Robert K. Maddock, Jr., MD ’62, has published a second book titled, Operation Wappen: A War that Never Was. It is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and is a short war story about an ultra-secret operation that occurred in October 1957.

Maddock writes, “This is about my Marine Corps between 1956 and 1958. I was trained at Basic School, Quantico, Va., for 32 weeks in Basic Class 4-56, and then went to artillery school in Quantico VA. From there, I went to Fleet Marine Force, Camp LeJeune, NC, mostly with Fox Battery 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment and detached to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment as their artillery forward observer. I served with 3-6 during Operation Deep Water, the first helicopter landing of an intact infantry battalion ready for combat behind enemy lines. This tactic was demonstrated for NATO in September 1957. This marked the beginning of third generation warfare and the tactic has been used ever since by the Marines and Army. I then served in Operation Wappen on Oct. 17, 1957, a clandestine CIA / MI6 joint operation to overthrow the Syrian Government that was called off at the last minute by President Eisenhower. The commanding officer was Captain John S. McCain, Jr., later to become Admiral “Jack” McCain, in charge of operations in the early phases of the Viet Nam War and also the father of Senator McCain. The CO of troops was Col. Austin C. “Shifty” Shofner, the only US officer to ever escape a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp during WWII. When we participated in Operation Wappen, we had no idea of its name or the secrecy of its mission. This was later discovered and researched. Our only weapons were nuclear.”

Maddock entered the UVA School of Medicine in September 1958 and graduated in 1962.