Donnelly Wilkes M.D. - Code Red Fallujah: A Doctors Memoir at War

Advance Praise for Code Re d Fallujah

In the summer of 2008, while on a USO tour in Iraq to visit our troops, I met Lieutenant Commander Donnelly Wilkes. He was serving as a doctor with the US Navy supporting US Marines stationed in Al Qaim near the Syrian border. This was his second deployment. His first in was in 2004, attached to the 1st Marine Division during the Battle of Fallujah. In our conversation at Al-Qaim, it turned out we lived in the same area in California and years later we would bump into each other at a local restaurant. That night he reminded me that we had met in Iraq and I thanked him for serving in the Navy. Now he has written Code Red Fallujah , a memoir of his days in the service, centering on one of the most violent battles of the Iraq warthe first of two battles for Fallujah. His faith is tested, his skills as a physician are tested, his family is tested, and his love for the Marines he served with is clear and deep and Always Faithful. A powerful story based on his diaries from the front, I am thankful to support this wonderful book and applaud him for telling hi s story.

Gary Sinise, Actor, Author of Grateful American, and Founder, Gary Sinise Foundation

Stripped bare of veneer, out of the toughest fighting in Iraq, comes this moving narrative of a Navy doctor caught up in the battle of Fallujah. Assigned to a front-line Marine infantry battalion, Wilkess account reveals the human side of being tested by the rigors of war. Read this to understand the sacrifices of Americas warriors when called to stand and deliver.

General Jim Mattis, U.S. Marines (ret.) and 26th Secretary o f Defense

I was a teenager during the time of the Vietnam conflict, and only due to the fact that I had a high draft number during the lottery back then did I escape the all too real possibility that I would have ended up involved in that conflict. The awareness of that is largely responsible for why I am involved with veteran causes to the extent I am, which includes nineteen years hosting the National Memorial Day Concert in our nations capital. I do this to honor the heroics of the men and women throughout our nations history who have taken it upon themselves to serve our country, regardless of sacrifice to life and limb. Dr. Donnelly Wilkes is one such individual, and Code Red Fallujah is a vivid recount of what the sacrifices are that our men and women of the military have made and continue to make on our behalf. The recount of his experiences during this countrys conflict in the Middle East is a powerful reminder of how much we owe to those who have taken on the task as defenders of not just our country, but the hopes and dreams of freedom-loving people eve rywhere.

Joe Mante gna, Actor

As a twenty-three-year Marine Corps veteran, Im proud to endorse this work. Code Red Fallujah transports you back to a time when so many Americans, still reeling from the aftermath of 9/11, felt the call to actionto take on something larger than themselves. As this book unfolds, youll experience the adventure and chaos Lieutenant Wilkes and his battalion faced in Fallujah. Intertwined with combat action, spiritual challenges, and medical drama Code Red Fallujah is a must read. Dr. Wilkes is still taking care of Marines todayme specificallyhes my doctor! Than ks Doc!

Rob Riggle, Marine, Actor, and Comedian

A POST HILL PRESS BOOK

ISBN: 978-1-6 4293-802-9

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-6 4293-803-6

Code Red Fallujah:

A Doctors Mem oir at War

2021 by Donnelly Wi lkes, M.D.

All Right s Reserved

Cover art by Cody Corcoran

All people, locations, events, and situations are portrayed to the best of the authors memory. While all of the events described are true, many names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of the people involved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author and publisher.

Post Hill Press

New York Nashville

posthil lpress.com

Published in the United States of America

To my wi fe Katie:

They say being a military wife can be the toughest job of all

you made it look easy. Thank you for your personal sacri fice, and
devotion. Through your love and Gods grace, this work has come to life.

To my family Mike and Jan; Riley, John, Michael, Brady, Jennifer :

Im so blessed to have you in my life. Your unwaver ing faith
has helped me endure the storms of life. I love y ou all.

To the men, families, and the lost of 1st Battalion, 5th Marin es OIFII:

You are the fabric of the red, white, and blue!
You are in my hear t forever.

Contents

New Orleans, Sept 11th, 2001

The alarm sounds sharply at 5:30 a.m. My hand instinctively pounds the snooze button. Im slow to rise, but my spirits lift quickly thinking about my sunrise run down St. Charles Avenue, just a few blocks from my apartment in Uptown New Orleans. Patient rounds start at Charity Hospital at 9:00 a.m. sharp, and I have much to do before then: check in on patients, gather overnight data, and prepare my notes. Im always sharper if I can get a run in beforehand. Im in my fourth year at Tulane University School of Medicine and sixth year living in New Orleans, the city that has become my second home and truly a source of love in my life. Six years ago, I left my life in California and drove with my father and youngest brother Brady to a foreign world: New Orleans, Louisiana.

My pursuit to become a physician is in full swing; years of education and relentless applications have paid off and nothing can stop me. The city consumes me with its mystical beauty, blended cultures, exotic southern foods, and historical roots. Medicine has a deep history here, dating back to the seventeen hundreds, and the city boasts one of the oldest hospitals in America. I soak it up, every class, every textbook, and the wise professors words that lay heavy on my ears. Endless hours of study and late nights on call give me the confidence to stay on top, all of it inching me towards my dream of becoming a medic al doctor.

In my spare time I am an explorer of foods, culture, and territory. Im on my adventure and I love it. I live in three different parts of the city, work at three different restaurants, and eat things Ive never heard of: turtle soup, alligator boudin, and crawfish touffe. I explore and photograph my travels, often by myself, walking the French Quarter and driving along the bayous. I go to a cemetery, walk among aboveground tombstones, and meet a voodoo queen. After waiting tables at midnight, I hop a Mississippi paddle boat, play poker with my tip money, and drink old-fashioneds with locals until dawn. On Sunday I walk the inner city, duck into an all-black church and sing hymns as best I can. I walk the Garden District and along the levee, taking photographs as my witnessone of them sells for one hundred dollars at a coffee shop. I wade in water up to my knees during Hurricane Mitch, dance in the end zone at the Louisiana Superdome, and get held up at gunpoint on St. Charles Avenue, escaping unscathed. I deliver a baby in the Louisiana boondocks, escort a southern princess to a debutante ball, and walk eight miles in a crawfish suit at a Mardi Gras parade. I never hesitate or question my place; it is where I am suppo sed to be.

Finally, Im a breath away from my medical degree, finishing my final rotations as a fourth-year medical student. Life is good. The Navy granted me a full scholarship to pay for medical school and I am selected for my choice of residency at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton upon graduation. In return, I owe them seven years of active duty service. In peacetime, this will involve three years working at a naval hospital, followed by four years of active duty service. My active duty time will either be stateside with the Marines or on a Navy ship in the Pacific. In both cases, I will likely only deploy for seven to ten monthsan easy commitment by military standards. During the summer breaks, I attend field medical school and officer training in Newport, Rhode Island; its the Navys version of boot camp for officers, preparing me to be a Naval officer and an expert in combat medicine.