SOG Medic

The "hair-raising details of the second-by-second events" of a Special Forces medic's covert operations during the Vietnam War (On Point: The Journal of Army History Online).
In the years since the Vietnam War, the elite unit known as the Studies and Observations Group (SOG) has spawned many myths, legends, and war stories. Special Forces medic Joe Parnar served with SOG during 1968 in FOB2/CCC near the tri-border region that gave them access to the forbidden areas of Laos and Cambodia. Parnar recounts his time with the recon men of this highly classified unit, as his job involved a unique combination of soldiering and lifesaving. His stories capture the extraordinary commitment made by all the men of SOG and reveal the special dedication of the medics, who put their own lives at risk to save the lives of their teammates. Parnar also discusses his medical training with the Special Forces.
"A well-written, interesting account of Parnar's three-year term of enlistment in the US Army, culminating as a Special Forces medic in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969... Parnar takes the time to provide context, circumstance and motivation for heroism and tragedy-for US soldiers and the indigenous Vietnamese soldiers and civilians with whom he worked... The service, sacrifice and valor of a generation are vividly documented in the pages of SOG Medic." -ARMY Magazine

Joe Parnar served in the U.S. Army Special Forces from August 1966 to April 1969. After military service he became involved with several veterans' organizations. He is a 39-year member of the American Legion and served as Commander of Gardner Post 129 in 1989 and 1990. He is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans of America and the Special Forces and Special Operations associations.Robert Dumont is an Oklahoma native and a graduate of the University of Tulsa. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and is the author two fiction collections: "Borough of Churches" and "NYC Transit[s]".