18 | NOVEMBER 5 • 2020 

IN 
THE
JEWS D
ON THE COVER

Armored Calvary Division 
had three physicians under his 
charge, and he was one of them. 
That commander was Col. 
George Smith Patton, son of the 
legendary WWII Gen. George 
S. Patton Jr. “I remembered he 
carried his dad’
s ivory-handled 
pistol,
” Gold said. 
As a captain in the U.S. Army 
Medical Corp, Gold spent the 
majority of his year in Vietnam 
in harm’
s way, typically posi-
tioned just behind the fighting. 
If the wounded weren’
t acces-
sible to treat from his armored 
personnel carrier, he would 
be dropped into the action by 
helicopter. 
For his courageous service, 
this “Gold” would be decorated 
with bronze and silver.
His Bronze Medal 
citation, awarded for 
exemplary action in a 
combat zone, spoke to 
the ingenuity and brav-
ery he brought to his 
missions: “Captain Gold 
distinguished himself by 
exceptionally meritorious 
service … against a hostile 
force. To further improve 
medical assistance for 

troops in the field, he devised 
a program whereby he traveled 
to an area of contact while his 
medical staff remained behind 
preparing the medical aid sta-
tion.
”
Gold’
s heroic actions upon 
his arrival to an area under 
heavy enemy fire on June 28, 
1968, earned him the U.S. 
Armed Forces’
 third-highest 
decoration — a Silver Star. As a 
brigadier general documented 
in the letter of commendation 
for the award: “Captain Gold, 
totally disregarding his own 
safety, leaped from his helicop-
ter and ran across a minefield 
through intense hostile fire … 
completely ignoring shouted 
warnings concerning the pres-
ence of mines.
”
The announcement further 
said that Gold “fearlessly went 
from one injured soldier to the 
next. Captain Gold’
s unwaver-
ing devotion to duty, courage 
and disregard for his personal 
safety … were in keeping with 
the highest traditions of the 
military service and reflect great 
credit upon himself, his unit 
and the U.S. Army.
”
When not on the front 
lines, Gold participated in a 
Medical Civic Action Program 
(MEDCAP), which occa-
sionally found him treating 
the Montagnards, a village of 
Vietnamese tribesmen.
“We treated people with all 
kinds of diseases and gave vac-
cinations,
” he said, “while at the 
same time, Army intelligence 
people would be talking to the 
local leaders to find out infor-
mation about the Viet Cong.
” 
The villagers showed their 
appreciation by making Gold a 
musical instrument out of tree 
bark which he displays at his 
home.
Before I delve into Dr. Larry 

continued from page 17

this “Gol

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1. Dr. Paul Gold and Dr. Joel Leib look over some photos from their days in Vietnam. 2. Dr. Paul Gold holding tin 

cup at jeep, 11 Armored Calvary Base Camp near Saigon, Republic of South Vietnam, Oct. 1967. 3. Dr. Joel Leib 

at his radiology office desk at the 332nd Medical Dispensary on the Long Binh Post, Republic of South Vietnam

4. Dr. Arnold Leshman, receiving Bronze Star, Long Binh, Republic of South Vietnam, April 1968. 5. Dr. Larry 

Blau, 3rd Field Hospital, Saigon, Republic of South Vietnam, 1969.

SP5 EDGAR H. M. PRICE- COURTESY OF LESHMAN FAMILY

COURTESY OF DR. BLAU

COURTESY OF DR. PAUL GOLD

COURTESY OF DR. LEIB

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2

3

4

5

JERRY ZOLYNSKY

