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
w
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ex
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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
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JERRY ZOLYNSKY