MASH: An Army Surgeon in Korea

By: Otto F. Apel JR. M.D., Pat Apel

Narrated by: Dr. Bill Brooks

When North Korean forces invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950, Otto Apel was a surgical resident living in Cleveland, Ohio, with his wife and three young children. A year later he was chief surgeon of the 8076th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, constantly near the front lines in Korea. Immediately upon arriving in camp, Apel performed 80 hours of surgery. His feet swelled so badly, he had to cut his boots off, and he saw more surgical cases in those three and a half days than he would have in a year back in Cleveland. In addition to his own story, Apel details the operating conditions, workload, and patient care at the MASH units while revealing the remarkable advances made in emergency medical care. MASH units were the first hospitals designed for operations close to the front lines, and from this particularly difficult vantage their medical staffs were responsible for innovations in the use of antibiotics and blood plasma and in arterial repair. On film and television, MASH doctors and nurses have been portrayed as irreverent and having little patience with standard military procedures. In this powerful memoir, Apel reveals just how realistic these portrayals were.

The book is published by The University Press of Kentucky.

©1998 The University Press of Kentucky (P)2015 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"The authors have skillfully blended the surgeon's personal experiences into the bigger picture of military medicine, providing the reader with an informative and interesting account of the MASH and its impact during the Korean War." ( Military)

"A superb book... Reading this fine nonfiction account of an army surgeon in the Korean War will make you wish you had been there treating casualties. It did me!" ( Journal of the American Medical Association)

"An excellent account of the history of MASH units and how they operated in Korea." ( Navy Medicine)

Doctors Go To Wsr

This is a true story told by a young doctor and his experiences going to war in Korea.

Detailed and informative

Had to do some research on Korean War MASH units for a play and this book is extremely helpful. Good reader also.

mash is great

awesome book would recommen for anyone who is interested the Korean war 5 + stars

MASH and the Korean War

As a child I watched MASH on tv in 1972. I've always wondered if some of the episodes were true, like Five O' Clock Charlie. What interested me was how civilian doctors were drafted and expected to cope close to the front lines. Not only them but nurses and other medical professionals. How illprepared the Army was. The ingenuity of the doctors to make the clamp that arterial repair and vein grafts could be possible was such a progressive action.

I think with the current political climate and tensions overseas that people should listen to this. The Korean War, the forgotten war no longer. Thank you to all the doctors, medical personnel, and soldiers. As a daughter of a WWII veteran, our military keeps us free by answering their call to duty.

A Tribute to the Human Spirit

Tragedy turned into resilient triumphs is told firsthand through the experiences of an actual Korean War surgeon.
This book will leave a mark on your heart and brain for years to come.

The Real MASH Story

Here is the real story of the MASH units during the Korean War. The details of all aspects of the receiving, and caring for of the wounded makes this a very interesting book. The exhausting, endless hours of surgery. The discovery and perfection of new medical procedures. The shocking attempts by the General Staff of the Army Medical Corps., to block the use of medical techniques that were proven to save life and limb. The hours of "down time". The doctors developing a "peep show" where, for a small fee, the soldiers of nearby units could drop by and through a hole in a tent wall, watch the nurses taking showers . Everyone should find something of interest in this book that tells the real stories of the MASH units that later inspired the long running TV show.

The real war wasn’t funny but the real Hawkeye saved a lot of lives

Some of the stories about pioneering vascular surgery were very inspiring. I loved the story of “the young men from Ohio” that two of the surgeons worked on for hours who made it home with all four of his limbs due to the new surgical techniques that they were trying out.

Should be re-recorded

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, if someone was truly interested in the subject. This is a good history of the beginning of some of the standard surgical techniques adapted for trauma surgery.

What was one of the most memorable moments of MASH: An Army Surgeon in Korea?

The truth behind the shower tent canvas removal scene in the television series was quite a hoot.

What does Dr. Bill Brooks bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It was difficult to listen to Dr. Brooks- his pronunciations and completely inappropriate Korean accent left an unappealing sound in my ear.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I'm not good at this type of thing, sorry.

Any additional comments?

This book is a historical and social icon. It should be re-recorded with less strained medical terminology elocution and more sensitivity should be applied to the Korean dialogue. It came off sounding worse than a Mel Brooks film.

One of best combat related books

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend to a friend who is interested in war as I am. I have listened to and read many books about war and combat but this book looks at war from a different perspective. Once I started to listed I couldn't stop.

What did you like best about this story?

The explanations of the innovations in medical treatments brought about by this combat experience.

Which scene was your favorite?

All of the scenes in the operating room.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Excellent narrator.

Excellent recount of surgical medicine in Korea

This book gives a very good first hand perspective on operations in a mobile surgical hospital in Korea. Many lessons learned that must be considered.