Overview

Wallace Harry Graham spent the majority of his youth in Kansas City, Missouri. At an early age he decided to pursue a degree in medicine. While completing his degree, Wallace Graham married his childhood sweetheart, Velma Hill, and began his military involvement while in ROTC. When called to active duty, he served as a field surgeon until the end of the war, when he was requisitioned to become Truman's physician. His military career took him to Washington D.C. and he advanced to the rank of Major General before he returned to Kansas City to practice medicine and raise his family. As told by Von V. Pittman in the book's introduction, In late 1942, fifteen thousand American soldiers crammed together on the Queen Mary, headed for England to train and assemble for the D-Day attack on the Normandy coast. Near the end of their voyage, General George S. Patton came aboard to deliver an assertive discourse about the German army they would soon face. Captain Wallace H. Graham, a doctor assigned to the 24th Evacuation Hospital, found Patton's speech valuable, particularly his emphasis on relentless pursuit. Most of the American troops were skeptical, however, when Patton recounted stories about atrocities the Wehrmacht had visited upon opponents and civilians. But Graham says he knew them not only to be true, but an inevitability, part of the Hell he and his comrades would soon face. Before leaving Europe at the end of World War II, Wallace Graham would somehow catch the eye of President Harry Truman, who asked him to become his personal physician. He would become a sort of medical diplomat, attending to the ailments of several world leaders or members of their families. And he would serve as Harry and Bess Truman's personal physician until both of their deaths. This volume is an extraordinary account of a doctor's first-hand observation of the build-up to history's largest war, then his participation in its resolution.

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9781942168935

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Reviews

We never forget how he [Wallace H. Graham] stood up for my dad (Ken Fujii) against the racist slurs [in the 1930s], but that was just the kind of man he was. . . . I'm savoring every page. --Jocelyn Fujii, Author, Under the Hula Moon and Stories of Aloha. The book is amazing, as was [Wallace H. Graham]. I have already read four chapters. I love your [Heather Graham Foote] essays to introduce and wrap it up, and the historian's [Von V. Pittman] view is so interesting and provides context for the non-historians such as myself. ...As well as informative, intriguing, and fascinating, the book is beautiful. The layout makes it so readable and the photos are fantastic. --Martha Moore Davis, Ed.D., Author, Sarah Seasons: An Amish Diary and Conversation I really enjoyed not only learning about his life and experiences overseas, but enjoyed the way he wrote and thought about things. His telling of Patton's speech and details about the wartime experience were amazing. It was a joy learning more about an amazing man during an important time in our history. --Patrick R. Sarver, MBA, MA I came across a passage which was classically Dr. Graham. This covered his time at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, which caused him to reflect on how unjustly Geronimo and the Apache were treated. The words used were those which I could hear [Dr. Graham's voice] as truly coming from him: Simple, direct, and unvarnished yet with clear sympathy. --Winston Ueno, M.D. I was just enthralled with the sections on World War II and all that Wallace accomplished--he deserves the term 'hero.' Of course he presented it all humbly, as he has done about his life's successes at all stages in this telling. --Shirley A. Hill, Ph.D.

Author Information

Wallace Harry Graham spent the majority of his youth in Kansas City, Missouri. At an early age he decided to pursue a degree in medicine. While completing his degree, Wallace Graham married his childhood sweetheart, Velma Hill, and began his military involvement while in ROTC. When called to active duty, he served as a field surgeon until the end of the war, when he was requisitioned to become Truman's physician. His military career took him to Washington D.C. and he advanced to the rank of Major General before he returned to Kansas City to practice medicine and raise his family. Truman also retired to Kansas City after his presidency, and Dr. Graham was his physician until Truman's death. Heather Foote, the author's daughter grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. She earned an degree in nursing and is a Registered Nurse. Heather is also a renowned sculptor and artist, and bagpiper. She and her husband, Jerry Foote are retired and live in Central Missouri. Von Pittman earned two masters degrees and a PhD in History from the University of Georgia. He was Director and then Associate Dean of continuing Education at the University of Iowa. He is author of a short story collection, and a lover of books. Von and his wife live in Central Missouri.

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