Overview

Enter the operating room with Dr. William Meffert as he shares generations' worth of his family's wartime surgery experiences. William Meffert is a surgeon. His father was a surgeon. And now, so is his son. Three generations familiar with incisions, blood, and loss. From World War II and Vietnam to modern operating rooms, they have all fought the battle for human life. Now, Meffert journeys with his son to chart his family's history through the changing world of combat surgery and beyond to reveal the universal truths that connect them across generations. As Meffert travels with his son to field hospital locations of World War II and Vietnam, they encounter detailed memories of trauma surgery, wounded soldiers, and the effects of war-a stark reminder of its cost on humankind. Throughout, Meffert meditates on the lasting impact of conflict and the pressures of a surgeon's life, from being forced to make immediate life-or-death decisions for unknown patients, to the realities of blood and gore, to the difficulty of sharing these experiences with the uninitiated. Linking together the individual lives of grandfather, father, and son, There Were No Flowers is a story of war, surgery, trauma, and the joys of fatherhood, family, and love in the face of it all.

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Reviews

There Were No Flowers should be required reading for anyone with a heartbeat. It is a gorgeously wrought and timeless memoir about family, medicine, war, and the painful and beautiful ways we become the people we are meant to be. Meffert's voice is singular and powerful; his prose is transporting and insightful. There Were No Flowers is a must-read for anyone interested in the complex relationships of fathers and sons, the lingering effects of trauma, the history of surgery, and the far-reaching power of love. -Laurel Braitman, director of writing and storytelling, Medicine and the Muse Program, Stanford University School of Medicine Put a scalpel in the hand of a young American surgical resident and you have a surgeon in the making. Send that same resident to Vietnam at the height of the terrible war. Performing surgery in admissions wards or wherever while responding to the continuous anguished cries of the wounded and dying, the resident must now be the surgeon he was destined to become, only years sooner. Dr. Meffert, a distinguished cardiovascular surgeon, has written a compelling account of his tending to the traumatic wounds of soldiers on all sides of the conflict. As readers, we stand beside him as he finds his way through dealing with severe injuries. We come to realize the intense dedication of men and women who offer care in circumstances of great peril. We are inspired to grow with them into bravery and kind service for others. Still another story lies embedded here, one not only of personal sources of determination and resiliency but also of an emotional journey. Father and son travel to Normandy, France, where the eldest of three surgeons once tended wounded soldiers on Omaha Beach during World War II. Dr. Meffert's life and legacy is told with grace and honesty. -Randall Weingarten, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center Dr. William Meffert made many real-life decisions during his time in Vietnam, which he shares with all of us. This book impacted me personally, as I am a Vietnam vet from 1968, serving in the Ninth Infantry and First Logistical Command. I say to Bill as a comrade in arms in Vietnam, 'Thanks for sharing your experiences, and thank you for being there.' I certainly recommend this book to vets and to all adults to learn what actually happens in wars and how physicians who treat cataclysmic injuries of soldiers with minimal preoperative information must frequently make decisions critical to others. -Frank Rydzewski, former platoon machine gunner; semiretired professor, International Business Department, University of South Carolina Medicine is a lens into both the most incredible and the most gruesome aspects of human existence. This is particularly true in the specialty of trauma surgery. It takes courage, patience, and a great respect for fellow human beings to unpack experiences in the field, relive them, and share them with such clarity, vivid detail, and honesty. It is a privilege to be privy to the thoughts and stories of Dr. William Meffert, who rises to this duty and challenge with grit and integrity. -Arany Uthayakumar, MD candidate, Zucker School of Medicine, Hofstra/Northwell Dr. William Meffert's father, Dr. Clyde Meffert, served in Europe during World War II at an evacuation hospital at Omaha Beach, and twenty-eight years later Dr. William Meffert served at the Ninety-Fifth Evacuation Hospital in Vietnam. The kind of injuries and medical capabilities were quite different between the two conflicts, but the dedication of our doctors, nurses, and medical personnel remained the same. Dr. Meffert and I both arrived at the Ninety-Fifth Evacuation Hospital in Da Nang, Vietnam, in the fall of 19

A surgeon's remarkable family account, emotionally affecting and profound. -Kirkus Review There Were No Flowers should be required reading for anyone with a heartbeat. It is a gorgeously wrought and timeless memoir about family, medicine, war, and the painful and beautiful ways we become the people we are meant to be. Meffert's voice is singular and powerful; his prose is transporting and insightful. There Were No Flowers is a must-read for anyone interested in the complex relationships of fathers and sons, the lingering effects of trauma, the history of surgery, and the far-reaching power of love. -Laurel Braitman, director of writing and storytelling, Medicine and the Muse Program, Stanford University School of Medicine Put a scalpel in the hand of a young American surgical resident and you have a surgeon in the making. Send that same resident to Vietnam at the height of the terrible war. Performing surgery in admissions wards or wherever while responding to the continuous anguished cries of the wounded and dying, the resident must now be the surgeon he was destined to become, only years sooner. Dr. Meffert, a distinguished cardiovascular surgeon, has written a compelling account of his tending to the traumatic wounds of soldiers on all sides of the conflict. As readers, we stand beside him as he finds his way through dealing with severe injuries. We come to realize the intense dedication of men and women who offer care in circumstances of great peril. We are inspired to grow with them into bravery and kind service for others. Still another story lies embedded here, one not only of personal sources of determination and resiliency but also of an emotional journey. Father and son travel to Normandy, France, where the eldest of three surgeons once tended wounded soldiers on Omaha Beach during World War II. Dr. Meffert's life and legacy is told with grace and honesty. -Randall Weingarten, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center Dr. William Meffert made many real-life decisions during his time in Vietnam, which he shares with all of us. This book impacted me personally, as I am a Vietnam vet from 1968, serving in the Ninth Infantry and First Logistical Command. I say to Bill as a comrade in arms in Vietnam, 'Thanks for sharing your experiences, and thank you for being there.' I certainly recommend this book to vets and to all adults to learn what actually happens in wars and how physicians who treat cataclysmic injuries of soldiers with minimal preoperative information must frequently make decisions critical to others. -Frank Rydzewski, former platoon machine gunner; semiretired professor, International Business Department, University of South Carolina Medicine is a lens into both the most incredible and the most gruesome aspects of human existence. This is particularly true in the specialty of trauma surgery. It takes courage, patience, and a great respect for fellow human beings to unpack experiences in the field, relive them, and share them with such clarity, vivid detail, and honesty. It is a privilege to be privy to the thoughts and stories of Dr. William Meffert, who rises to this duty and challenge with grit and integrity. -Arany Uthayakumar, MD candidate, Zucker School of Medicine, Hofstra/Northwell

A surgeon's remarkable family account, emotionally affecting and profound. -Kirkus Review Meffert's skill as a storyteller powers the narrative and layers symbolism with the mechanics. . . . A gripping memoir recounting a combat surgeon's Vietnam posting. -BookLife Reviews There Were No Flowers should be required reading for anyone with a heartbeat. It is a gorgeously wrought and timeless memoir about family, medicine, war, and the painful and beautiful ways we become the people we are meant to be. Meffert's voice is singular and powerful; his prose is transporting and insightful. There Were No Flowers is a must-read for anyone interested in the complex relationships of fathers and sons, the lingering effects of trauma, the history of surgery, and the far-reaching power of love. -Laurel Braitman, director of writing and storytelling, Medicine and the Muse Program, Stanford University School of Medicine Put a scalpel in the hand of a young American surgical resident and you have a surgeon in the making. Send that same resident to Vietnam at the height of the terrible war. Performing surgery in admissions wards or wherever while responding to the continuous anguished cries of the wounded and dying, the resident must now be the surgeon he was destined to become, only years sooner. Dr. Meffert, a distinguished cardiovascular surgeon, has written a compelling account of his tending to the traumatic wounds of soldiers on all sides of the conflict. As readers, we stand beside him as he finds his way through dealing with severe injuries. We come to realize the intense dedication of men and women who offer care in circumstances of great peril. We are inspired to grow with them into bravery and kind service for others. Still another story lies embedded here, one not only of personal sources of determination and resiliency but also of an emotional journey. Father and son travel to Normandy, France, where the eldest of three surgeons once tended wounded soldiers on Omaha Beach during World War II. Dr. Meffert's life and legacy is told with grace and honesty. -Randall Weingarten, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center Dr. William Meffert made many real-life decisions during his time in Vietnam, which he shares with all of us. This book impacted me personally, as I am a Vietnam vet from 1968, serving in the Ninth Infantry and First Logistical Command. I say to Bill as a comrade in arms in Vietnam, 'Thanks for sharing your experiences, and thank you for being there.' I certainly recommend this book to vets and to all adults to learn what actually happens in wars and how physicians who treat cataclysmic injuries of soldiers with minimal preoperative information must frequently make decisions critical to others. -Frank Rydzewski, former platoon machine gunner; semiretired professor, International Business Department, University of South Carolina Medicine is a lens into both the most incredible and the most gruesome aspects of human existence. This is particularly true in the specialty of trauma surgery. It takes courage, patience, and a great respect for fellow human beings to unpack experiences in the field, relive them, and share them with such clarity, vivid detail, and honesty. It is a privilege to be privy to the thoughts and stories of Dr. William Meffert, who rises to this duty and challenge with grit and integrity. -Arany Uthayakumar, MD candidate, Zucker School of Medicine, Hofstra/Northwell

Author Information

Dr. William Meffert completed medical school and surgical residency at Yale University before he followed in his father's footsteps and became an army combat surgeon. He then spent thirty years as a cardiovascular surgeon in Iowa. After retirement, Meffert volunteered as a surgeon in Haiti, Russia, and China and was appointed a consulting professor at the Stanford University Department of Surgery. There Were No Flowers: A Surgeon's Story of War, Family, and Love is a nonfiction book about his experiences as a surgeon in war. For more information, please visit www.williammeffertmd.com.

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