'One Doctor's War' a drafted surgeon's WWII story
LEE GOODEN, For The Saratogian
12/12/2003
'One Doctor's War'
By S.A. Horwitz
670 pages
Published by Xlibris
'One Doctor's War' is S.A. Horwitz's account of an era that redefined warfare, changed the socioeconomic and political standing of the world and challenged our conception of humanity.
The book comprises diary entries and letters documenting the minutiae of Horwitz's everyday life and inferences of his future. It provides descriptive details of a world gone mad, and puts the past into a perspective that is a harrowing reflection of today.
During a two-year internship rotation at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, Horwitz (or his alter ego Erich Hoffman) started a diary.
Beginning with his becoming a doctor in 1939, Horwitz recorded the events of World War II until his marriage on June 12, 1946.
When Horwitz first heard the rumors of war, he was more concerned about the war's effects on his future plans than about the global impact of world war.
Unlike other young men who were 'joining up,' Horwitz wanted nothing to do with war or the army, and had no intentions of volunteering, as evident in this passage from his book: 'I have but one life; I have no intention that it should come to an untimely end through a bullet, a bomb fragment, or any other man-made instrument of destruction. I have no intention of risking my life in a war between men. I shall refuse to go to war unless the chances of living would be less by not going ...'
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Horwitz knew everything would change. Following the American declaration of war on Japan, he expected to be drafted, and still he tried to live his life and follow a normal course by attempting to further his education as a physician and gain as much medical experience as he could, as quickly as possible.
After Horwitz writes about being drafted, basic training and his decision to be a flight surgeon, the 650 pages that follow show a man who could fall into the 'proverbial pile' and come out smelling like a rose.
While many veterans of World War II do not wish to discuss the war except with other veterans, Horwitz's tour of duty was more of an extended Club Med vacation. He admits that his luck seemed almost uncanny, from increasing his pocket money by playing poker, to maintaining a decent social life with the ladies and always managing to find culinary delights.
He easily adapted to his environment and caught on quickly on how to scrounge or 'requisition' supplies to create a comfortable, sometimes almost luxurious living space. Even the way Horwitz met his wife sounds like a Hugh Grant flick or the plot line of a romance novel.
That's not to say that Horowitz didn't have his share of hardships or tough decisions.
'One Doctor's War' is well written, entertaining and informative. The subtext of the book -- the state of the world before and during World War II -- is a disturbing picture cut from today's headlines.
However 'One Doctor's War' is not an accurate representation of most of the men and women who served and fought in World War II. As a reviewer, I can appreciate 'One Doctor's War' as a well-crafted book, but those readers who are veterans from any war might not share this appreciation, and might forget that even Horwitz was a cog in the war machine.
S.A. Horwitz is a Schenectady native. He now lives in Niskayuna.
LEE GOODEN, For The Saratogian
12/12/2003
'One Doctor's War'
By S.A. Horwitz
670 pages
Published by Xlibris
'One Doctor's War' is S.A. Horwitz's account of an era that redefined warfare, changed the socioeconomic and political standing of the world and challenged our conception of humanity.
The book comprises diary entries and letters documenting the minutiae of Horwitz's everyday life and inferences of his future. It provides descriptive details of a world gone mad, and puts the past into a perspective that is a harrowing reflection of today.
During a two-year internship rotation at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, Horwitz (or his alter ego Erich Hoffman) started a diary.
Beginning with his becoming a doctor in 1939, Horwitz recorded the events of World War II until his marriage on June 12, 1946.
When Horwitz first heard the rumors of war, he was more concerned about the war's effects on his future plans than about the global impact of world war.
Unlike other young men who were 'joining up,' Horwitz wanted nothing to do with war or the army, and had no intentions of volunteering, as evident in this passage from his book: 'I have but one life; I have no intention that it should come to an untimely end through a bullet, a bomb fragment, or any other man-made instrument of destruction. I have no intention of risking my life in a war between men. I shall refuse to go to war unless the chances of living would be less by not going ...'
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Horwitz knew everything would change. Following the American declaration of war on Japan, he expected to be drafted, and still he tried to live his life and follow a normal course by attempting to further his education as a physician and gain as much medical experience as he could, as quickly as possible.
After Horwitz writes about being drafted, basic training and his decision to be a flight surgeon, the 650 pages that follow show a man who could fall into the 'proverbial pile' and come out smelling like a rose.
While many veterans of World War II do not wish to discuss the war except with other veterans, Horwitz's tour of duty was more of an extended Club Med vacation. He admits that his luck seemed almost uncanny, from increasing his pocket money by playing poker, to maintaining a decent social life with the ladies and always managing to find culinary delights.
He easily adapted to his environment and caught on quickly on how to scrounge or 'requisition' supplies to create a comfortable, sometimes almost luxurious living space. Even the way Horwitz met his wife sounds like a Hugh Grant flick or the plot line of a romance novel.
That's not to say that Horowitz didn't have his share of hardships or tough decisions.
'One Doctor's War' is well written, entertaining and informative. The subtext of the book -- the state of the world before and during World War II -- is a disturbing picture cut from today's headlines.
However 'One Doctor's War' is not an accurate representation of most of the men and women who served and fought in World War II. As a reviewer, I can appreciate 'One Doctor's War' as a well-crafted book, but those readers who are veterans from any war might not share this appreciation, and might forget that even Horwitz was a cog in the war machine.
S.A. Horwitz is a Schenectady native. He now lives in Niskayuna.
posted by Lee Gooden | 8:02 PM
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