assisted with surgery on the Nueces, "humped the bush" attending to casualties of Viet Cong snipers, and provided medical support to the severely damaged at a make-shift, outdoor hospital.

Throughout his time in Vietnam, Sherman's status as a conscientious objector was tested. He endured a barrage of "What would you do if...?" questions, but consistently stood his ground. Sherman was not against serving, but believed he should be allowed to do so in a way that did not compromise his personal beliefs: "I felt that every young male and female in our country should serve in some capacity, choosing from a wide variety of options, including the military or the Peace Corps or countless other service oriented endeavors." Although judged by his comrades for his position against bearing arms, ultimately Sherman was respected for standing up for his convictions.

Sherman recounts his time in Vietnam in vivid, fast moving detail, putting the reader right next to him as he dodges death, saves and loses lives. The author is candid, challenging standard ideas of manhood and patriotism. Medic! is an excellent read.

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