Beyond the Call, Memoirs of a Medical Visionary Vol I

Author's Summary

Beyond the Call, a gripping account of the life and times of William (Bud) Mayer, a distinguished citizen-physician-soldier, in frequent conflict with the status quo and in combat with bureaucrats in and out of uniform and the entrenched politicians.  He speaks out about the unconscionable treatment of the mentally ill and alcoholic persons among us; the mind-twisting methods of tyrants, past and present, who seek to destroy freedom; and about the miracles of modern military medicine that keep countless soldiers alive.  Seen from the inside of the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Army and the Public Health Service and at the end, the Pentagon itself, these thoughts and experiences are essential to an understanding of what freedom allows us to do, and what our adversaries would destroy.

MWSA Review

This book is the detailed story the early life of a brilliant young man, earning his way through Medical schools and overcoming many hardships along the way. It is certainly a fascinating account of a man striving to succeed in the medical field during some of our Nations more troublesome times.
 
Although he uses medical terms not familiar to me many times through the book, he does gives a clear understanding of the tough times he must struggle through during his medical schooling and his early military career.
 
The cover is striking as it shows a field medic administering his skills on a wounded comrade.
 
I enjoyed his testimony of how he worked his entire life serving his country in a field that he makes very clear that he loves. He was determined throughout his life to make changes for the better in a not so perfect system he was thrown into. 
 
I found just the right amount of humor mixed in with his learning months in the military and his admitted mistakes that were made during that time. His time spent in occupied Japan is in sharp contrast with the 'next the front' MASH units in Korea that followed.
 
I can recommend this entertaining book to anyone starting out in the medical field or those embarking on any part of the US Military. Anyone reading this book will have a clear understanding of Military life very quickly. I thought it started a little slow, but I was quickly caught up in this mans quest to improve his surroundings and the Military he loved. I could feel from the start that this man was on his way to great successes. This is a good book.

Reviewed by: Don Arndt (2009)