By Khassan Baiev (with Ruth and
Nicholas Daniloff)
320 pages
Published by Walker & Company

A while back, I received an e-mail from a friend who was so moved by Dr. Khassan Baiev’s memoir, “The Oath: A Surgeon Under Fire,” he felt compelled to recommend it to his list of contacts.  I made a mental note of the title and added it to my queue of books to read, but didn’t get an opportunity to open the memoir until recently.  I couldn’t put the book down, and it has been on my mind ever since.

On the surface, “The Oath” is a roller coaster ride of a tale that follows Baiev, a thirty-something Chechen surgeon, through six years of treating men, women, and children in the Chechen-Russian war to his eventual escape to the United States in 2000.
Baiev writes openly about the horrors he experienced while under attack in Chechnya, and many images he paints in his memoir are enough to bring tears to your eyes.  One memorable moment was a description of Russian soldiers throwing a newborn baby in the air and using it as target practice.  Stories like this one fill many pages of the book, too many to pass offhandedly.
More than just a heart-wrenching war story, however, “The Oath” is a reminder of how war brings out the best and worst in people.  Obviously, accounts of pure evil are easy to find, but Baiev is a living example of what happens when good people take a stand against oppressive powers.
Baiev, who studied medicine at the Medical Institute in Moscow (a rare privilege for a Chechen even before the war), refuses to leave his family in Chechnya despite several warnings to run away.  Realizing that his services are needed too urgently by the innocent civilians pouring into the local hospital, Baiev works under perilous conditions to save the lives of tens of thousands of refugees.  Often, operations take place without electricity, running water, or proper medical equipment.  When the hospital is demolished, Baiev runs a small clinic in his village, treating anyone who needs medical attention — including Russians.
In the long run, Baiev’s commitment to the Hippocratic Oath, which promises to help all in need regardless of race, religion, or background, is what forces his eventual fleeing to the United States.  Branded a traitor by Chechen extremists for treating Russians and a terrorist by Russian forces for treating Chechen fighters, Baiev has no choice but to escape with his wife and six children.  Even after his presumed escape, Baiev continues to struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, an unfortunate parting token from the war.
Baiev writes openly about his experiences, even admitting to certain actions he hid for years, like helping a Russian doctor flee Chechnya on the eve of this doctor’s execution.  Baiev even describes moments when he was kidnapped, beaten, and almost killed on a number of occasions. Reading his memoir, you’ll find yourself wondering how people can inflict so much suffering on other human beings.
“The Oath: A Surgeon Under Fire” has haunted me at random moments in the day.  Most of the time, I recall the book and give a prayer of thanks to God for sheltering me and my family from the horrors of war.  I marvel at individuals like Baiev, who sacrificed his safety and sanity to treat suffering Chechens for six years of war, a war that killed a staggering 20 percent of that Muslim country’s population.