The Flight Surgeon takes the reader into the cockpit of a jet fighter during combat missions in the Vietnam War, to Hanoi and the Philippines when American POWs were released by North Vietnam, to Wake Island at the extrication of Vietnamese refugees, and to Bangladesh on a humanitarian mission.
Rayman also describes his experiences with the space program, explaining the medical aspects of space flight and the effects of weightlessness on astronauts.
My Hallowed Ground would be of interest to medical professionals and the military, but also to the general public because it deals, in part, with relatively recent historical events. By sheer chance of circumstance, the author was there.
About the Author
Russell B. Rayman, M.D., MPH, DAvMed graduated from the University of Michigan School of Medicine in 1961. Following a one-year internship, he volunteered to go on active duty with USAF, completing his aerospace medicine residency in 1972. His assignments took him to the Philippines, Thailand, the Netherlands, and the UK, as well as to several stateside bases.
He retired from USAF in 1989 and was contracted by Lockheed-Martin to NASA where he was involved with the space program. In 1992 he left Lockheed-Martin to serve as Executive Director of the Aerospace Medical Association, retiring in 2010.
He is currently widowed. He and his wife had three boys, Joseph, a medical research scientist, David, USAF pilot, and Ariel, an attorney. He currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia, and volunteers in a free clinic.