This study of French military medical cooperation missions argues that the violence often experienced by French doctors in conflict zones in the 1970s was mainly the result of their vulnerable position as both military personnel and “humanitarian” provider. They enjoy little or no protection under the principle of medical neutrality and are caught up in a duel of loyalties arising from their dual status as doctors and soldiers. More broadly, this article contributes to understand the progressive rise of AoH before the ‘paradigm shift’ in the mid 2000-2010s. It describes the isolation and difficulties healthcare workers faced in the 1970s in seeking the protections afforded by the Geneva and the Hague Conventions.