EP 34: What They Don't Tell You About Being a Combat Medic in Vietnam

What does it really cost to serve? In this episode of Ask A Vet, we sit down with Patrick Dillon — a Hell's Kitchen-born, Irish-immigrant-raised combat medic who volunteered for the U.S. Army the day after his draft number was called. What followed was a lifetime defined by war, service, survival, and an unrelenting drive to help others. Patrick shares the raw, unfiltered story of serving as a 91B Combat Medic with the 498th Army Air Force: flying surgical C-130 missions to recover the wounded as the Vietnam Peace Treaty was being signed, performing emergency C-sections in the jungle, carrying out acts of mercy no one talks about, and coming home to rejection, shame, and silence. His story doesn't end in Vietnam. It continues through the Irish Troubles, the Peace Corps in Southeast Asia, the crack baby crisis in Harlem, Somalia, Kosovo, Ground Zero on 9/11, Iraq before the bombs fell, Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti earthquake, and COVID-19. Patrick is also an artist, screenwriter, and filmmaker whose work has been shaped, and sometimes defined, by everything he witnessed. Ask A Vet is dedicated to documenting and preserving veterans' stories — in their own words, on their own terms, before their stories are gone forever. 🎙️ If you believe these stories matter, please subscribe, like, comment, and share. Your support helps us preserve the voices of those who served. 00:52 – Growing Up in Hell's Kitchen 09:00 – The Draft Lottery Night 14:00 – Volunteering & Becoming a Combat Medic 19:30 – Arriving in Okinawa: Stump Duty 22:00 – Flying Surgical Missions Over Vietnam 28:00 – Coming Home: San Francisco Airport 35:00 – The Peace Corps & Saigon Falling 43:00 – Somalia, Kosovo & Haiti 01:08:00 – Hitting Rock Bottom & Getting Sober 01:14:00 – The Babies of Harlem Hospital 01:40:00 – PTSD, Art & Finding a Reason to Stay 👉 If you’re a Veteran struggling with VA benefits, click this link to schedule a free consultation: https://crm.zoho.com/bookings/YourFre... Disclosure: This is a referral partnership with American Medical Experts. We may receive compensation if you book through our link. ✈️ Ask A Vet is proud to partner with Utah Honor Flight, part of the National Honor Flight Network — giving veterans a free trip to Washington D.C. to visit the memorials built in their honor. To learn more or donate, visit utahonorflight.org or find your local hub at honorflight.org.