101st Airborne Combat Medic Transition to Duty: With the Screaming Eagles in Vietnam, 1968-69

In the late 1960's, Leo Flory was one of an entire generation of young Americans facing a personal moral dilemma; how to deal with the Vietnam war. Leo wanted to serve his country, but his parents were devoutly religious and opposed to killing. He didn't share his parents' views, but he respected them, and signed up-at his mother's behest-as a conscientious objector. He was recruited into the elite 101st Airborne as a Combat Medic where he soon saw plenty of combat (and quickly discovered he was not opposed to carrying his trusty M-16). This is the story of Leo "Doc" Flory's "Transition to Duty."

In this exceptional narrative, Leo "Doc" Flory effectively captures the experiences, perspectives and emotions of a young soldier and the events that were to shape his life. Of battles won and friends lost, triumphs and tragedies-and enduring friendships that continue through regular B-Company reunions. In the author's words: "For the record, this evolved out of a war. A war in every conceivable way you can describe it, not a "conflict" or a "police action"-as politicians would have it. I hope that these stories will cause you to laugh, cry-and wonder why. 

Previously published as "Transition to Duty" in 2011, this revised and newly-edited edition includes a postscript by the author and more than 20 additional photographs.