Fighting for Life

This is a must see! No scripts, no sets, no second takes, no lighting, everything in the movie is as it was seen live by the producer Terry Sanders. If you want to know the reality of what medicine in the Army is like and how soldiers wounded in Iraq are cared for, don't listen to all the media hype about the Walter Reed scandal, go see this movie. It intertwines 3 stories about Army medical care. First, it follows the saga of soldiers wounded in Iraq and their journey home through hospitals in Iraq, then Germany and finally Walter Reed in Washington D.C. Second, it chronicles the stories of the doctors, nurses and medics that care for the wounded. Finally, it follows students training to be military doctors at the "West Point" of military medicine, the Uniformed Services University at the Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.

I am having difficulty expressing the emotions this film evoked in me. It's amazing. Sad as hell. I grieve for every one of those patients. But I am eternally grateful for the men and women who work their asses off and risk their lives to be there to protect and save them. I can't imagine a more difficult life to choose. USU is a truly amazing place, and produces absolutely incredible people. I wish from the bottom of my heart that every single American could see this film. You cannot see it and walk away the same inside. Make sure to bring tissue - I don't care who you are, you will cry. If you don't, something is very wrong with you.

I just want to say thank you to everyone - not only the people shown in the film, but everyone they represent. The doctors, nurses, medics, teachers, the guys in the field, the everyday military guys who have a huge role in preparing these people for the horrors they will experience - everyone who takes part, in any small way, in making it possible to save lives, in making these people the heroes they truly are. I am deeply grateful for you all.

This is an excellent movie that allows the general public to see first hand how battlefield casualties receive care from the front lines all the way back to military hospitals in the United States. It was amazing to see how each patient who must be transported back to the U.S had his/her own mobile ICU with all the required monitors attached to each stretcher so that the doctors and nurses on board can check the status of each patient. The caring attitude of all the care givers, whether doctors, nurses, therapists, chaplains, etc. was evident and genuinely depicted. It is clear from seeing the unique requirements of caring for service members wounded on the battlefield that military medicine is far different from what is required for caring for civilians in a peacetime environment. This movie provided the opportunity for me to see how the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences performs an invaluable role in our ability to care for our war fighters.

I was amazed to see how Terry Sanders was able to capture the essence of military medicine and present it in such a way that it is easy to understand for those without any medical or military experience. As a graduate of the Uniformed Services University (USU) medical school, it is very humbling to be associated with this film and the amazing expertise and professionalism displayed by field medics, nurses, physicians, therapists and medical evacuation staff who save and restore lives on a daily basis. Their cause is the same as all of ours - to provide the best care to those who are willing to lay down their life for their country. I guarantee you will be moved by this film and gain a new appreciation for the sacrifice and courage of the more than 1 million service members who have deployed overseas.

This film is one of the best documentaries that I have ever seen. Sanders does a great job at capturing the essence of what war is like for the doctors, nurses, soldiers, and military families. The film is intelligently done because it provides an apolitical view of the war. There is no agenda; this is the reality of war. He also provides the viewer with proof of why the military medical school, USU, is needed. I would recommend this film to anyone. If one wants to know what military medicine is about, see this film. There is a great amount of history in it as well. One can learn about how the Civil War advanced medicine through techniques like amputations (yes, this was an advance at the time believe it or not).