TRANSCRIBED FROM THE HOT SPRINGS NEW ERA FEBRUARY 13, 1919 P. 4
France, Dec. 16
Dead Editor:
Have thought so many times of trying to write a few lines to your paper and more especially since coming over to France, although I feel unequal to the task, but being a former “Yell County” boy will try anything once.
Would like to say a few words in regard to the medical department. You no doubt remember when the United States entered the war against Germany in April 1917, the principal thought of all citizens was the actual fighters to do the brunt of the work, and this was correct, and to them belongs the first of our victory. Few however, thought of the great organization of the army, its various branches, all necessary to support the front line trenches. The principal one of these “The one best know of all” is the Medical Department. To the casual observer, the medical department consists of stretcher bearers and ambulances, female nurses and a few doctors caring for patients in a large commodious building as in civil life.
What I wish to make clear is the great fact that the big hospitals are situated in large cities “far from danger” reached by railroads, and are many miles from scenes of actual fighting. The territory between these, base hospital, the battle line, a great stretch of land would be too far to transport a wounded soldier before treating his wounds and ailments. When a soldier was wounded, first aid, both by himself and regular first aid medical men working with surgeon officers, were given him in best place available either a dug out, cellar or hut usually camouflaged instead of marked with Red Cross for reasons well known to all. Stretcher bearers brings him or he walks an hops back to dressing station where his wounds are dressed and patient given nourishment and rest. The ambulance then takes him to a field hospital which he sees a cot in a tent awaiting him, but the roar of the guns are still clear.
Mobile and evacuation hospitals all equipped for doing surgical operations, come next for wounded soldiers where he underwent necessary operations to free his noble body of shell fragments which take all kinds of paths into every part of the body, have his broken bones reset, his trench foot treated, his weather-beaten, exhausted and cold body all filled with mud, lice and fleas, redressed, put to bed in special chamber, known as shock ward, where a nurse, doctor and several enlisted men in attendance at all times to administer every stimulant known to revive patients to a stage where he could better stand operation needed.
A soldier seriously wounded, aching with pain, often times moaning riding in an ambulance over shell-torn roads is praying for his journey’s end and for that reason our hospital was set up in the old French barracks near Verdun about 4 1-2 miles back from the actual firing line. When you recall that Paris was shelled at a distance of 75 miles you can imagine our position as to safety. We operated for last month of great offensive at Verdun up to the finish of the firing at which time our distance was 12 miles.
Shells came our way often, landing all about us bursting in air. Boche planes went over our heads, but fortunately we were not hurt in the least. Although a hospital four miles from us was less fortunate by losing men from enemy shell fire.
Our hospital cared for 3000 patients about half of whom were surgical.
The buildings were all one story frame, tile roof, red cross on roof also a large red cross on ground for aviator’s view.
Our operating pavillion I dare say was best arranged in France, a building 35x220, having receiving room, waiting room where patients were bathed and redressed, examined by surgeon, all patients then went to X-ray rooms to trace locations of shell fragments or bullets and list them on card for operating surgeons. Patients very weak went to shock ward, as previously described while others went to pre-operations ward awaiting their turn. Some sight to see so many men on stretchers, some smoking cigarettes, some chatting of their experiences of battle, others taking their first sleep after being up for several days and nights “going over the top.”
Fourteen tables were kept busy in operating room, two tables for each operating surgeon so surgeons could go from one table to another, therefore losing no time.
Bathing, redressing, carrying patients, bandaging them before and after operations, taking them to beds, lifting them carefully off stretchers, caring for them, feeding them and keeping them cheery was work of the enlisted men, or plain soldiers of the medical department.
The work was done day and night, stretcher bearers taking patients from one building to another in total darkness up and down the steps without injury to a single patient, lights were prohibited, even a cigarette light would give the aviators a target to drop bombs on us.
Again, you remember the great scarcity of surgeons, and female nurses for this work. To offset this the soldiers of the medical department had to be trained in a period of several months to do some work as female nurses assisting surgeons giving anestahetics running the sterilizing room, take dictations from surgeons about operations, which means knowledge of medical terms and anatomy of which I am O! well, stupid in that line and several other lines which I could mention, but as I’m on good terms with myself, will omit them anyway. To train our unit, it required three months of study at Fort Riley, two months practice in Base Hospital in Camp Lee. Remember, besides this we were drilling each day, taking hikes with a heavy metal pack which weighs as much as those in the infantry, marching in review having inspections and the many annoying inconveniences as fighting soldiers.
The men of our units are from every state. Some have gone so far as to say they are from Arkansas. They are also of every state, and profession almost and to place them according to their fitness into an efficient hospital unit is a mighty task and organizers deserve great credit when considering many lives saved, suffering relieved, kindness bestowed in helping our boys gain this great victory of November 11, 1918.
AMZI B. FOWLER
Evacuation Hospital 15, A.E.F.
NOTES: Amzi Boles Fowler was born in Gravelly, Arkansas on December 30, 1887 and died on August 26, 1961. He is buried in the Fort Smith National Cemetery in Fort Smith, Arkansas. His military headstone identifies him as an Arkansas Private First Class serving in the Medical Department in WWI. He was living in Oklahoma when he registered for the draft. He departed for France onboard the Princess Matoika on August 22, 1918. He returned to the US departing Brest, France onboard the America on June 9. 1919. He arrived in Hoboken, NJ on June 18, 1919. He was serving with Evacuation Hospital 15. Fowler’s brother, Ernest, was a resident of Hot Springs, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON
France, Dec. 16
Dead Editor:
Have thought so many times of trying to write a few lines to your paper and more especially since coming over to France, although I feel unequal to the task, but being a former “Yell County” boy will try anything once.
Would like to say a few words in regard to the medical department. You no doubt remember when the United States entered the war against Germany in April 1917, the principal thought of all citizens was the actual fighters to do the brunt of the work, and this was correct, and to them belongs the first of our victory. Few however, thought of the great organization of the army, its various branches, all necessary to support the front line trenches. The principal one of these “The one best know of all” is the Medical Department. To the casual observer, the medical department consists of stretcher bearers and ambulances, female nurses and a few doctors caring for patients in a large commodious building as in civil life.
What I wish to make clear is the great fact that the big hospitals are situated in large cities “far from danger” reached by railroads, and are many miles from scenes of actual fighting. The territory between these, base hospital, the battle line, a great stretch of land would be too far to transport a wounded soldier before treating his wounds and ailments. When a soldier was wounded, first aid, both by himself and regular first aid medical men working with surgeon officers, were given him in best place available either a dug out, cellar or hut usually camouflaged instead of marked with Red Cross for reasons well known to all. Stretcher bearers brings him or he walks an hops back to dressing station where his wounds are dressed and patient given nourishment and rest. The ambulance then takes him to a field hospital which he sees a cot in a tent awaiting him, but the roar of the guns are still clear.
Mobile and evacuation hospitals all equipped for doing surgical operations, come next for wounded soldiers where he underwent necessary operations to free his noble body of shell fragments which take all kinds of paths into every part of the body, have his broken bones reset, his trench foot treated, his weather-beaten, exhausted and cold body all filled with mud, lice and fleas, redressed, put to bed in special chamber, known as shock ward, where a nurse, doctor and several enlisted men in attendance at all times to administer every stimulant known to revive patients to a stage where he could better stand operation needed.
A soldier seriously wounded, aching with pain, often times moaning riding in an ambulance over shell-torn roads is praying for his journey’s end and for that reason our hospital was set up in the old French barracks near Verdun about 4 1-2 miles back from the actual firing line. When you recall that Paris was shelled at a distance of 75 miles you can imagine our position as to safety. We operated for last month of great offensive at Verdun up to the finish of the firing at which time our distance was 12 miles.
Shells came our way often, landing all about us bursting in air. Boche planes went over our heads, but fortunately we were not hurt in the least. Although a hospital four miles from us was less fortunate by losing men from enemy shell fire.
Our hospital cared for 3000 patients about half of whom were surgical.
The buildings were all one story frame, tile roof, red cross on roof also a large red cross on ground for aviator’s view.
Our operating pavillion I dare say was best arranged in France, a building 35x220, having receiving room, waiting room where patients were bathed and redressed, examined by surgeon, all patients then went to X-ray rooms to trace locations of shell fragments or bullets and list them on card for operating surgeons. Patients very weak went to shock ward, as previously described while others went to pre-operations ward awaiting their turn. Some sight to see so many men on stretchers, some smoking cigarettes, some chatting of their experiences of battle, others taking their first sleep after being up for several days and nights “going over the top.”
Fourteen tables were kept busy in operating room, two tables for each operating surgeon so surgeons could go from one table to another, therefore losing no time.
Bathing, redressing, carrying patients, bandaging them before and after operations, taking them to beds, lifting them carefully off stretchers, caring for them, feeding them and keeping them cheery was work of the enlisted men, or plain soldiers of the medical department.
The work was done day and night, stretcher bearers taking patients from one building to another in total darkness up and down the steps without injury to a single patient, lights were prohibited, even a cigarette light would give the aviators a target to drop bombs on us.
Again, you remember the great scarcity of surgeons, and female nurses for this work. To offset this the soldiers of the medical department had to be trained in a period of several months to do some work as female nurses assisting surgeons giving anestahetics running the sterilizing room, take dictations from surgeons about operations, which means knowledge of medical terms and anatomy of which I am O! well, stupid in that line and several other lines which I could mention, but as I’m on good terms with myself, will omit them anyway. To train our unit, it required three months of study at Fort Riley, two months practice in Base Hospital in Camp Lee. Remember, besides this we were drilling each day, taking hikes with a heavy metal pack which weighs as much as those in the infantry, marching in review having inspections and the many annoying inconveniences as fighting soldiers.
The men of our units are from every state. Some have gone so far as to say they are from Arkansas. They are also of every state, and profession almost and to place them according to their fitness into an efficient hospital unit is a mighty task and organizers deserve great credit when considering many lives saved, suffering relieved, kindness bestowed in helping our boys gain this great victory of November 11, 1918.
AMZI B. FOWLER
Evacuation Hospital 15, A.E.F.
NOTES: Amzi Boles Fowler was born in Gravelly, Arkansas on December 30, 1887 and died on August 26, 1961. He is buried in the Fort Smith National Cemetery in Fort Smith, Arkansas. His military headstone identifies him as an Arkansas Private First Class serving in the Medical Department in WWI. He was living in Oklahoma when he registered for the draft. He departed for France onboard the Princess Matoika on August 22, 1918. He returned to the US departing Brest, France onboard the America on June 9. 1919. He arrived in Hoboken, NJ on June 18, 1919. He was serving with Evacuation Hospital 15. Fowler’s brother, Ernest, was a resident of Hot Springs, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON