RVN Notes July 4, 2017 Wallagrass, Maine
I served in RVN from July 1967 to July 1968. I was a nurse anesthetist who was enlisted/drafted into the Army.
After short tour of six months at Fort Gordon Georgia I was sent to Vietnam. My first in-country assignment was to the 2nd Surgical Hospital at Chu Lai, in I Corp.
There were days the wounded seemed to never end.
The injured arrived most often by dust-off helicopter, and within minutes of their injury. I don’t remember many of the ones who survived, I remember the terrible injuries they endured. I do remember the infantry man saying to me,” Please don’t let me die!” Though the team did their best, he died. A quick prayer, call the chaplain and move on to the next litter.
After a few weeks a routine was established. The surgical wounds were considered dirty, so they were cleaned of the damaged tissue and only packed with gauze and then covered. Two days later the patients were brought back to surgery and the skin incisions were closed. They were now ready to get flown to the Evacuation hospitals and eventually hopefully home.
We treated all injured, civilians, Vietcong, and even North Vietnam soldiers. Everyone was treated equally, though POW’s were under MP guard at all times.
It was scary when a wounded GI in one ICU bed was next to a wounded NVA in the next and realize that minutes earlier they were doing their best to kill each other and that emotion was still strong.
After four months, I was transferred to the 1st Marine Division Hospital, down the road a mile. Myself and 13 other male nurses were sent to staff the hospital which was staffed only by navy corpsman and physicians. The navy had no nurses stationed in country.
The hospital ships were a few miles off shore. During the TET offensive we saw them move further from the shore. I never got to fly out to visit the ship, which was quite a treat.
It was true, the navy chow was a great improvement over the army mess hall. While stationed there, I flew a state of New York flag on my hooch. One day some soldiers came and asked if that was the state of Maine flag. They do look a lot alike, but I enjoyed their visit. Not knowing I would live in Maine for the next 40 years. I love to meet them again.
When the much awaited USO show with Bob Hope and lots of pretty girls was to come to the area I was on first call for surgery. The war did not stop. Just prior to the beginning of the show a young soldier came in very severely injured. A claymore mine blew up resulting in facial injury with the loss of both eyes, two legs and one arm. After a tracheotomy,15 units of whole blood and hours of surgery was required to stabilize his life. He missed the show. I wanted to see the show. Then you rethink what a selfish idea, “What this GI missed and what I had missed”, and what is really important in life. God bless him.
This duty stationed was not to last. The army transferred me again to III Corp, to the 93 EVAC Hospital in Long Binh. Back to army routine, rules, and mess halls. Same medical routines only more of them.
One particularly sad case was an armored personnel carrier was hit and several of the troopers were subjected to high pressure shock waves which caused massive lung rupture, ear drums sinuses and any other hollow organs. We tried to save them. One soldier in particular was slightly older. I noticed in his shirt pocket was a picture of his wife and two small little girls aged about 5 or 6. They lost their father and husband that day.
Meanwhile reported in the news the Paris peace talks tried to get started. Those responsible for the peace talks could not agree on the #%#%# shape of the table at which they were to sit. This went on for weeks! No wonder those fighting the war had periods of adjustment when and if they come home.
Professionally the year taught me a young healthy male takes a lot to kill. It prepared me for later in caring for those with injuries resulting from high speed car crashes and domestic violence.
After one year in country I became a short timer and soon returned to the USA and stationed at Walter Reed Army Hospital, Washington, DC to complete my tour.
Here I saw the war was affecting the streets of the capital. Antiwar demonstrations were everywhere, Nixon masks everywhere, we were told not to wear our uniforms downtown due to the hostile feelings toward the uniform. America had to undergo some growing pains.
I only wish I was able to do more. I thank those who trusted me with their life. YOU made me proud to serve with you. Thank you.