Bob Marrino, the narrator, is a medical technician assigned to various scouting expeditions in the jungle. His story is factually told with no holds barred. No soldier can face death without being affected by guilt and remorse. The terminology common to a soldier’s life is explained in a chapter at the end of the book.  

BULLETS AND BANDAGES should have been required reading for the protestors and news anchors of the 1960s and 1970s. It depicts a series of episodes in the life of an Army Medic stationed in Vietnam when actions were at their most dangerous times. Unlike the pictures presented at the time by the media, the book told of the problems faced by military personnel assigned to fight the Viet Cong, and the heartbreaks suffered from the loss of comrades.