Paul-Henri Grauwin (1914–1989) was a medical doctor who served with the French Army. He most notably commanding the "Mobile Surgical Unit" during the prolonged Battle of Dien Bien Phu, after which he was taken prisoner and briefly held captive by the Viet Minh.
Of Flemish background, Grauwin served as a surgeon during the Second World War.
During the course of the First Indochina War, the French had established a base at Dien Bien Phu in late 1953. Dr. Grauwin, holding the rank of major, arrived in February 1954 to take charge of the 42-bed hospital unit there, conducting triage for evacuation and operating when necessary.After the Viet Minh siege began in early March, Dr. Grauwin was kept busy with large numbers of casualties that flooded his surgical bunker. While the airstrip at the base was still in use, he evacuated many of the injured back to Hanoi. Grauwin soon found his facilities overwhelmed with casualties who had to be put in the halls. In one night, he and another surgeon amputated twenty-three limbs, plastered fifteen fractures, and repaired numerous other wounds: ten abdominal, ten chest, and two cranial. At other times, shelling killed those waiting for medical attention.By the end of March Grauwin's hospital consisted of six shelters with 250 beds. Supplies dropped from the air included the contents of a United States field hospital with pajamas, sheets, cots, and vials of antibiotics. He also received two new aides, a Private Fleury and Geneviève de Galard In the last week of April, with the airstrip no longer usable, Grauwin's hospital contained more than one thousand wounded, and he had begun using some of the women from the base's brothels as medical orderlies.By the end of the battle in May, Grauwin had more than 1,300 wounded in the makeshift wards of his hospital, and deprived by the shelling of electricity, was forced to operate by candlelight. With the fall of the base on May 7, he was taken into captivity by the Viet Minh.
Grauwin remained in captivity until June 1, when he and other French medical officers were exchanged for several hundred Vietnamese prisoners.In 1954, Grauwin published a memoir entitled J'étais médecin à Diên Biên Phu, which was translated into English in 1955 with the title Doctor at Dien Bien Phu.
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Some of their strengths
Paul-Henri Grauwin has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Intuitive, Loyal, Intense, Smart, Sophisticated, Passionate, and Charming.
Intuitive and Imaginative
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Paul-Henri Grauwin is someone who is a highly intuitive, creative and imaginative person who is very loyal, caring and compassionate to others. A person who looks for jobs that tend to reflect their identity.
Passionate and Intense
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Paul-Henri Grauwin well know them as someone who can be passionate, proud, and intense, like the sun or a blazing fire.
Productive and Perseverent
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Paul-Henri Grauwin as someone who is productive, persevering, deliberate, and direct.
A person who is creative, has good luck with work and money, good listening skills, good relationships with people at work, is a good teacher or counselor, and who is good at organizing groups, teams, or causes.
Justice-seeking and Insightful
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Paul-Henri Grauwin is someone who tends to be intolerant of unfairness in life, and who has an uncanny ability to reveal the truth in any situation.
They are also someone who is curious, dynamic, and positive, and who enjoys inspiring and communicating with other people.
Traditional and Patient
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Paul-Henri Grauwin tends to be someone who is a patient person that is very emotional, has a very sharp memory, has an ability to understand people, and who tends to be traditional and frugal.
Some of Paul-Henri Grauwin's challenges
While Paul-Henri Grauwin has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Paul-Henri Grauwin can be Emotional, Stubborn, Materialistic, Standoffish, Difficult, Perfectionist, and Hypocritical.
Emotional and Standoffish
One of Paul-Henri Grauwin's key challenges is that they are someone who can be emotional and standoffish.
Possessive and Stubborn
Paul-Henri Grauwin is someone who can be possessive, jealous, inflexible, and stubborn, can have a habit of being a frivolous spender, and who can feel insecure or cynical in romantic relationships and have difficulty forming productive personal and professional partnerships.
Sensitive and Money-oriented
Finally, Paul-Henri Grauwin also can have mood swings, be overly sensititive, and be a bit rigid and materialistic.