Code Red Fallujah: A Doctor’s Memoir at War

Donnelly Wilkes M.D.

mar 2021 · Post Hill Press

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On the night of April 4th, 2004, 1st Marine Expeditionary Forces launch a major assault on the city of Fallujah. U.S. Navy Lieutenant Donnelly Wilkes’s battalion leads the assault into Fallujah as he is positioned with Navy Corpsmen and Marines at the tactical highway intersection called “The Cloverleaf.” Rarely have U.S. military physicians been so close to combat in a major conflict as they were in the chaotic, embattled streets of Fallujah—Code Red Fallujah will take you there.

Sharing the harrowing entries from his field diary, Wilkes becomes the first-ever Navy physician to recount the sights and sounds of one of the most violent events of the entire Iraq War. In heart-pounding detail, he divulges his struggles to save wounded warriors amidst rockets landing close enough to knock him off his feet. When Wilkes—fresh out of medical school—is suddenly thrust into this war zone, his skills, his faith, and his ability to endure are all put to the test. Code Red Fallujah is the firsthand narrative of Wilkes’s role in the Battle of Fallujah, scintillating combat trauma, and the spiritual challenges that pierced his journey.

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Donnelly Wilkes, M.D. is a California native. He is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. Dr. Wilkes obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Irvine, and his medical degree from Tulane School of Medicine on a full Navy Scholarship. Following medical school, Wilkes was commissioned in the U.S. Navy, completed residency training in family medicine at the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, and served seven years on active duty. Wilkes served two combat tours in Iraq in 2004 and 2008 and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Valor for his actions in the battle of Fallujah in April of 2004. He finished his Naval career as the Senior Medical Officer at Port Hueneme Naval Clinic, where he was responsible for the medical oversight of active duty members, their families, and local Veterans. Upon completion of his Naval service, Dr. Wilkes was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant Commander and opened Wilkes Family Medicine in August of 2009. He is now the president and medical director of Summit Health Group in Thousand Oaks, California. Dr. Wilkes is a devoted husband, father, and Christian.