Author Description

In the summer of 2003, the US Army has a problem. Fighting in Iraq is far from over and fresh troops are needed right away. But, there is no active duty medical headquarters available to support them. The solution is to quickly mobilize an Army Reserve Medical Brigade, the 2nd Medical Brigade from San Pablo, California. Constituted in 1986 and given the unit motto "Center of Mercy," the 2nd Med had never before deployed to a theater of war. This is the story of the "Center of Mercy" through the personal experiences of the Brigade Chief of Staff during their year-long mission. The 2nd Medical Brigade experiences the highest casualty flow since Vietnam, overcomes critical shortages of personnel, faces crises at Abu Ghraib Prison, and provides medical care for the war's most controversial figure.