Hold Your Breath

Gary Saunders, an x-ray technologist, served from 1970 to 1971 in MASH (mobile army surgical hospital) units in Vietnam. In this memoir, he shares his story of basic training, his journey to and arrival in Vietnam, and time he spent in the 27th Surgical Hospital in Chu Lai, as well as the 91st Evacuation Hospital, and 23rd Medical Company. Besides x-raying patients, he served on guard duty.
The book's title, Hold Your Breath, reflects what Gary told patients when they were x-rayed, but it serves as a broader metaphor for what happens in a war zone. Gary shares how he worked in a surgical hospital with limited equipment and staff who were trained in army programs. He recalls horrendous stories of amputees-including US soldiers and Vietnamese children. He details the stress of being under attack and trying to protect the patients from artillery.
Vietnam was not all bad, however. Gary made some lifelong friends. He discovered the beauty of Vietnam and enjoyed holiday meals and days spent at the beach. Overall, he had the experience of a lifetime in a time and place most of us can only imagine.
Hold Your Breath helps fill a gap in Vietnam War history. It is compelling reading for history and military buffs and anyone who wants to understand what it is like to live in a war.
Gary Saunders grew up in rural Ohio. After high school, he became an x-ray technologist before being drafted to serve in the Vietnam War in a MASH unit. After the war, he had a successful decades-long medical career at several different hospitals in Ohio. Today, he is enjoying retirement with his wife Joyce.