Richard H. Jadick is an American

naval surgeon A naval surgeon, or less commonly ship's doctor, is the person responsible for the health of the ship's company aboard a warship. The term appears often in reference to Royal Navy's medical personnel during the Age of Sail. Ancient uses Specialis ...

who was awarded the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

with “Combat V” device for heroic valor in January 2006. He was credited with saving the lives of 30

Marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

and sailors during the

Second Battle of Fallujah The Second Battle of Fallujah, initially codenamed Operation Phantom Fury, Operation al-Fajr (, ) was an American-led offensive of the Iraq War that began on 7 November 2004 and lasted about six weeks. A joint military effort of the United ...

. Jadick was a lieutenant commander in the

U.S. Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

, assigned as a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

surgeon to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment of the 2nd Marine Division from

Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ( or ) is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Jadick is considered the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

's most decorated doctor.

Background

Jadick attended

Bethlehem Central High School Bethlehem Central High School is a public high school in Delmar, New York, just south of Albany. Located at 700 Delaware Avenue, the school serves students in grades 9–12 from the towns of Bethlehem and New Scotland. The school was ranked 36 ...

in Delmar,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

(just south of Albany). He earned his B.S. degree in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

from

Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca (town), New York, Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a Music school, conservatory of music. Ithaca College is known for its media-related programs and entertainment program ...

where he was a member of

Delta Kappa Delta Kappa Fraternity () was an American national fraternity that existed from 1920 to 1964. History Founding and early growth The fraternity was founded in 1920 as Kappa Kappa Kappa at the State Normal School (now Buffalo State Universit ...

local fraternity. He earned his

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become li ...

degree (D.O.) in

osteopathic medicine Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic Medical school in the United States, medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine (M ...

from

New York College of Osteopathic Medicine The New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYIT-COM) is a private medical school located primarily in Old Westbury, New York. It also has a degree-granting campus in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Founded in 1977, NYIT-COM is an ...

in Old Westbury,

. He served as communications officer in the

Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

prior to joining the Navy. He received his residency training in

Urology Urology (from Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:οὖρον, οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and ''wiktionary:-logia, -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of t ...

at the

Medical College of Georgia The Medical College of Georgia (often referred to as MCG) is the medical school of Augusta University, the state's only public medical school, and one of the top 10 largest medical schools in the United States. Established in 1828 as the Medical ...

Service in Iraq

Jadick was serving as a medical officer at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina when he volunteered for duty in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. He was an unlikely volunteer because he was 38 years old, significantly older than most combat surgeons, and his wife was nine months pregnant. Early in his tour of duty, Jadick observed a Marine who died because he bled to death before he could be evacuated to a hospital. He decided to establish an emergency room on the battlefield, where wounded Marines could receive treatment within a few minutes of being injured. While there, Jadick and his crew of young Corpsmen improvised a number of life saving techniques. During the 11-day battle Jadick's team treated hundreds of men. Only one of those men died after reaching the hospital. Fifty-three Marines and

United States Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main func ...

died during the battle. Jadick's commanding officer estimated that another 30 would have died if Jadick had not been working so close to the front.

After Iraq

Jadick's story was first documented in a ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'' cover story titled "Hero, M.D." (although Jadick is actually a

D.O. Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become lice ...

, not an

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

). He later published his own account of his experiences in a book called ''On Call in Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story''. After serving a year in Iraq, Jadick returned to the United States and accepted a position as a urology resident at the Medical College of Georgia. He remains on active duty. Jadick is also the Chairman of The Independence Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization that supports wounded veterans and their families, headquartered in Charlotte, NC.

References

External links

Cover Story in Newsweek MagazineProfile by Stars and Stripes

Story on Dr. Richard Jadick, Star and Stripes Heroes 2006
- from Medical College of Georgia
''On Call In Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story''
()
Urologist's 'war story' details successes, horrors in Iraq (2007 interview)The Independence Fund
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jadick, Richard Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American military writers American osteopathic physicians American surgeons American urologists Ithaca College alumni New York Institute of Technology alumni United States Marine Corps officers United States Navy Medical Corps officers United States Navy personnel of the Iraq War