A Legacy of Lessons Learned: Landstuhl Regional Medical Center During Wartime, 2001–2014. Karen Hennessy. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2017.

A Legacy of Lessons Learned by Karen Hennessy is a mix of history and organizational practice focused on the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), the largest US military medical facility in Europe. Before September 11, 2001, LRMC was a general care hospital for US military personnel and their families stationed in Europe. As troops were distributed to parts of the Middle East, Europe, and Africa in conflicts following September 11, 2001, LRMC developed into a premier trauma center caring for service members wounded in US military conflicts and then evacuated to LRMC. LRMC became a transition point for wounded and critically ill soldiers evacuated from their deployment, with approximately 20 percent of patients being returned to duty while many injured patients were transported on to facilities in the United States within 96 hours of arrival at LRMC.

Each chapter of the book focuses on one of the aspects or departments of LRMC, its development between 2001 to 2014, and how these moving parts fit together to provide a holistic care service for wounded warriors. Some departments were set up during the transition to supporting war effort, such as the liaison support role for each wounded warrior and the Wounded Warrior Finance Office. Background is provided with each chapter, implementation methods are discussed (including job description and requirements for department positions), and successes and challenges are listed for review.

Each chapter also features photographs, organizational charts, workflow charts, and maps or forms to illustrate work processes. One example is the LRMC Traumatic Brain Injury Program Patient Screening Questionnaire in the chapter 5, “Traumatic Brain Injury.” The book relies heavily on the use of acronyms, and it provides a helpful list of acronyms prior to the index.

This work will be useful to those interested in medical practices in large organizations. The book also provides an interesting look at merging organizational and command structures between military branches as well as coordinating with medical facilities in the continental United States and other medical treatment facilities across military theaters. The book maintains a technical focus, but it also includes quotes and stories from soldiers and LRMC personnel that demonstrate the core feeling of LRMC as a place of care and human connection.—Amanda Homce, Indiana University Bloomington