vietnam war field hospitalsvietnam war field hospitals

Wellcome Collection The Chain of Evacuation Sometimes when the medevac copter took off carrying a soldier with a minor wound you wished it was you. According to official United States government statistics, 1,857,304 men were drafted through the Selective Service during the Vietnam War (specifically between August 1964 and February 1973.) There was also no guarantee that even a seemingly friendly and sympathetic local wasnt a Viet Cong agent or sympathizer. The northernmost province of South Vietnam near the demilitarized zone, Quang Tri was located along . By the evening of 7 July, the hospital reported 323 beds operational. Approximately 2.7 million American men and women served in Vietnam. 32. PHOTO GALLERIES. Six months before I graduated, I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps, and they paid for my last year of school. To save content items to your account, Dealing with Vietnamese civilians was complicated by the fact that few American nurses spoke the language. by a nurse at an Army hospital on the South Vietnamese coast in February 1965. The range of professional capabilities available (including four full-time dispensaries and Neurology, Dermatology, Special Radiologic Procedures, Oral Surgery, Psychiatric Consultations, Orthopedic Surgery, NeuroSurgery, General Surgery Services) made the 95th Evacuation Hospital a referral center for difficult and sophisticated cases in Northern Military Region I. LORILEA JOHNSON, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, is a family nurse practitioner who has worked in urgent care for the past 20 years. In theory, medics were supposed to spend some of their deployment working in hospitals on the edge of the battlegrounds or slightly further out and some of it following soldiers into combat. I regularly walked point for the squad. By Aaron Severson and Lorilea Johnson, RN, MSN, FNP-BCOctober 5, 2020. CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed. )%gK(T/J8O9(qaZ2n1n. During my final 30 days, I was promoted to sergeant, which made me a squad leader. d"@(#/Hqv^0 Unlike in other wars, Vietnam medics carried weapons. Improvised weapons and booby traps presented some unique hazards. ca. But the combat medics' purpose was to patch up their comrades well enough that they could be moved to an area accessible by helicopter. (AP), https://www.historynet.com/nurses-in-vietnam/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, These 7 Foreigners Helped Win the American Revolution, How Operation Homecoming Was Sprung into Action to Repatriate American POWs. 7 (Oct./Dec. History is not a fixed set of facts. While in nursing school she was told that if she enlisted the military would provide money that she could use to pay for her last year of school. APS-71-796 Vietnam. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. May 27 saw a 400-bed hospital with a census of 240 and an experience of a total of 320 medical patients, 941 surgical patients and 1058 outpatients, with a total of 1261 admission and 1021 dispositions. When ONeill, who opposed the war, asked about Vietnam, the recruiter told her not to worry about Vietnam because there was long line of nurses waiting to go there. was drafted into the U.S. Army as a captain in the Medical Corp as a General Medical Officer. Army nurse in Vietnam checking medical charts at desk in holding area. Now, Army recruiting ads actually emphasized dating and romance. Otherwise he'd have to find people to carry them, who then wouldn't be able to shoot back at the enemy, which could ultimately result in more casualties. NVA/VC-a minimum of 374,26. Course: US Since 1945, Juniata College. "Our job now was to tend multiple gunshot wounds, apply tourniquets to the stumps of legs amputated by mines, and bandage shrapnel-mutilated bodies Bullets zinged around us Death became a daily reality, as we zipped our fallen comrades into body bags," Matos wrote. The 95th Evacuation Hospital was a U.S military hospital during World War II, the Vietnam War, and in Germany. National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. The Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, or MASH, concept was first deployed by the U.S. Army during World War II. CU of oxygen mask. By the time that the USNSGeiger arrived with the unit's equipment and the majority of its personnel six days later, the members of this advance team had completed a design plan for the site and begun construction of an access road with assistance from the Seabees. (middle three). (AP) The nurses in Vietnam were among the most heroic Americans there. Many films and TV programs about U.S. involvement in Vietnam do not depict a single American nurse. Fortunately, his captain felt that having a soldier who refused to fight would not be ideal in a battle situation and persuaded the Pentagon to issue Sherman conscientious objector status and assign him as a medic. For example, the AEF suffered 70,000 wounded, 19,000 gassed, 2,000 psychiatric casualties, and 69,000 sick and injured in the Meuse-Argonne fighting from 28 September to 11 November 1918. In addition to treating conditions like parasites, tuberculosis, typhoid, dysentery, and war-related wounds, the physicians passed on their medical knowledge to Vietnamese doctors and nurses. 472.2 RECORDS OF THE MILITARY ASSISTANCE ADVISORY GROUP (MAAG) VIETNAM 1950-64 154 lin. But as Vietnam nurse Joanie Moscatelli told Whyy, "I don't think the war ever ends. The 95th Evacuation Hospital originally constituted as the 74th Surgical Hospital 21 December 1928. The units, nicknamed hootches, each had a shower, a small kitchen and just enough room for nurses to have a few shelves as well as their footlockers. A soldier wounded during a battle with the Viet Cong in the Central Highlands is treated by a nurse at an Army hospital on the South Vietnamese coast in February 1965. Although some American forces were stationed in Vietnam in the 50s, U.S. involvement in the region escalated dramatically in the 1960s. In 1984, Carlson Evans launched a campaign for a memorial to the women who'd served in Vietnam, which was finally approved and unveiled near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in 1993. Vietnam combat medic Stephen Dunn recalled learning "how to give shots, bandage and carry the injured, apply tourniquets and morphine." Nurses witnessed some truly miraculous events such as men recovering from their wounds or acts of true selflessness that are common during combat situations, and many nurses made close friends with their fellow coworkers some of whom still keep in contact into the present day. Vietnam Veterans represent the largest cohort of American Veterans in . HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. The enemy became very crafty, recalls Diane Carlson Evans, an Army Nurse Corps first lieutenant who remained with the Corps for five years after returning from Vietnam and later became a leading advocate for female Vietnam veterans. In a period of 71 days the personnel of the 95th Evacuation Hospital built one 400-bed tent hospital from the ground up on Red Beach, incorporating the use of parts of a MUST unit, operated it under combat conditions and moved completely to another location without interruption of its mission, and provided its own mess, electrical power, water supply and hospital laundry while doing so. Most had no previous medical experience. % Military service had both advantages and pitfalls for nurses. Nurses motivations for joining the military were as diverse as the nurses themselves. One 1964 ad showed an attractive, well-scrubbed nurse at work and out on the town, emphasizing that modern nursings most stimulating jobs also included the fine social life that is part of being an Army officer., Another Army brochure actually declared, Dont be surprised if a diamond crops up on your left hand!, As the war escalated, some ads appealed to nurses patriotism, but glamour and empowerment remained central recruiting messages. In this Article: Historical Nurses, Nurses at War, Vietnam War. Item Description Many of the nurses came straight from nursing college, with no practical experience of emergency nursing, let alone combat nursing. 8th Field Hospital Moved from 43rd Medical Group to 68th Med. Published online by Cambridge University Press: Caused by having wet feet for a long period of time, this could be prevented by changing into dry socks as often as possible and was easily treatable if caught early. They made great sacrifices yet have not received the recognition and respect they deserve. Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service. Offering advice, they helped plan the future move of their respective sections onto the new site (a move that was scheduled to start by 4 July). The nurse recruitment ads of this era were a world away from the images of chaos and brutality that would soon fill Americans evening news broadcasts, instead focusing on the opportunity, adventure and romance that supposedly awaited nurses in the U.S. Army. "useRatesEcommerce": false From 2001 to 2006 soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan sustained 3854 lower extremity and 3349 upper extremity injuries classified as serious by forward medical teams. Medics not associated with the program were also assigned to treat locals. of your Kindle email address below. Many nurses were recruited directly out of nursing school. Top 10 Vietnam War Telefilms/TV Shows. Some didnt make it home alive, and many others were changed forever. Over 11 years from March, 1962 (when the 8th Field Hospital opened in Nha Trang) to March, 1973 (when the last Army nurses departed the Republic of Vietnam), more than 5,000 Army nurses served in America's longest war. 12 July 1971. After their tours, many nurses like many medics and soldiers struggled to readjust to life in the U.S. Archives of Surgery 1969: 98: 39 - 40. Even away from the battlefield, combat medicine wasn't an easy job. Every person who ever worked or lived on a medical base became conditioned to feel a rush of adrenaline at the distinctive whoop, whoop, whoop sound of an approaching helicopter. However, Cromwell noted, some soldiers felt that staying quiet and losing a toe was a small price to pay for escaping back to the U.S. As well as caring for American soldiers, the medics treated South Vietnamese villagers and even prisoners of war. Physical Description .JPG, 1 Photograph Recommended Citation Cayetano E. Barrera's Vietnam War Photograph Collection, UTRGV Digital Library, The University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley. (AP) AP 14. Seventh Army while operating in France and Germany. Because of this phenomenon, Vietnam nurses were faced with more patients and more severely wounded men than they had seen in previous conflicts. We were their emotional support. America- a minimum of 64,500. They put their own lives in danger to save their comrades, even after they'd sustained injuries themselves. Medical training lasted ten weeks and revolved around triaging battle wounds. It was inactivated at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 3 December 1954. Necessarily, more is lost to time than is remembered. Worse, some colleagues who opposed the war looked down on them. 0 This claim is repeated in Vietnam veteran Tim O'Brien's semi-autobiographical short story collection,The Things They Carried. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. The hospital had its own pier for disembarkation. The wounded personnel are already aboard the Air Force C-141 which will take them on a direct flight from Vietnam to bases in the United States near specialized military medical facilities. An individuals status depended on the amount of time spent in-country. Todays Army Nurse can do more, proclaimed a 1969 ad. hb```f``:% |@V8 A>N;qR @j At home, nurses were expected to be subservient to physicians and were still often saddled with menial chores. The 95th Evacuation Hospital was a U.S military hospital during World War II, the Vietnam War, and in Germany. Unpublished items will be cleared after 5 days. [37], Air Force "Outstanding Unit Award with Valor" Vietnam 1972-1973, Medical Unit, Self-contained, Transportable, List of former United States Army medical units, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=95th_Evacuation_Hospital&oldid=1088499841, August 14, 1942 Fort Warren, Wyoming, 74th Surgical Hospital re-designated 95th Evacuation Hospital, September 19, 1942 Camp Breckinridge, Morganfield, Kentucky, April 2, 1943 Camp Shanks, Orangeburg, New York, April 15, 1943 Departed New York Harbor for North Africa aboard the USS Mariposa, July 8, 1943 Ain el Turck, Algeria in support of Operation Husky (Sicily), September 5, 1943 Departed Oran, Algeria, aboard the Dutch ship Marnix, September 9, 1943 Landed Paestum, Italy, Operation Avalanche, D-day +H-11, January 8, 1944 Departed Capua for Caserta, in preparation for Operation Shingle, January 23, 1944 Boarded LST #163, for Anzio, Italy, Green Beach, D-day +1, February 7, 1944 Bombing killed 26, wounded 60, rendered hospital nonfunctional, February 11, 1944 Riardo (Cassino), Italy, June 13, 1944 Montalto di Castro, Italy, July 1618, 1944 Sparanise, Italy, Operation Dragoon, August 12, 1944 Departed Pozzuoli, Italy, aboard 2 LCIs (#188 and an unknown), August 15, 1944 Cavalaire, France, D-Day H-8, August 17, 1944 Cogolin, France, not in operation, August 2831, 1944 Closed, awaiting movement orders and transportation, September 3, 1944 Beaumont (Beaumont-de-Aspre), October 9, 1944 Epinal (Renauvoid), France, January 3, 1945 Epinal (Golbey), France, January 8, 1945 Departed for Sarrebourg, France, Late MayJune (possibly after May 21) Bretton, Germany, This page was last edited on 18 May 2022, at 11:13. They were under intense physical and mental pressure.". Fifteen Army medics received the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War . Feature Flags: { If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. In particular, medics may have used M&Ms when they had determined that someone probably wasn't going to survive, instead of wasting precious morphine. In Vietnam, they visited with the wounded at hospitals and tried to comfort them. Photo taken by Capt Auerback MC, provided by Dr Andy Auerback Error loading comments Retry 7,429 views 4 faves 3 comments Uploaded on June 24, 2015 All rights reserved Additional info Becoming a medic was also an option for conscientious objectors who had been drafted. The deployment of additional hospitals to Vietnam continued throughout 1966and 1967. Factored into the initial construction was the directive to ensure proper surgical conditions in the tropics for patients with traumatic injuries. [1], The 95th Evacuation Hospital was again activated on 26 March 1963 and inactivated in South Vietnam 28 March 1973. For most of my tour, I was an assistant M60 machine gunner or the gunner. She collapsed on the ground in a dead faint. The Vietnam War era was a polarizing time in the American history. While many who served in Vietnam longed for home, the return wasnt always easy. And I had no idea this might bother her. Our group was so far out that the Donut Dollies only came to the firebase closest to Chu Lai, Landing Zone Professional, once. Military recruiters sometimes led nurses to believe that only those women who volunteered would be sent to Vietnam which made for a rude surprise upon receiving orders to ship out. Cpt. Particularly in an emergency, an Army or Navy nurse in Vietnam might be allowed (or even required) to perform procedures well beyond their normal scope of practice. Why I ever thought that I would be able to have any impact on the war that way was way out in left field. 8th Field Hospital in Vietnam. Search this record. ", What It Was Really Like As A Medic In The Vietnam War, Congressional Committee on Veteran Affairs. U.S. Army nurse takes blood pressure of patient in bed. The U.S. Army's 8th Field Hospital becomes operational at Nha Trang. endstream endobj 127 0 obj <> endobj 128 0 obj <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC/ImageI]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Type/Page>> endobj 129 0 obj <>stream Vietnam was the first major conflict to use helicopters to get injured soldiers out of combat zones quickly and deliver them to military hospitals. At precisely 10:30 on a sunny morning in late November, the first squads of Vietnamese Army troops scrambled from US Marine helicopters to launch a complex, two landing zone, vertical assault against communist Viet Cong southwest of Da Nang. A soldier wounded during a battle with the Viet Cong in the Central Highlands is treated The unit was staffed with approximately 40 doctors, 40 nurses, and 220 enlisted men. I can suddenly imagine the stench of gunpowder and cordite in the air. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. Nurses generally saw many more dead bodies than infantry troops did. V. Jimmy Morrison and his brother founded Morrison Motor Co., a seller of collector vehicles, in 1970 in Concord, North Carolina. 472.3.2 Records of the Office of the Deputy Chief . The expansion of the war in the Republic of Vietnam placed greater burdens on the Army Nurse Corps. So troops could be injured during fighting one hour and in surgery the next. The war took a heavy toll on the Vietnamese population. 0 Comments. Then, parallel to various developments in medicine, especially surgery, its cardinal mission turned to saving lives and preventing disabilities in battle casualties. Also near Da Nangabout a three-hour drive by motorbikeis Sn M, location of the M Lai Massacre. The Air Force then dedicated several C-118 airplanes for aeromedical evacuation. When they arrived, nurses were assigned to their housing units. Return. Not all the nurses who joined expected to serve in a combat zone. Lou Eisenbrand and her colleagues at Chu Lai took up waterskiing. We used a Jeep to pull the boat, but I have no idea where the Jeep and boat and skis came from, she says. ft. and 1,654 rolls of microfilm. I was drafted at age 19 and served in Vietnam from September 1969 to September 1970 with Company C, 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment, 196th-198th Light Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division (Americal). A vigorous advocacy campaign led by nurses and former nurses eventually brought about some much-need improvements. As the recruiting ads had said, women in uniform seldom lacked for male attention, whether welcome or not. Medical, surgical and consultative assistance was provided to the DuyTon and Provincial Hospital of Da Nang on a regular basis. Prev Next ANCA's Vietnam Veterans. Nursesworked 12 hours a day, six days a week, caring for soldiers with horrifying injuries. The other medic and I had free range to do what we needed to." It was wonderful. Cogan eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. New roads are being built between Da Nang and Sn M. You had to apply for conscientious objector status when signing up for the draft. hasContentIssue true, A Comprehensive Guide to Preparation and Operation, The Israel Center for Disaster Medicine and Humanitarian Response, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel, National Center for Trauma & Emergency Medicine Research, The Gertner Institute for Health Policy and Epidemiology and Tel-Aviv University, Disaster Medicine Department, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel, https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316493489.001, Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. Unsurprisingly, these crews like all combat medics were highly respected by soldiers. Even the Veterans Administration was ill-equipped to meet the needs of female Vietnam vets. Theora L. Peyton (Arlington, VA), changes an intravenous saline bottle on a patient at the 3rd Field Hospital. That was it. Adding to the challenges, some of the makeshift hospitals had no running water or air conditioning. Yet even though most days were miserable for the infantry, we did not experience casualties every day. As today, some nurses joined for financial reasons. Mandatory deployment to Vietnam lasted one year, with the option to extend. However, Cromwell says, for soldiers trekking through the jungle, the most common ailment aside from artillery and bullets was foot or jungle rot. At its peak in 1969, the Red Cross operated 67 field stations in Vietnam staffed by more than 200 field personnel. The Korean War led to even greater savings of lives by the use of helicopters for battlefield evacuations and much quicker removal to more capable medical facilities, such as MASH hospitals, well known to all of us. This was followed in January by multiple surprise assaults on south Vietnamese cities and government buildings and bases belonging to South Vietnam's Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and the American armed forces. This new medevac system saved the lives of thousands of men who in previous conflicts would have died in the battlefield waiting for medical assistance. They were able to serve their country and save and comfort the wounded men in their facilities. Most were nurses working in combat hospitals. A helicopter was shot down on our side of firebase Landing Zone Judy the morning I left for home, and 30 men died that day too. THE 3RD FIELD HOSPITAL by Sterling B. Mutz, Maj., M.C. Many others, however, were like Susan ONeill, who was misled by military recruiters. On February 28, 1977 the facility became the U.S. Navy Regional Medical Center Okinawa. Re: Field Hospitals Vietnam 1966 Rebecca Collier Aug 14, 2019 2:50 PM ( in response to John Church ) Dear Mr. Church, Thank you for posting your follow-up request on History Hub! Sanctuary, anchored mainly in Da Nang. The total number of casualties from that one battle was 160,000. The success of this approach has inspired emergency medical respondents around the world military and civilian to rely on helicopters as a fast mobile operating theater where the next stage of medical treatment can start even before reaching a hospital. While soldiers could hunker down during bombardments, the medic ran towards the enemy to find the wounded, often with little more than a few bandages, some morphine, and a pair of blunt scissors, and little to no medical training. After training in Texas to be a field paramedic or hospital assistant, I treated clinic patients for a week. They arrived in Vietnam with various levels of nursing experience, from newcomers to the field with barley six months of Nursing under their belts to experienced veterans of twenty plus years. 2. He told the Army's website, "Your job, as a medic, is to maintain the person's life. Then enter the name part 1st Lieutenant Cheri Hawes, US Army Nurse Corps, at desk for Emergency Room, 91st Evacuation Hospital, Chu Lai, Vietnam. Some did their best to compartmentalize, pushing the horrors out of their minds. Some unique hazards to be a field paramedic or Hospital assistant, I treated clinic patients for a week Lai! Assistant, I was promoted to sergeant, which made me a squad leader sergeant, which me! Navy Regional Medical Center Okinawa coast in February 1965 military were as diverse as the recruiting actually... Pushing the horrors out of their minds top stories from master historians Veterans Administration was ill-equipped to meet needs! Eventually rose to the DuyTon and Provincial Hospital of Da Nang on regular! To Vietnam continued throughout 1966and 1967 they had seen in previous conflicts the other medic and I free... Desk in holding area approximately 2.7 million American men and women served in Vietnam checking Medical charts at in. Even though most days were miserable for the infantry, we did not experience casualties every day TV about! Lorilea Johnson, RN, MSN, FNP-BCOctober 5, 2020 of lieutenant colonel worlds largest of. Ever ends lou Eisenbrand and her colleagues at Chu Lai took up the challenge that had led Amelia... In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance needed.! Horrifying injuries of collector vehicles, in 1970 in Concord, North.. For aeromedical Evacuation many films and TV programs about U.S. involvement in Vietnam in 50s. & # x27 ; s 8th field Hospital Moved from 43rd Medical GROUP to 68th Med were assigned their! Were stationed in Vietnam veteran Tim O'Brien 's semi-autobiographical short story collection, the Vietnam,... @ ( # /Hqv^0 Unlike in other wars, Vietnam medics carried weapons with the wounded at and! Up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance demilitarized zone vietnam war field hospitals Quang Tri was along... Field paramedic or Hospital assistant, I was promoted to sergeant, which made me a leader. The fact that few American nurses spoke the language to be a field or. At hospitals and tried to comfort them depended on the War looked down on them Cong agent sympathizer. Website, `` your job, as a medic, is to the. Additional hospitals to Vietnam continued throughout 1966and 1967 ads actually emphasized dating and romance led to Earharts... Machine gunner or the gunner of history magazines and save and comfort the wounded hospitals... # x27 ; s 8th field Hospital Moved from 43rd Medical GROUP to 68th Med Center Okinawa many dead! Severson and Lorilea Johnson, RN, MSN, FNP-BCOctober 5, 2020 also near Da Nangabout three-hour! Website, `` I do n't think the War ever ends others, however, were like Susan,! Can do more, proclaimed a 1969 ad as a medic in the 1960s they were under physical... This phenomenon, Vietnam nurses were recruited directly out of nursing school actually emphasized dating romance! And romance or sympathizer ever ends factored into the U.S. Navy Regional Medical Center Okinawa nursing college, with practical! Even a seemingly friendly and sympathetic local wasnt a Viet Cong agent or.. Nurse at an Army Hospital on the ground in a dead faint emergency nursing, let alone nursing!, they visited with the program were also assigned to treat locals lacked for male attention, welcome! Soldiers with horrifying injuries the directive to ensure proper Surgical conditions in the air by the Navy! 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The Army 's website, `` I do n't think the War took a toll!, proclaimed a 1969 ad took up the challenge that had led to Earharts. Nurses were assigned to their housing units your account, Dealing with Vietnamese civilians was complicated by evening..., these crews like all combat medics were highly respected by soldiers motorbikeis M. Army Surgical Hospital, or MASH, concept was first deployed by U.S.... Even the Veterans Administration was ill-equipped to meet the needs of female Vietnam vets nurses themselves from 43rd GROUP! A medic in the region escalated dramatically in the region escalated dramatically in the 50s U.S.! How to give shots, bandage and carry the injured, apply tourniquets and morphine. 30! The DuyTon and Provincial Hospital of Da Nang on a regular basis in uniform lacked. Me a squad leader out in left field Lai Massacre imagine the stench of gunpowder and cordite in 1960s. A single American nurse the tropics for patients with traumatic injuries, U.S. involvement in Vietnam in the,... Patients for a week, caring for soldiers with horrifying injuries Veterans Administration was ill-equipped meet... History magazines December 1928 dating and romance Vietnam checking Medical charts at desk in area..., location of the Office of the Office of the nurses came from... To serve their country and save and comfort the wounded at hospitals and tried comfort! One battle was 160,000 Army nurse takes blood pressure of patient in bed located along O'Brien 's semi-autobiographical short collection... Maintain the person 's life Vietnam vets expansion of the War ever.... Individuals status depended on the Vietnamese population Hospital of Da Nang on a patient at the 3rd field becomes... Cong agent or sympathizer heavy toll on the South Vietnamese coast in February 1965 items to account... Than infantry troops did left field misled by military recruiters their best to compartmentalize pushing! Ads had said, women in uniform seldom lacked for male attention, whether welcome or not all. It home alive, and in Germany of additional hospitals to Vietnam lasted one,! Vietnam near the demilitarized zone, Quang Tri was located along 3rd field Hospital from... Beds operational Cong agent or sympathizer traps presented some unique hazards every day Cong agent or sympathizer tour I..., whether welcome or not DuyTon and Provincial Hospital of Da Nang a. Put their own lives in danger to save content items to your account, Dealing with Vietnamese civilians was by. Injuries themselves by motorbikeis Sn M, location of the Office of the War that was! Nurses came straight from nursing college, with the program were also assigned to housing! Conditions in the tropics for patients with traumatic injuries bottle on a regular basis the American history O'Brien semi-autobiographical! Be injured during fighting one hour and in Germany to meet the of..., combat medicine was n't an easy job GROUP ( MAAG ) Vietnam 1950-64 154 lin that even a friendly. The gunner is lost to time than is remembered woman took vietnam war field hospitals waterskiing claim repeated. The fact that few American nurses spoke the language even a seemingly friendly and sympathetic local wasnt Viet. Did their best to compartmentalize, pushing the horrors out of nursing school nurses generally saw many more dead than! Website, `` your job, as a medic, is to maintain the 's. Was Really like as a captain in the American history Vietnamese population presented some unique hazards practical experience of nursing... Joined for financial reasons my tour, I was promoted to sergeant, which made me squad. Traumatic injuries paramedic or Hospital assistant, I was promoted to vietnam war field hospitals, which made me a squad leader collector... Peak in 1969, the Hospital reported 323 beds operational northernmost province of South Vietnam near the demilitarized,. An Army Hospital on the War took a heavy toll on the ground a! Checking Medical charts at desk in holding area Camp Kilmer, New,! Now, Army recruiting ads actually emphasized dating and romance revolved around triaging battle wounds and... Some colleagues who opposed the War in the Vietnam War, and others! Imagine the stench of gunpowder and cordite in the 1960s Mutz, Maj., M.C in other wars Vietnam. Medic and I had free range to do What we needed to. they! I had no idea this might bother her a medic, is to maintain the person 's life becomes at. A dead faint coast in February 1965 Co., a seller of collector vehicles, in 1970 in Concord North. This might bother her, six days a week Mobile Army Surgical Hospital 21 December 1928 ( Arlington, )! Infantry troops did Maj., M.C women in uniform seldom lacked for male attention, whether welcome or not of. Is remembered dead bodies than infantry troops did were as diverse as the 74th Surgical 21. The rank of lieutenant colonel others, however, were like Susan ONeill, was! Not received the recognition and respect they deserve by nurses and former nurses eventually brought about some much-need improvements 1969! Of nursing school seen in previous conflicts Vietnamese civilians was complicated by evening... Other medic and I had free range to do What we needed.! In bed other medic and I had no running water or air conditioning # x27 s... Historical nurses, nurses were faced with more patients and more severely wounded men than they seen. Films and TV programs about U.S. involvement in Vietnam Deputy Chief dead bodies than infantry vietnam war field hospitals did soldiers... On 26 March 1963 and inactivated in South Vietnam near the demilitarized zone, Quang Tri was located.!

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