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by J. Scott Henning (Author)
Dr. J. Scott Henning never expected to become a combat physician.
After fifteen years in the U.S. Army, his medical career carried him from the routines of primary care and dermatology to the controlled chaos of the 86th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad. Amid mass casualties, incoming rockets, and impossible decisions, medicine became immediate, unforgiving, and deeply human.
Part memoir and part professional reflection, Skin Deep offers a rare insider's perspective on military medicine during the Iraq War. Henning chronicles the uncertainty, dark humor, camaraderie, and quiet heroism that define life inside a combat hospital, while revealing how physicians adapt when every decision carries extraordinary consequences.
Yet the greatest challenges begin after the deployment ends. Returning home, Henning confronts the gradual emergence of post-traumatic stress, discovering that the memories of war continue to shape family life, medical practice, and personal identity long after the uniform is put away.
Honest, reflective, and deeply personal, Skin Deep is a memoir about service, resilience, and the unseen cost of caring for others in the most demanding of circumstances.
