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Each area had an operating room (OR) table, equipment for giving anesthesia, a large stainless steel table I would use for instruments and sterile supplies for each case, an over the table stand that we used during the operation to hold instruments and supplies like suture material and extra instruments. The main one was called Arizona and in it we had five different partitioned areas that counted as a room. We had two Quonset huts for our operating rooms. Once I completed my personal space I started working. I could not stand the smell of the sheets that the mama san’s washed, so I took some new green operating room sheets, used them all year and washed them myself in an extra large aluminum bowl for washing clothes. My answer was a joke to lighten up the situation, “It is a machine gun I thought I might need it over here.” That was the wrong thing to say to him and for the next twenty minutes he yelled at me for being disrespectful to an officer and finally told me where to report.įast forward now to my year there, which included creating a space for me in the hooch a bed, a closet I made from a large equipment box, my footlocker and some shelves I made from wood and masonite. I brought a baritone ukulele with me so that I had an instrument to play while there.
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Vietnam war hospital conditions professional#
He looked starched and professional and did not like my answer to his question, “What is that?” pointing to my ukulele case. Or was it? Next I was saluting our very strac executive officer to find out where to report. I kept pointing down with my arm and finger, “put this thing down” and they kept shaking their heads and saying, “jump.” They hovered the helicopter about six feet over the helipad but would not land it and I had to jump. The helicopter is very loud and it is hard to be heard over the sounds of the rotor blades. They told me I had to jump out onto the helipad. When they arrived at the hospital, the helicopter crew would not land the helicopter. I felt very vulnerable sitting in a canvas seat in the wide-open space while flying in a war zone, and if you think that was frightening the landing was worse. My first helicopter ride was scary because they do not have doors. My footlocker and duffle bag were taken by truck and I was put on a Huey helicopter to go to the 12 th Evacuation Hospital. I don’t care where I am stationed as long as I can help our soldiers.” He was not happy about it at all and told me to keep my head down and stay safe. The chief nurse agreed because of the severe emotional distress of the other young nurse. I had been assigned to the 67 thEvacuation Hospital at Qui Nhon and offered to switch with her, because I wanted to be where the action was. She was scared and crying because she did not want to go to Cu Chi.
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That is the worst place to be it is where all the fighting is and it is not safe.” I told him, “I can’t change it now because I switched with a young nurse who had the same MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). When I told him, his face drained of color and he said, “Get it changed. The night before I left, I met my drill sergeant from basic training, who asked me where I would be sent. I went to the 12 th Evacuation Hospital at Cu Chi. Finally we were all assigned to hospitals and sent on our way. We also learned a bit about the culture and areas where we had hospitals.
Vietnam war hospital conditions how to#
For three days we learned how to receive and send mail, what the Vietnamese money was and how to get it and get paid. I learned that the window covering was to prevent grenades from coming through. After that ordeal I was taken on an army bus with heavy cross-cross metal grills over the windows, to the 90 th replacement battalion. I was one of a couple hundred nurses arriving at Bien Hoa airbase searching among the 200 identical looking olive drab duffle bags for mine, as the sweat penetrated my uniform, rolled down my face and into my eyes. The first thing that hit me when I arrived in Vietnam in January 1967, was the incredible heat and the smells. Blum ARNP Decorated Nurse Vietnam VeteranĪnd Author of Women Under Fire: Abuse in the Military