brooke bluebonnet broadcast. - nlm digital collections

BROOKEBLUEBONNET BROADCAST

VOLUME II

NO. 10

30 OCTOBER

1945

Headquarters, American Red Cross, Brooke Hospital Center

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION

BROOKE HOSPITAL CENTERAn Army Service Forces Installation

FORT SAM HOUSTON, TEXAS

BROOKE BLUEBONNET BROADCAS 1

Vespers 7:30 p.m.Old Hospital: (Red Cross Auditorium)

Morning Worship 9:00 a.m.Vespers 5:30 p.m. I

RED CROSS AUDITORIUM, NEW HOSPITAL:Sunday School for Children 10:00 a.m. |W eekdays

New Hospital: (Chapel No. 1)Vespers, Wednesdays 5:00 p.m.

Old Hospital (Red Cross Auditorium)Vespers, Wednesdays... 7:00 p.m.

CATHOLIC:Sunday

New Hospital (Chapel No. 1)Mass 6:15 and 8:30 a.m.

Old Hospital: (Red Cross Auditorium)Mass 10:00 a.m. jWeekdaysMass, daily except Wednesdays 4:30 p.m.Mass, Wednesdays 8:30 a.m.

Chapel Services in the Brooke ConvalescentHospital Area will be found on 0

•

COMFORT IN SORROW

There is no one incident that reveals thelove of Jesus more beautifully than thatrecorded in the Eleventh Chapter of John.

During the absence of Jesus, Lazarus, afriend has died. A message from Marthaand Mary had been sent to the Lord duringthe sickness of their brother, but four dayshave elapsed since Lazarus has been buriedwhen Jesus arrives at the home.

When Jesus came to the place where thesisters met Him, He saw the sorrowinghearts and sought to bring comfort. Thesisters told Him Lazarus was dead andhad been buried four days already.

Jesus informed them that their brotherwould rise again. He gave them the Hope ofthe Resurrection and demonstrated thesame by bringing Lazarus immediatelyback from the dead.

The work of our Lord as demonstratedhere has been a source of inspiration to allgood people all through the years. Thischapter merits study and meditation byall, as it has a message that each individ-ual will need at some time. It teachesthat death is only a sleep that one enters,to awaken into Eternity.

Then it brings the comforting fact thatour Savior has a knowledge and under-standing of all man’s sorrows and knowshow to soothe them as the Great Shep-herd. May all ever find comfort in Him.

—CHAPLAIN OLLIE. G. MATTHEWS

BROOKEBLUEBONNETBROADCAST

Official PublicationBrooke Hospital Center

BRIGADIER GENERAL GEO. C. BEACHCOMMANDING GENERAL

BROOKE HOSPITAL CENTER

COLONEL JOHN C. WOODLANDCOMMANDING OFFICER

BROOKE GENERAL HOSPITAL

COLONEL WARREN C. FARGOCOMMANDANT

MEDICAL DEPARTMENTENLISTED TECHNICIANS SCHOOL

LT. COLONEL CLYDE KERNEKCOMMANDING OFFICER

BROOKE CONVALESCENT HOSPITAL

Vol. II, No. 10 APN-8-21 -M

EDITORHelen McCoy

Public Relations RepresentativeREGULAR CONTRIBUTORS

Colonel Howard L. LandersU. S. Army, Retired

1st Lt. Isabel Diehl, ANCTec 5 Carroll H. Curry

PHOTOGRAPHYHenry Marasco

U. S. Army Signal Corps Photos

CIRCULATION AND' MAILINGBobbye Nell Kohlenberg

CARTOONSPfc. Stan Louis

•

Lt. Francis J. MurphyPUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

The Brooke Bluebonnet Broadcast, compiledand edited in the Public Relations Office, is pub-lished expressly for the patients, military andcivilian personnel of Brooke Hospital Center.

Printed material, photos and cartoons fromvhis publication may be reproduced providedproper credit is given and specific prior permis-sion has been granted.

. •

BROOKE HOSPITAL CENTER'SCHAPEL SERVICES

Brooke General Hospital Area"New" and "Old" Sections

PROTESTANT SERVICES:Sunday

New Hospital: (Chapel No. 1)Morning Worship —10:00 a.m.

BROOKE BLUEBONNET BROADCAST

Keep The Torch Of Liberty BurningSUPPORT THE

OCTOBER 29 DECEMBER 8

VICTORYi LOAN |

Here's Some Straight Talk About The Victory Loan: The War Is Over—ButThat's Not The Story—LET'S FINISH THE JOB!

The Victory Loan Drive opens October29th, and extends through December 8th.Its 11 billion dollar quota includes a 4 bil-lion dollar goal for individual Americans.It’s a lot of money—but Americans havenever yet let America down!

The treasury must meet the enormousobligations incurred in the achievement ofvictory. Government expenditures are be-ing drastically reduced—and this will con-tinue. Despite this, however, the after-math of war carries grave responsibilitiesthat must not be shirked, and in facingthis task every American’s help is needed.

Before the end of 1945, the people’s Treas-ury must look to the people for furthersupport. The care of the wounded mustcontinue. Our men must be brought backfrom overseas. And we MUST keepDOWN inflation.

For every American, United StatesBonds are the world’s finest, safest invest-ment. Four dollars come back to you forevery three dollars in E Bonds held tomaturity. And it’s good to get into thehabit of saving through the purchase ofVictory Bonds. Support the Victory Loan—BUY YOUR SHARE AND MORE!


THE AMERICANRED CROSS AT BROOKE

Functioning as a department of theBrooke Hospital Center, the central head-quarters of the American National RedCross are maintained in the white, colonialstyle building located on the corner of Har-ney and Division streets in the BrookeConvalescent Hospital area. (Pictured onfront cover).

The staff of the American Red Cross atBrooke is composed of a field director, as-sistant field director, recreation supervisor,three case work supervisors, office manager,twenty-five case workers, twenty recrea-tional workers and fifteen clerical workers.These members of the Red Cross are assign-ed to Red Cross offices in the various sec-tions of the old and new Brooke GeneralHospital and in the Brooke ConvalescentHospital and extend Red Cross services topatients of the hospitals and to enlistedmen assigned to each of the areas mention-ed.

The Red Cross case worker, through the3700 Red Cross Home Service chapters inthe United States provides many servicesto patients in Army hospitals. She planswith the patient in regard to personal andfamily problems, obtains social historiesat the request of medical officers, whensuch are necessary to assist in the diag-noses and treatment of the patient. Shesecures health and welfare reports at therequest of both patients and their families.The case worker also interviews each pa-tient who receives a disability dischargeand assists him in filing a claim for a pen-sion if he so desires. Then too, he may bereferred to his Red Cross Chapter, if he isin need of further Red Cross service uponreturn to civilian life.

Verification of the need for emergencyfurloughs is another of the case worker’sservices. Loans are made to patients (aswell as to military personnel of the Medi-cal Detachment and Medical DepartmentEnlisted Technicians School) for emergencyfurloughs. Also patients who are withoutfunds may be provided with cigarettes andcomfort articles until they receive theirArmy pay.

The twenty Red Cross recreation workersassigned to the Brooke Hospital Centerplan all types of recreational activities forthe patients in the various wards of thehospital, dayrooms of the annexes and inthe Red Cross Auditoriums. These activi-ties include current movies, parties, enter-tainments, dances and picnics. At timeswkere there is no planned entertainment,there are ping pong tables, pool tables,

record players, and radios available in theauditoriums for the use of the patients.

Assisting the regular staff of the RedCross, there are many volunteer Red Crossworkers, including the Gray Ladies, MotorCorps drivers, Canteen workers and Staffassistants. All of the Red Cross VolunteerCorps members have completed specialtraining courses in order to prepare themfor their work in the hospital.

The Gray Lady Corps consists of 140volunteer workers who make daily roundsin the wards distributing stationery andmagazines, and when requested, these work-ers attend to shopping needs and variousother duties for the bed patients. They alsoassist at parties, dances and other enter-tainments.

A group of twenty-seven Red Cross GrayLadies working under the supervision of theOccupational Tnerapy department of thehospital, give handicraft instruction to pa-tients on the wards in the making of rugs,scarfs, purses and belts.

The Arts and Skills Corps of the RedCross is another group of volunteer work-ers who have had previous training in art-craft. These workers are assigned to theOccupational Therapy Shops to aid in theinstruction of patients. This group is alsounder the supervision of the OccupationalTherapy Department.

The Motor Corps, another volunteergroup makes daily runs to all of the RedCross offices on the post, to deliver cor-respondence, equipment and supplies. Thesevolunteers also take small groups of pa-tients on tours arranged through the RedCross Recreation department to spots ofinterest in and around San Antonio.

The Canteen Workers, also volunteers, as-sist in serving refreshments at large par-ties and dances. Staff assistants serve asclerical workers in the various offices.

Beside the Red Cross headquarters build-ing located in the Convalescent Hospitalarea, there are Red Cross Houses each witha large Auditorium, located close to themain building of the new Brooke GeneralHospital and near the main building of theold hospital. Under construction at presentare two new Red Cross buildings in theConvalescent Hospital area each of whichwill have an auditorium as well as officesfor Recreation and Case Workers.

The Red Cross maintains a Library ofmiscellaneous books in each of its build-ings and at the various annexes, for theenjoyment of the patients of the BrookeHospital Center.


MtAA VeSinG,

FIELD DIRECTORAMERICAN RED CROSS

BROOKE HOSPITAL CENTER


MISS GENEVAVOSS, office man-

ager for the RedCross checks ac-counts with MARYWEBB, bookkeep-er at Red CrossHeadquarters.

NEWS FROM THE OLD HOSPITALReported by E. OJARed Cross Recreation Worker

On September 27th at a patient partyat the Red Cross building, Old Hospital,Pfc. Albert M. Sutton won the door prizewhich was a long distance person-to-persontelephone call to any spot in the UnitedStates.

* * *

Three patients tied for first place whenit came to guessing the number of spotson the dominoes contained in a bottle. Theywere Tec. 5 William Pokorney, Pfc. Clif-ton Morris and Pvt. Elno Reed. Upon fur-ther elimination, Pokorney remained thevictor to receive first prize.

* * *

Leon Bingham, a patient at the Old Hos-pital, called the Bingo for the Beta SigmaPhi party at the Red Cross building Mondaynight, September 24th. Refreshments andprizes were furnished by the sorority.

* * *

On Saturday, September 22nd, Pfc. Je-rome Beck celebrated his birthday by serv-ing chocolate cake and “cokes” to his ward-mates in Ward 34 at the Old Hospital. Therefreshments were furnished by the RedCross.

In spite of the heavy rain Sunday after-noon, September 23rd, the Crockett StreetUSO brought in a group of girls to a partyat the Red Cross building at the Old Hos-pital. Table games were played and a pro-grahy followed the refreshments. Patientscontributing to the program were vocalistsLeon Bingham and Milton Chalmers.

* * *

In the Red Cross Building at the OldHospital, patients are registering accordingto the state from which they hail. Naturally,thus far, Texas has the most registrants.Illinois comes second. Then Oklahoma,Louisiana, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Minne-sota, Michigan, California, New York, Ohio,and Mississippi.NEWS FROM THE CONVALESCENTHOSPITAL

“Esky” appeared very worldy and boldat the “Esquire Dance” held in the 900 area.All the dancers (by the way there werenearly 100 girls) felt the sophistication ofthe evening which was evidenced by theglamorous pin-up pictures and crepe paperdecorations. An extra decorative attractionwas the floating bubbles, entii’ely unex-pected, but very much appreciated. Excellent

music by the 365th Band made dancing(Continued on Page 8)


MISS JOAN B. THOMPSON, American RedCross, in charge of Recreation for the Brooke

Hospital Center.

MRS CAROL DAMM, Assistant Field Directorof the American Red Cross, Brooke Hospital

Center.

MISS GLADYS BLACK, American Red Cross,in charge of Recreation, old hospital, Brooke

General Hospital.

MISS MARJORIE BROWN, Case Supervisor forthe old hospital and for the Brooke Convales-

cent Hospital.

BKUUKti BLUEBONNET BROADCAST

CONVALESCENT HOSPITAL NEWS(Continued from Page 6)

real fun and every one had a wonderfultime. Cokes were served.

* * *

These dances are sponsored by theAmerican Red Cross and Special Servicesoffice. U.S.O. girls are the guests.

* * �

The infirmary patients in the 1200 areaenjoyed a Red Cross party the other after-noon. They played “Society Dice,” drankcokes, and enjoyed the prizes. Flowers,cards, games, matches, etc. have beenbrought up to the 900 area infirmary andwe plan to get going real soon with gayward activities there.

Left, Mrs. John E. Raye and Mrs. Edwin D.McCoy, Red Cross Motor Corps volunteerworkers make a mental check of errands to beaccomplished before taking off from the mainheadquarters building, American Red Cresslocated in the Brooke Convalescent Hospital

area.

Mrs. Roye and Mrs. McCoy, both volunteer workers for the Red Cross are ready for one oftheir service trips in the Red Cross Station Wagon. Both volunteer workers, Mrs. Raye's hus-band, Colonel John E. Roye is on his way back from Europe. Mrs. McCoy's husband Colonel

Edwin D. McCoy is with the Army of Occupation in Germany.


CARNIVAL NIGHT AT ANNEX IIIReported by ALVA PORTERRed Cross Recreation Worker

Wednesday evening, October 3rd, wasCarnival Night at Annex III. The Red CrossGray Ladies were in charge of this interest-ing party and it was a colorful sight withgay booths, crepe paper decorations, anda regular carnival atmosphere.

Four little wooden horses with rope tailswere the source of much amusement and thepatients bet on the “winnahs” with the“make believe” money distributed to them.Perhaps the most visited booth of all wasthe one belonging to the fortune teller whowore the traditional costume. “Feed the

(Continued on Page 11)

Right, Mrs. Garrett P. Robertson, Chairman,Hospital and Recreation Corps, VWS, AmericanRed Cross, is in charge of the Gray LadiesHandicraft section at Brooke General Hospital.She is shown above sorting wool to be dis-tributed to patients interested in makingvarious articles, such as scarves, rugs, hand-

bags and gift novelties.

Mrs. Ruth Kelso Clarkson, Red Cross Gray Lad/ at Brooke General Hospital, assists StaffSergeant Joe H. Ball of Dalhart, Texas, patient in Ward 8, to start a Handicraft project. SergeantBall served overseas as an Air Corps radio operator in Africa. Mrs. Clarkson is the wife ofBrigadier General Herbert S. Clarkson of San Aitonio, recently returned from overseas, now a

patient at Brooke General Hospital.


Mrs. G. W. Miller, Red Cross Gray Lady, demonstrates to Captain Joseph A. Macnak ofWhiting, Indiana, patient in Ward 7 at Brooke General Hospital, the procedure for makingone of the little wool dogs featured by the Red Cross Handicraft section. Captain Macnak served

with the Fifth Army in Italy and was wounded April 5th, 1945.

Mrs. Kenneth C. Perry has just celebrated her fifth year as a Red Cross Gray Lady at BrookeGeneral Hospital. She is supervising Private First Class Lichtenberg of Elton, Iowa, patient inWard 4, in a Handicraft venture. Pfc. Lichtenberg has been a patient at Brooke for 28 months,

20 months of which he spent in bed.


JAMES ROBERT LOVAN, right, 326 Shearer St.fSan Antonio, a diminuitive patient in the Gen-eral Surgery ward of the Brooke General Hos-pital, seems to be enjoying a bit of handiwork,such as sponsored by the Red Cross Handicraft

section of Occupational Therapy.

Patients (members of the Armed Forces)with time on their hands aid in their ownrecovery by keeping their minds busy andoff their illness and injuries by making at-tractive articles, materials for which aresupplied by the Red Cross Gray Ladies onduty in the wards.

James Robert Lovan, shown in the photo-graph, convalescing from an appendectomyis the son of Master Sergeant and Mrs.James Madison Lovan. James attends St.Patrick’s Academy. His father with 24 yearsof service in the Army is stationed at LongIsland, New York.

ANNEX III NEWS(Continued from Page 9)

Hungry Cow” was fun, as there the patientstossed corncobs into the mouths of a largecardboard cow. Additional attractions werea “cork gun shooting” contest and “RingToss.” At the latter booth, contestants tossedrings over large candy cones. Refreshmentsof popcorn and grape punch were served;

the punch being poured from two woodenkegs. At the end of the party, prizes weregiven to the 5 men scoring the highestpoints during the evening.

Thirty girls from town were there to helpmake it a swell occasion.

An enthusiastic group of Brooke General Hospital patients participating in an interesting gameprovided for their enjoyment by Red Cross Recreation Workers on duty at Brooke Hospital Cen-ter. The above scene was photographed in the Red Cross Auditorium at the "old" hospital.


NOTICE TO MOTHERSVisiting Clinics at Brooke

The Brooke Hospital Center has made arrangements for maintaininga Day Nursery, located in Annex II where Mothers may leave theirsmall children with complete safety, while visiting the Clinics atBrooke.

There is no charge for this service and the nursery is open from 9 to12 and 1 to 4 daily, Monday through Friday and from 9 to 12 onlyon Saturdays. Competent personnel is on hand to care for the children.

Notice: Brooke Hospital Center PatientsWatch for the opening of the Brooke Hospital Center's Service

Club located south of the new Guest Houses betweenAnnexes III and IV on Stanley Road.

OPENING DATE ABOUT MID-NOVEMBER

GIVE WITH GRATITUDE

Gammunitif- Glte&tVidtosuf, Gam{iai(j*i

SPECIAL NOTICE TO PATIENTSEnjoy the following sports:

—SOFTBALL—VOLLEYBALL—TENNIS

—BARBELLS—DUMBELLS—HORSE SHOES—CROQUET

—BASKETBALL—FOOTBALL—TETHER BALL

Equipment necessary for a get-together at sports is availablefor use between 10 a. m. and 4 p. m. daily Monday throughFriday and 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday. Draw your require-ments at Building 1027, behind the Red Cross Auditorium,immediately across from the main building of Brooke GeneralHospital.

INFORMATION ON AVAILABLE LOCATIONSFOR THE ABOVE SPORTS MAY BE SECURED

WHEN YOU DRAW YOUR EQUIPMENT.


"A War Expert Views the News”By Colonel H. L. Landers, U. S. Army, Retired

Military Commentator on Texas Quality Networkfrom Station WOAI, San Antonio, Texas

Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:30 p. m.

GERMAN WAR GUILTIn the trial of 45 German war criminals

now being conducted by the British, therevolting debasement of these defendantsis revealed in testimony of the most grue-some nature. Josef Kramer, the arch crimi-nal, is charged with 44 others with com-plicity in the death of 4 million persons inthe Belsen and Oswiecim camps. A doctor,one of the prison inmates in the Oswiecimcamp, testified that 80,000 Jews, the entirepopulation of the ghetto of Lodz in Poland,were killed and burned as fast as theycould be worked through the gas chambersand crematoriums.

The indictments prepared in Berlin bythe Allied War Crimes Tribunal against 24leading Nazis are the most unusual docu-ments in the history of crime. Officersand officials of the recent German govern-ment are charged with acts and conductnot heretofore recognized by the warringnations of Europe as punishable.

The Nazi leaders whose trial approachesinclude all the top men in Hitler’s Ger-many. The ground work for the trials,which will begin in November, has beenprepared with care. United States SupremeCourt Justice Robert H. Jackson is thechief prosecutor. The tribunal will deter-mine its procedure and punishment andthere is no court or authority to questionits decisions. Justice Jackson has set up asmooth-working staff of assistants, andmethods of procedure agreed upon will in-sure harmonious action on the part of thethree Great Powers in the prosecution ofthe defendants.

Justice Jackson will open the prosecutionby developing Germany’s guilt against hu-manity. Sir Hartley Shawcross, chief pros-ecutor for the British, will present thoseelements of guilt involved in breaking trea-ties by waging aggressive war. The Frenchstaff, in charge of prosecutor Francois deMenthon, will cover matters of conspiracyand breaches of rules of war. R. A. Ru-denko, former chief prosecutor of theUkraine, will handle charges of waging ag-gressive war and of crimes against hu-manity on the Eastern front.

FUTURE PEACEThe future peace of the world is com-

promised less by controversial discord ininternational conferences than by the scien-tific progress in developing new weapons

of destruction. Days for cooling-off sincethe abandonment of the foreign ministerscouncil in London already have broughtabout a saner estimate of what actually wasaccomplished.

In a recent press conference PresidentTruman declared that the London meetinglaid the groundwork for further progress,and that there was no real clash of Ameri-can and Russian interests. He expressedconcern that each country is misinterpretedand misunderstood in the other, owinglargely to differences in language, but be-lieves that these differences can be recon-ciled and a firm foundation established bythe United States and Russia for peacethroughout the world.

A mutual understanding becomes neces-sary more than ever in view of the recentrevelations made by the Army Chief ofStaff, General George C. Marshall, in hisbiennial report to the Secretary of War,of “terrifying” new weapons for which theUnited States “must prepare or perish.” Itis so important that this country realizethe possibilities of new weapons, GeneralMarshall said, that he called upon GeneralH. H. Arnold, commanding the Army AirForces, to report on them.

General Arnold disclosed that a bomberplane is under construction capable of car-rying a twenty-two-and-a-half ton bomb,and that the Ordnance has plans for a50-ton bomb. Arnold said that bombers canbe developed capable of carrying a 50-tonbomb “to attack any spot on earth andreturn to a friendly base.” He stated thatrockets can be directed to targets by elec-tronic devices and new instruments, whichguide them accurately to sources of heat,light and magnesium. “They are so sensi-tive,” Arnold reported, “that in the spaceof a large room they aim themselvestoward a man who enters, in reaction to theheat of his body.”

Only through international agreementcan the use of these terrifying weapons beprevented. Any agreement not to use themin future years will be worthless. It is theprevention of war itself that must be agreedto. Unless the peoples of the three powerfulnations, the United States, Great Britainand Russia, in future years remain strongin their determination to prevent wars,there is no telling what lies ahead. Wemust weigh the future with care, seekingguidance from past events. We know thatwar-weariness following the other war ren-


dered the vast majority of our peoplerather indifferent during the thirties to theaggressive moves for conquest made byJapan, Italy and Germany. We relied uponthe oceans to protect us, at least longenough to get ready should the flames ofwar spread to this country.

Scientific developments in methods ofdestruction no longer gave us initial pro-tection. Already a weariness is growing inthis country because of the retention oftroops in Europe and Japan. The secretof the atomic bomb is not to be sharedwith nations not participating in its de-velopment. But there is only one source ofpower that can keep our enemies fromlearning that secret through their own re-search, and that is to maintain a counterin-telligence service within their boundaries toferret out every phase of such work, andthen smash it.

CHINAThe Chinese Communists want control of

four strategically-placed provinces in north-east China, and their demands hold im-plications of an understanding with theSoviet Union. It is possible that the SovietUnion is back of this demand, as Siberian

Russia would be more secure if communistrule prevailed in Chahar, Jehol, Hopeh andShantung Provinces.

Without the assurance of a friendly-neighbor in those regions, Russia fears thatat some future date her outlet to thePacific Ocean again may be limited to thewinter-bound harbor and port of Vladivos-tok. Premier Stalin already has laid thefoundation with Generalissimo Chiang KaiShek whereby Russia will have restored toher certain concessions in Manchuria ofwhich she was deprived when Japan beganoverrunning that country in 1931.

Russian and Chinese officials will co-operate in operating railway lines in Man-churia. One railnet connects the two Trans-Siberian railroads with Vladivostok. An-other railnet leads southward through Muk-den, with one subnet extending into Koreaand another down the Liaotung Peninsulato the terminal points of Dairen and PortArthur.

In the early part of this century, Russiaconverted Port Arthur into a powerfullydefended warm-water base for her Pacificfleet, only to lose it to Japan in the warthat came a few years later. Now that she



'Information, Please'-A Popular EducationalFeature Of Reconditioning at Brooke

Lieutenant Paul S. Morton, Educational Reconditioning Officer at the Brooke General Hospital(standing) answering questions put to him by patients of the hospital on opportunities availablefor furthering their education now. Panel members are, right to left. Corporal Joseph Jamey, Pa-tient's Personnel; Lieutenant A. H. Tucker, Counselling Section and Lieutenant Pat G. Combs,

Army Ground Forces section.

allottments, insurance, decorations, lostbaggage, with representatives from AGF,Personal Affairs, Patient’s Personnel andCounselling Section, sitting on the panel toanswer such questions.

The second week specializes in Educa-tional and Vocational problems, such as:job opportunities, veterans’ preferences,provision for further training under the GIBill, Public Law No. 16 and USAFI. Repre-sentatives from Civil Service, UnitedStates Employment Service, Veteran’s Ad-ministration and Educational Recondition-ing Section handle these questions.

The third week is open for all questionsdealing with discharges, veterans’ benefitsand privileges under existing laws, suchas: pensions, unemployment compensation,hospitalization, GI Insurance, separationfrom the service and return of old job.

Panel members answering these ques-tions come from the Red Cross, Veteran’sAdministration, Counselling and Separa-tion Sections.

“Information, Please” is one of six week-ly programs presented by the EducationalReconditioning Section of Brooke GeneralHospital for the benefit of ambulatorypatients of the New Hospital, AnnexesII and III and the “Old” Hospital.

The program conducted as a panel, iscomposed of a moderator and three or fourrepresentatives from major patient-servingdepartments of the hospital. Occasionallylocal business men and educators sit on thepanel.

Conducted very informally, this is thepatient’s opportunity to ask any questionthat is in his mind and be assured of re-ceiving up-to-date correct information.

“Information, Please” is run on a threeweek cycle designed to cover a wide rangeof questions during the hospitalizationperiod of the majority of patients. Thefirst week takes up any problems of a per-sonal affairs nature, such as: pay, bonds,

BROOKE BLUEBONNET BROADCAST RROOKE BLUEBONNET BROADCAST

Awards Reach Peak Figure of 2,995 in 30 Days at the Brooke Hospital Center

Sergeant William F. Berek, of Chicago, Illinois, bed patient in Ward 6, was presented the SilverStar by Colonel John C. Woodland, commanding officer of the Brooke General Hospital, shownin center. First Lieutenant James E. Mance, left, adjutant, read the citation. The Silver Star was

awarded to Sergeant Berek* for gallantry in action.

Brigadier General Geo. C. Beach, commanding general of the Brooke Hospital Center congratu-lates Private First Class Oscar W. Grisham, of Seadrift, Texas, after presentation of the Soldier'sMedal awarded to Private Grisham* for the performance of an act of heroism under conditions

other than those of conflict with the enemy.An all-high peak for awards at the

Brooke Hospital Center was reached when2,995 decorations were presented or issuedduring August of this year.

Awards of decorations are made by theWar Department or by designated com-manders, acting for the President. At Armyhospitals, such as Brooke, decorations aresupplied upon verification of the award bymeans of a general, special or letter orderfurnished by overseas commanders or fromcopies of such records as may be furnishedby The Adjutant General in Washington, orfrom a certified extract taken from offi-cers’ War Department Adjutant GeneralOffice Form 66-1 or 66-2 or from theservice records of enlisted men.

A requisition for such decorations is thendrawn on the nearest Quartermaster Depotretaining a stock level of the decorations.All decorations above the Combat Infan-tryman Badge are usually engraved with♦Story on Page 31

the name of the person who is to receivethe award. Presentation of the awards isformal with the exception of the CombatInfantryman Badge, Expert InfantrymanBadge, silver and bronze Service Stars,bronze Arrowheads and Unit Citations,since due to the great quantities of theseawards made, it has been found imprac-ticable to present them with formal cere-mony.

There were twenty-one presentations ofthe Silver Star to Brooke patients duringAugust. This decoration is awarded to per-sons who while serving in any capacity withthe Army distinguish themselves by gal-lantry in action not warranting the awardof the Medal of Honor or DistinguishedService Cross. The ribbon of the SilverStar shows alternate blue and white stripeswith a central stripe of red. Of gold color-ed metal, in the center of the large starthere is a wreath of laurel leaves framing

the tiny silver star from whence the decor-ation receives its name.

The Bronze Star Medal, received by 72Brooke patients is awarded to any per-son who while serving in any capacity inor with the Army on or after 7 December1941 distinguished himself by heroic ormeritorious achievement or service not in-volving participation in aerial flight, inconnection with military or naval opera-tions against any enemy of the UnitedStates. The Bronze Star Medal is richlycast wilh a miniature star in its center.The service ribbon for the Bronze StarMedal is red, edged with white, with a cen-tral stripe of blue bordered with narrowwhite.

The Military Order of the Purple Heartgained 318 new members at Brooke dur-ing August. This decoration, establishedby General George Washington at New-burgh, 8 August 1792, during the War of

♦Story on Page 18

the Revolution and revived out of respectto his memory and military achievements

War Department General Orders No. 3,Februaiy 1932, is awarded to members

armed forces of the United Statesclv^ians who are citizens of the

United States serving with the Army, whoa£ e wounded in action against an enemy

United States or as a direct result of*-he enemy, provided suchwounds necessitate treatment by a medicalofficer. The decoration is particularly beau-

colored metal profile of Gen-eral Washington s head m relief against apurple enameled heart on a gold colored,heart-shaped metal base. The PurpleHeart ribbon is purple with border edges

white,

Topping the list in number of awardsduring the 30-day period at the Brookeu .. , ~ „ , , T j?HosPltal Center was Combat Infantry-man Badge. This decoration is awarded


to all Combat Infantryman “for satisfactoryperformance of duty in ground combat withthe enemy.” The decoration is of sterlingsilver with a flint-lock rifle on a paneledfield of infantry blue, surmounted by alaurel wreath. This award went to 992members of the armed forces at Brooke.To the enlisted man, the award of theCombat Infantryman Badge means an ad-ditional $10.00 in pay per month. (Offi-cers do not receive compensatory pay forthe Combat Infantryman Badge.)

The Expert Infantryman Badge, of which16 were given in August at Brooke isawarded by attaining the standards of pro-ficiency established by the War Depart-ment. $5.00 additional pay is authorized toenlisted men awarded this decoration.

The Medical Badge was established as ameans of recognizing the important roleperformed by medical personnel on dutywith infantry units, especially infantry bat-talions. It is intended that this badge shallbe awarded only to those who shared withthe infantry the hazards and hardships ofcombat. This award went to 72 men atBrooke. Oval in shape, the silver badgecarries a design on which a Caduceus andthe Geneva Cross are super-imposed on alitter surmounted with a wreath of laurelleaves.

The Good Conduct medal whose ribbon isthe familiar scarlet one with three narrowwhite stripes in its center was presented to828 enlisted men at the Brooke HospitalCenter. The medal has been established as areward for those enlisted personnel, whohave demonstrated fidelity through faith-ful and exact performance of duty, effi-ciency through capacity to produce desiredresults, and whose behavior has been suchas to deserve emulation. It is awardedto enlisted personnel of the United StatesArmy who on or after August 27, 1940 hador shall have completed three years ofactive Federal Service or after December7, 1941 completed one year of continuousactive Federal military service while theUnited States was at war.

The face side of the decoration displaysan eagle resting on a bayonet laid on aclosed book, with the encircling words, “Ef-ficiency, Honor, Fidelity.” On the reverseof the medal within a wreath there is thephrase “For Good Conduct.” Above a scrollwhich will bear the name of the personto whom the medal is awarded, there is astar.

Not more than one Good Conduct Medalwill be issued to any one man or woman,but those entitled to the award upon com-pletion of any subsequent 3-year period ofactive Federal Service will be awarded theappropriate clasp in lieu thereof.

Oak-Leaf Clusters which represent addi-tional awards to all decorations above theGood Conduct Medal (with the exceptionof the Medal of Honor which is awarded

once) are worn on the appropriate ribbon.207 of these were given at Brooke in Aug-ust.

There were 180 silver and bronze Serv-ice Stars issued during the period. Thesestars tell the number of campaigns inwhich the wearer has participated. 110bronze Arrowheads were distributed. Theseare also worn on the theatre ribbons andindicate the wearer met requirements forits award by making a parachute jump,combat glider landing or initial assaultlanding on a hostile shore during WorldWar II.

One of the most treasured of awards isthat of the Distinguished Unit Citation, theArmy award, which has been greatly con-fused with that of the Presidential UnitCitation which is a Navy award. TheArmy’s Unit citation is a Badge of blue,one and three-eighths inches in length andthree-eighths inches in width set in a goldcolored metal frame of laurel leaves ap-proximately one-sixteenth inch in width.It differs from the Presidential Unit Cita-tion in that that decoration is a horizontal-ly striped, tri-color unframed ribbon. Bothare worn on the right breast, the Navy ci-tation can be presented to Army personnelonly if the unit cited has participated in am-phibious operations. One hundred and 38men received the Army’s Distinguished UnitCitation at Brooke during August.

Other awards presented were Specialbadges for drivers and mechanics of motorvehicles in combat zones, 23 of which weregiven at Brooke along with 18 drivers’ bars.SOLDIER'S MEDAL PRESENTEDAT BROOKE HOSPITAL CENTER

The Soldier’s Medal, which is awardedto members of the U. S. Armed Forces “forthe performance of an act of heroism underconditions other than those of conflict withthe enemy,” has been awarded to PrivateFirst Class Oscar W. Grisham of Seadrift,Texas, patient at the Brooke Generalhospital.

The decoration was presented to PrivateFirst Class Grisham by Brigadier GeneralGeo. C. Beach, commanding general of theBrooke Hospital Center.

While serving in Tunisia with the 126thRadio Intelligence Signal Company, a fel-low member, unable to swim, while bath-ing floated out to sea on an inflated in-nertube. Without regard for personal safe-ty and fighting the strong current, Pfc.Grisham went to the rescue. Althoughfive miles off-shore, Grisham was able tomaneuver the exhausted soldier to thebeach, thus saving his life.

In addition to the Soldier’s Medal,Grisham wears the American Defense(Pre-Pearl Harbor) ribbon and the Euro-pean Theatre of Operations ribbon with



Telephone Center—A Popular SpotIn Brooke General Hospital

Pass the Telephone Center practically any time of the day and a scene like the above willmore than likely greet the eye. The Telephone Center provides a real service to patients of the

Brooke Genera! Hospital.

The Telephone Center purposely was de-signed for the comfort and convenience ofpatients of the Brooke General Hospitaland has more than proven its worth, sinceits installation by the Southwestern BellTelephone Company, judging by the num-ber of patients who use it.

The Telephone Center, is conveniently lo-cated in the basement of the New BrookeGeneral Hospital. It is spacious, and com-fortably furnished with ranch-style furni-ture, the gift of the San Antonio JuniorLeague. Walls are finished in light beigewith a wainscoting effect in deep tan andthe floor is of restful two-tone green inlaidtile.

Cantilever type construction allows pa-tients on crutches or with one or both legsin braces to have easy access to the open

booths without the inconvenience of stand-ing. Special acoustic material combinedwith the cantilever type booth eliminatesinterference of conversation by those usingthe booths immediately adjoining. Thereare six booths provided for long distancecalls and six for local calls. These are in-terchangeable after regular hours.

Partially enclosed is a separate boothfrom which wheel or litter patients maymake local or long distance calls.The walls are also lined with acoustic ma-terial. The booth is equipped with an op-erator’s chest set with ear-phones attachedso the patient with possible arm injuriesmay phone with complete comfort. Shouldhis hearing be impaired, there is an ampli-fier easily controlled so he may hear dis-tinctively.

HAVE YOU BOUGHT THAT SAVINGS BOND TODAY?


CHAPEL SERVICES IN THE BROOKECONVALESCENT HOSPITAL AREA

SundayCATHOLIC MASS

Chapel No. 3 (1200 area) 8:00 A.M.Chapel No. 2 (900 area) 9:00 A.M.WeekdaysChapel No. 3 (1200 Area) 4:30 P.M.

PROTESTANT SERVICESSundayChapel No. 3 (1200 Area) 9:00 A.M.Chapel No. 2 (900 Area) 10:00 A.M.Auditorium (1300 Area) 10:00 A.M.Auditorium (MDETS) 11:00 A.M.

Chapel No. 3 (1200 Area) WednesdayEvening Services 6:30 P.M.

EPISCOPAL SERVICESSundayChapel No. 2 (900 Area) Sabbath

Communion 10:45 A.M.LUTHERAN SERVICES

SundayChapel No. 3 (1200 area) Holy

Communion 2 9.45 A.M.JEWISH SERVICES

FridayChapel >[o. 2, Sabbath Worship 8:00 P.M.

•

Cleveland, Ohio, the position he held priorto entering the Army in January, 1942.

Major Louis B. Shapiro, MC, will takeover as chief of the reconditioning service,Colonel Kernek’s former position, and willcontinue as chief of the neuro-psychiatrictreatment section.

•

O. T. AND P. R. FACILITIESAVAILABLE TO OFF-DUTYMILITARY PERSONNEL

The occupational therapy and physicalreconditioning facilities of Brooke Con-valescent Hospital are currently availableto officer and enlisted cadre during off-dutyhours. A number of men are now takingadvantage of the excellent instructors, sup-plies and equipment offered in the shopand gyms on week-day evenings.

The occupational therapy shops haveample tools and supplies for making smartleather wallets, attractive Christmas cards,plastic frames, bath mats, and ceramicitems. Skilled instructors are on hand inbuildings T968 and 969 on Monday andWednesday evenings from 6 till 9 o’clock.Most of the materials needed for craftwork may be obtained without charge.

The gynmasium and athletic field arewell equipped with exercising devices andequipment for such sports as basketball,tennis, badminton, horseshoes, shuffleboard,handball, baseball and volleyball.

Officers and enlisted men who wish towork at hobbies and crafts, or take partin the health and recreational program, arewelcome to make use of all the off-dutyfacilities furnished at Brooke ConvalescentHospital.

Lt. Colonel KernekNew Commanding OfficerAt Brooke ConvalescentHospital

PVT. DROOP

Liuetenant Colonel Clyde Kernek, Medi-cal Corps, has been announced as the newcommanding officer of Brooke Convales-cent Hospital by Brigadier General Geo.C. Beach, commanding general of BrookeHospital Center. Colonel Kernek succeedsColonel William C. McCally who is return-ing to civilian life to be clinical professorof surgery at Western Reserve University,


Water Carnival Entertains PatientsOf The Brooke Convalescent Hospital

audience went to his rescue, hurriedlystripping off their robes and displayingmore 1890 swim suits.

Personnel from the San Marcos ArmyAir Field gave exhibitions of swimmingand diving which brought applause fromall attending. “Willie” (Captain Shapiro)challenged one of the Air Field swimmersto a race across the pool. His opponenthad negotiated to the other side of thepool, and was half way back to the startingpoint when “Willie” turned on the heat.

In a prearranged deal, a rope had beenlaid along the bottom of the pool from thestarting to the finishing line. “Willie” at-tached himself to the rope and as he didso, a crew of men from the Physical Re-conditioning department began to haulhim through the water. His body did an


Sergeant C. J. Robinson gave out with "StoutHearted Men," one of the favorites of all whohave heard him sing. The occasion was theWater Carnival held at the new swimming

pool, Brooke Convalescent Hospital.

A capacity crowd of patients at theBrooke Convalescent hospital were royallyentertained recently by a variety showpresented at the newly completed swim-ming pool in the convalescent area.

The water carnival was sponsored by thePhysical Reconditioning department of theconvalescent hospital, and judging by theapplause and laughs heard from patients,it was a huge success.

Comedy was inter-mixed with exhibitionsgiven by the top-notch swimmers anddivers. Captain Robert Shapiro, DentalCorps of Brooke General hospital, kept thespectators doubled up with laughter at hiscomic dives performed in a swimming suitfrom the era of the ’90s.

“Willie” started the carnival off whenhe fell from the diving board. About fif-teen men well distributed throughout the

"Willie" gives an exhibition of "diving" atthe Water Carnival held at the Brooke Con-valescent Hospital. Incidentally, such anticsrequire skill in order to alleviate any danger

of injury.


To the rescue! When "Willie" seemingly"fell" into the pool, some fifteen rescuerswearing 1890 swim suits went after him.The wonder is that they were able to keep

afloat in their odd costumes.

"Willie" is shown being pulled in by ropefor a landing as he finished a challengerace a half-stroke ahead of his opponent."Willie" to those not in the know isCaptain Robert Shapiro, Dental Corps,

of Brooke General Hospital.

Private First Class Donovan Peterson at far left nears the finish line with his spoon and pingpong ball. His secret of success, is a furious dog-paddle which does not necessitate his head

moving from right to left or up and down.


Private First Class Gloria Gedney, entertained with her vocal talents between acts at the WaterCarnival held at the Brooke Convalescent Hospital.

Woes on duty at the Brooke Hospital Center foim a pin-wheel in the center of the recentlycompleted swimming pool during the Water Ballet at the Brooke Convalescent Hospital's

Water Carnival.


WATER CARNIVAL(Continued from Page 21)

aquaplane act, in fact, he practically tookoff the surface, reaching the finish lineabout a half stroke ahead of his opponent.It still hasn’t been figured out why Williewasn’t injured when he hit the finish line,because the men hauling on the rope wereso far removed from the pool they couldn’ttell when “Willie” had reached the finishline.

The championship WAC swimming teamfrom the Brooke Hospital center gave aprecision-perfect rendition of a water-ballet, and the girls also did some exhibi-tion diving.

Two contests took place. In the first, themen had to hold pingpong balls in thebowl of a spoon and cross the pool—Pfc.Donovan Peterson, of Company F-2, wonthis race and received a toilet kit for hiswork. The other contest wound up theshow when 500 pennies were tossed in thepool, the object being to get the mostpennies in a given time.

Sgt. C. J. Robinson, Brooke ConvalescentHospital, and Pfc. Gloria Gedney, WAC,entertained the men with vocals sung tothe accompaniment of the 365th ASFband. Cold “cokes” were served duringthe carnival by a mobile unit of the RedCross.

——— •

ARMY TRAININGPAYS DIVIDENDSTO DISCHARGED VETERANS

Army training is paying dividends to dis-charged veterans by qualifying them forcivil service jobs, according to Erwin F.Carle, Civil Service representative atBrooke Hospital Center’s separation sec-tion.

Mr. Carle interviews all men being dis-charged who are interested in civil serviceappointments.

Soldiers with army assignments as truckdrivers or auto mechanics find it easy torate similar jobs under Civil Service.

Soldiers in radio, postal or medical work,and those asigned as guards, storekeepers,mess sergeants, cooks, and clerk-typistsalso find civil service openings in line withtheir experience, Carle said.

When the Army dischargee fills out aCivil Service application at Brooke, he hasattached to his application sheet a warveteran’s preference form that rates himan additional five points in securing thejob of his choice. Should a veteran file adisability claim with the Veterans’ Admin-istration and receive a letter authorizingthe compensation, he gets another fivepoints.

The Army’s educational reconditioningprogram which offers Brooke patientscondensed courses in many trades is an-

other major help in qualifying for civilservice jobs, Mr. Carle stated.

Last month 56 dischargees made appli-cations for civil service positions whilestill being processed in the separation sec-tion. Many more discussed with the repre-sentative the jobs open in various local-ities, for which an up-to-date list is kept.

Army men who left civil service employ-ment for military service have a cinch atgetting their old jobs back, and thereforedo not go through the formalities of civilservice interviews, which is part of the GIcounseling service at Brooke.

Brooke Hospital Center has alreadystarted employing war veterans in opencivil service jobs for which they are quali-fied, Major Cyrus S. Myers, Director ofPersonnel at the Brooke Hospital Centersaid.

Mischa Elman, veteran concert violinist,will open the San Antonio SymphonySociety’s seventh concert season as guestartist with Max Reiter and the 75-piecesymphony at the Municipal Auditorium,Nov. 10.

Elman, who has played American con-cert stages since 1908, heads a roster of14 guest artists who will appear with theorchestra during the 20-week season. Itwill be a return engagement for him inSan Antonio.

This season, too, the symphony societywill inaugurate a series of twilight cham-ber music concerts. These will come onSunday afternoons on dates yet to be an-nounced, and will be played by the newly-organized San Antonio string quartet.

Season tickets or individual tickets forsubscription and extra-curricular concertswill be available to military personnel atreduced prices, symphony officials haveannounced.


Member of the "Lost Battalion”Of Burma Tells Strange Story

Nip warriors at us and we didn’t evenhave a chance.”

Taken prisoner on March 8, 1942, Wrightrecalled his initial instructions from theJaps:

“We were told to go up into the hillsfor our own protection as the natives weremore than unfriendly. Our temporarycamp was an old tea plantation which wasswell for a few days. But our troublesbegan when we were taken to the dockarea of Prick.

“Here we were lined up. The officerswere forced to stand in the front rows andbow as inspection of our ranks by the Japsbegan. Colonel Thorpe lined up all theTexas boys, six feet tall or better, andsecretly whispered, ‘Well, we’ll make theJaps look up to us in one way at least.’ ”

Stationed at Prick for,three months, themen subsisted on tea for weeks, until latermeager rations of rice supplemented theirdiet. Dysentary was rampant and resis-tance lessened by the day.

Later the men were assigned to un-loading Jap barges vividly marked “RedCross,” which they strongly protestedThey were ordered to do what they weretold or they would be decapitated.

At dusk they were herded into broken-down Jap trucks and driven past a campwhere Dutch women were beaten unmerci-fully for greeting the American soldierswith “thumbs up” or “V-for-Victory” signs.Although the women were discouragedfrom making such displays, they neverfailed to transmit courage to the Amer-icans.

Moving to a new location, they receivedfairly good treatment for a while, thoughfood rations continued to be poor. Themen however were able to secure foodstuffs by having managed to concealmoney for the purpose. (Officers were al-lowed to purchase food from villagestores).

Time-pieces for the men became the sea-sons, the moons and the monsoons. Drag-ged out of their sleeping quarters onenight, they were informed they were tobe “honored” with a “special” assignment.It was a trip of horror, and filth, livingsix weeks like animals.

“We were marched to the docks andloaded on old, rickety transports. Menwere allotted one and one-half feet tosquat in. Rank didn’t make much differ-ence to the Japs and daily roll call addedto their discomfort. Rations consisted ofone-quarter pint of water per day with sea

Pfc. Houston T. Wright, member of the 131stField Artillery—the "Lost Battalion" of Burma,and a Jap prisoner for three and a half years,catching up on his "domestic" news at theBrooke Convalescent Hospital, where he is now

a patient.

“We were seven days out of Honolulu,December, 1941, when the ship’s radioblared forth with President Roosevelt’sdeclaration of war against Japan. Fromthere on in. we ran into nothing but trou-ble to say the least.”

Thus began the strange story as relatedby Private First Class Houston T. Wright,of Corpus Christi, Texas, and former mem-ber of the 131st Field Artillery Battalion,the “Lost

,Battalion” of Burma. Pvt.

Wright was recently repatriated afterhaving been held prisoner of the Japs forthree and a half long years. He is now apatient at the Brooke Convalescent Hos-pital.

After the declaration of war with Japan,Java became their immediate destination.When they arrived, they were greeted bythe famous 19th Bomb Group, who hadwinged their way from Clark Field. Re-marked Pfc. Wright:

“It’s surprising how quickly all of usField Artillery men became ordnance men,mechanics, turret gunners, radio operators,fitters—in fact we did everything to ‘keep’em flying’.”

Among the experiences of Pvt. Wrightwere a running sea battle with Jap cruisers.Badly outnumbered, the USS Houston andAustralian cruiser Perth, went down withtheir guns blazing. The Japs then pre-pared to land on Java, “throwing 300,000


nyson’s poems and The Medieval Ballads,studying their metric and rhyme. TheBrooke Bluebonnet Broadcast hopes to befavored by more of this new writer»poems.

PHILiPPINE MEMORY PICTUREFrom out the mountains of LeyteI met her coming down,Amid the rain and mud so free,A little woman brown;

Her naked feet, her raven hair,I saw, and one thin dressWhich close to every feature fairClung with a drenched carress.

Upon the back of her great beast,The burdened carabao.The rice on which her people feastHad worked its weight too low.She sought to right the load,She tried with unavailing strength,Till strange conventions I defiedThrough friendliness at length.

I understood no word she said;Her talk was strange and free;And when I'd finished, in some dreadShe gave a fingered V!

ROBIN HOODS AWAYRobin Hoods away, away,Robin Hoods away;The flying bombs so mighty nowWere shafts but yesterday!How do the dauntless heroes standTo drive the heathen mad?The Patriots of the AlamoAre one with Stalingrad;

And where the ancient chariots ranAre faster ones that race,And no beloved flying high,Need lose his wings in space;

And where the simple tribesman smokedThe ancient pipes of peace.The best of modern minds must striveThat wars forever cease.

Robin Hoods away, away,Robin Hoods away;The very shades of Sherwood's greenAre new and changed today!

—OTTIE MURPHY—•

BRIEF SUMMARY OF RESULTSOF BASEBALL TOURNAMENT ATTHE BROOKE CONVALESCENTHOSPITAL

On September 6th, Co. K-3 beat A-l, 3to 2; Sept. 7th Co. 1-2 beat K-3, 2 to 1;Sept. 11th, A-l beat 1-2, 5 to 4; September12th A-l again beat 1-2, 6 to 5; eliminating1-2. On the next day A-l applied the brushto K-3, 9 to 2, thereby taking the champion-ship. (Photo on Page 27)

weed soup.Finally disembarking “somewhere” in

Burma, the men were required to walkforty kilometers into the jungles. Theywere supplied with picks and shovels andbegan to hack their way through tenaciousundergrowth in an effort to blaze a trailfor a railroad. The project was sharplycurtailed, fortunately, when the watersupply ran out.

Next they went to a cholera camp, where600 Burmese natives had perished. Half-filled graves greeted their eyes, with thecamp site filled with swarming flies andmaggots. The Americans quickly sprinkledlime throughout the area and closed thegraves.

Wright was now down to slightly undera hundred pounds and weak with beri-beriand dysentary, so he was permitted to entera Jap hospital at Tambizat. There hestayed for six months and one day a flightof B-24 Liberators passed overhead.

“That was the most beautiful sight I hadseen in a long time,” he remarked.

They were immediately shuttled on aprison train deeper into Burma, which toWright, now seems “tons” of years ago.He luckily was assigned to duties with aDutch doctor which for him was a break,temporarily.

Later he was assigned to heavy fieldduties again. He recalls with emotionsome of the cruelties of the Jap guards:

“We’d try to take a break but the guardswould yell, ‘Speedo, speedo,’ and push andprod us with their weapons. All the menhad contracted malaria. No quinine wasavailable and many keeled over dead onthe job. The Japs not content with work-ing us 14-16 hours a day, made us carryback-breaking sacks of rice to camp, aswell as the dead bodies of our buddies.

“Jap cameramen often photographed usfor propaganda films. We’d be forced tosit beneath the blazing sun, given Japmagazines and mail to read in posed shotsin an effort to make it appear as thoughwe were receiving mail from home.”

August 29, 1945, rolled around and that’sthe date in future years that Wright willrecall and for which he will thank God.The blue lights over Rangoon splashed theskies and that was “it,” the signal forliberation. “All of us broke down and criedlike babies! I’m still pinching myself tosee if it’s true.”

—

Private First Class Ottie Murphy, a pa-tient in the Brooke Convalescent Hospitalcontributed the following poems based onincidents and reactions experienced byhim in the Philippines. Pfc. Murphy hasspent most of his life farming in Texas.In his spare time he has added to hisformal education by reading volumes ofpoems including Shakespeare’s works, Ten-


BROOKE SPORTS"Second Round” Softball ChampsBrooke Convalescent Hospital

Here are the second round champs of the regimental softball league of Brooke ConvalescentHospital, Co. A, First Battalion. Team members are front row, I. to r.: Pfc. J. L. Carr, ColdSprings, Texas; 1st Sgt. O. J. Gross, Bastrop, Texas; CpI. E. F. Becker, Louisville, Ky.„* and Pfc.A. E. Miller, Ft. Worth, Texas. Second row: CpI. Jess Jackson, Linn Creek, Mo.; Lt. Chester T.Hino, Pittsburgh, Penna.; Sgt. Edwin Maas, Chicago, III. Standing: Pfc. Clyde Copeland, Tru-mann. Ark.; Pfc. Orval Pursley, Dallas, S/Sgt. John C. Peralta, Beeville, Texas; CpI. Ar-thur S. Williams, New Orleans, La.; and Pfc. M. A. Kleb, Houston, Texas. Winners of the FirstBattalion championship, they played a double elimination with the Second and Third Battalion

champions.


KAMRATH STILL WINNING: Captain Karl Kamrath, right, one-time national intercollegiatedoubles champion, is still winning tournaments in amateur tennis play. With Captain Robert S.Hawthorne, left, Brooke Hospital Center adjutant, he won the doubles crown by default in thefinals of the center's tournament. Captain Kamrath also won the men's singles title, defeating

Lieutenant Lloyd Thomas, 6-2, 6-0, 6-0.

BROOKE SINGLES FINALISTS: Clashing for the women's singles crown, Corporal Lenore Krussell, WAC, of Wauteshan, Wis., Physical Therapy student, is shown left receiving congratula'tions from Physical Therapist Lieutenant Celeste A. Hayden, of Montesano, Wash., after winning

the match, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1.

Buy More VICTORY■ BONDS

ROOKE BLUEBONNET BROADCAST

MDETS "Campus Notes”This is the first of a series of columns

to be written by the instructional personnelof the Medical Department Enlisted Tech-nicians School. The instructor of instruct-ors, a well-known man on and about FortSam Houston, Master Sergeant AdolphPatzewitsch, after a bit of coaxing andthreatening, consented to write a columnabout the staff of the school for this issue.It is with the greatest of pleasure that wepresent to you the tongue-twisting andmouth-filling words of Sergeant Patze-witsch :

This, folks, is a casual and fleeting take-off on the subject of that doughty orderof men who for the past few years haveled a steady panorama of students to takegradated and antiseptic sips from thePyrean springs of Hippocratean know-how.

As your scribe ruminated about thepremises, surveying that conglomerationof pedagogues commonly known as the in-structors of the MDETS, he gathered some-thing like the following glimpses and im-pressions:

The baffling sight of the extrovertedand irrepressible T/4 Harvey, with sobervisage and the ever-so-faint Mephistophel-ian glimmer in his eye—going through aseries of class demonstrations with smoothefficiency . . . the intense earnestness andwarmth of Maj. Sartorius as he expoundsupon one of the numerous subjects in theSurgical Section’s curriculum . . . thepleasant sound of Sgt. Bill Hamilton’s easy-flowing and mellifluent vocabulary as heunfolds new vistas in the domains of physicsand electronics to neophyte x-ray students. . . the ready response of T/3 John Victorto a puzzled Lab. student asking for help. . . the composure and seriousness withwhich T/3 Ken Hoag conducts an at-tentive class in pharmacy.

Behold S/Sgt. Rabold, who with inex-haustible energy, verve and boundless en-thusiasm pounds home the “know-how”of x-ray technique . . . the amusing spec-tacle of T/5 Frank Wheeler dominatinga packed assembly hall while expatiating,with irascible vigor, on cogent phases ofanatomy . . . tireless and versitile T/4Worrel patiently drives home a point in oneof the numerous classes he conducts .

..

ever courteous T/4 Carleton and mild-man-nered T/4 Clutter appraise a piece of dent-al work, their optics squinted to the properdegree to give them scientifically criticaland enigmatic professional mien, while anexpectant student looks on.

Dropping in the lecture room, with atwinge of envy, one marvels at genial andscholarly Capt. Haines’ uncanny knack ofsustaining that eloquent ring in his voice

. . . A scene in the surgical section: theassured ease with which erudite T/4 Schlifkacommands the attention and respect of hisclass or gently muffles a garrulous student. . . affable Capt. Wasserman scrutinizinga dental film, with students huddling abouthim . . . the cluster of students intentlyconcentrating on a specific spot contiguousto the business end of a pointer manipu-lated by calm-voiced and meticulouslyscientific T/4 Fiedler

.. . sincere and ef-

ficient 174 Abernathy insisting on theundivided attention of his huee class.

Here and there an occasional peccadillowas noted when one of these worthy task-masters was caught off guard, preoccupiedwith other than expository duties.

Indeed, it was amusing when this scribetried to coax a quote or two out of thesemen concerning the teaching game andtheir feelings about it. In most instancesone met with an effusive display of mod-esty, mock self-deprecation, artful shiftsto roguish naivete and whimsically cynicalretorts.

However, jovial Capt. Kroner (lab) start-ed the ball rolling by stating aphoristically,“There are no short cuts in this game” . . .T/5 Hyatt (lab) avers, “It’s not easy, butI like it,” adding for an afterthought, “Af-ter doing a series of lectures, an instructoris completely tired out—physically, mental-ly and vocally.” . . . Practical, taciturnT/Sgt. Humphries (lab) randomed, “Justgive me something to work on,” then add-ed, “To determine real ability in a studentobserve him closely at actual work.” . . .

T/5 Milford (dental) is a protagonist ofthe three F’s: “Be fair, friendly and firm.”. . . Capt. Kelley (dental) comes forthpiquantly: “We like young students withgood common sense and students whosefingers are not all toes.”

“The instructor’s personality is most im-portant in teaching,” opines alert andfriendly T/4 Bernstein (surgical) . . . “whenthe quality of student material is good,teaching is a real pleasure—when bad, it’sa torture,” cryptically remarks T/3 Long-ston (surgical) . . .

Says Lt. Olenik (phar-macy) “The real satisfaction I get out ofteaching is to see an individual develop, togrow into something new.” . . . Capt. Horn-ick (x-ray) makes this penetrating observa-tion: “The drawback of Army teaching isrepetition. There is a constant challenge tothe instructor, to maintain a high sense ofinterest primarily for the student, but alsofor himself. There is also the difficulty ascientifically trained professional manmeets with in adapting his methods to theproDer level of the untrained individual.”

Perhaps all instructors of the MDETSwill find a sympathetic note in the follow-


ing observation made by Jacques Barsunin his book, “Teacher in America:”

“In recounting my apprenticeship I call-ed teaching back-breaking work and laterI hinted that steady teaching is a taskthat would fray the nerves of an ox. Theseare both sober statements. An hour ofteaching is certainly the equivalent of awhole morning of office work. The pace,the concentration, the output of energyin office work are child’s play comparedwith handling a class, and the smaller theclass, the harder the work. Tutoring asingle person—as someone has said—-makes you understand what a dynamo feelslike when it is discharging into a non-conductor.”

—M/SGT. ADOLPH PATZEWISCH•-

"A WAR EXPERT ..."

(Continued from Page 14)

has it again she intends to keep it. Tomake the Port Arthur position secure, por-tions of the Chinese mainland must be heldby friends of the Soviet Union. Outlet tothe Pacific Ocean is through the YellowSea, blocked on the east by Korea, the up-per half of which Russia needed to safe-guard Port Arthur in that direction. Thatis why the Red army rushed into northernKorea soon after going to war with Japan.In time all of Korea is to be turned backto the native population; meanwhile theSoviet Union will have established favor-ably-inclined Communistic groups of nativeKoreans.

South of Port Arthur is a 70-mile widestrait that connects the Yellow Sea withthe gulf of Chihli. That gulf is surroundedby Shantung and Hopeh Provinces of Chinaproper, and to a small extent by Manchuria.Looking into the future, the Soviet Unionintends now to adopt such measures thatPort Arthur shall never be threatened by anunfriendly power constructing militaryworks on the Shantung promontory oppo-site Port Arthur. The promontory is nowheld by the Eighth Route Army, the bestof Communist military forces.

In Shantung Province is the port andharbor of Tsingtao. In Hopeh Province arePeking and Tientsin. These two provinces,together with the inland provinces of Jeholand Chahar, form an invincible land-massbinding Inner and Outer Mongolia withManchuria. These are the reasons why theChinese Communists demand that upon theformation of a unified government in China,Communist troops shall occupy the fourprovinces and Communist governors rulethem.

ADVISORY VS CONTROLCOMMISSION

Secretary of State Byrnes has clarifiedthe difference between an advisory com-mission and a control commission for Japan.

The United States proposed the creation ofan advisory commission a week after Japanagreed to surrender. Foreign CommissarMolotov surprised the London conferenceof foreign ministers by proposing that acontrol commission be set up for Japan.

Prior to the London meeting, the pro-posal advanced by the United States foran advisory commission had been agreedto by Great Britain, Russia and China,with the further proviso that France, Cana- ,da, Australia, New Zealand, the Nether-lands and the Philippines hold membershipin the council. It is likely that India alsowill be included. A meeting of the advisory :commission has been called for October 23, jwith Major General Frank R. McCoy as ithe United States representative.

Secretary Byrnes stated that the advisory :commission or council has no authority tomake recommendations on military oper-ations or disposition of territory. His ideaof wise procedure is to let the council workout recommendations for long-range controlof Japan after the period of military oc- jcupation comes to an end.

Russia’s proposal to create a control ?commission, if adopted, would mean eitherreplacing General MacArthur, or curtailinghis authority as supreme commander forthe Allies. Secretary Byrnes made it clearthat he does not favor the Russian pro- ;posal, and that there is no intention of al-tering MacArthur’s status. He said also;that the Japanese, having surrendered un- ]der the terms that the Emperor shall takeorders from the Allied Supreme Com-mander, it would be a violation of the con- :tract were orders to issue from a controlcommission.

U. S. CARRIER ESSEXNo warship of any nation has had a

more notable record than the U.S. AircraftCarrier Essex. For two years that endedwhen Halsey’s fleet moved into Tokyo Bay,the Essex supported every major Pacificengagement from Tarawa to the Japanesehomeland. The Essex produced the leadingindividual naval flyer, Commander DavidMcCampbell, who shot down 34 Japaneseplanes. Air Group 83 of the Essex flew36,841 combat hours. The Essex fought in68 combat operations. Her antiaircraft gunsshot down 33 Japanese attacking planes.Her air groups destroyed 1,531 Japaneseaircraft and received credit for an addition-al 800 probables.

Essex aviators sent 25 Japanese war-ships and 86 noncombatant vessels to thebottom. They damaged an additional 113war vessels and 195 noncombatant ships.Total Japanese warships and noncombatantvessels destroyed and damaged by the Es-sex amounted to 419.


AWARDS AT BROOKE(Continued from Page 18)

three battle He is the son of Mr.and Mrs. Ballard Grisham who reside inSeadrift.

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SERGEANT BEREK, OF CHICAGO,RECEIVES AWARD OF THE SILVERSTAR AT THE BROOKE GENERALHOSPITAL

Sergeant William F. Berek, an Infantry-man, now a patient in the Thoracic SurgeryWard (6) at Brooke General Hospital, hasbeen awarded the Silver Star for gallantryin action in Belgium. The presentationwas made by Colonel John C. Woodland,commanding the Brooke General Hospital.

The citation, read by First LieutenantJames E. Mance, adjutant of the BrookeGeneral Hospital, is as follows: “Numer-ically superior forces had succeeded inwounding soldiers occupying a house andwere preventing litter bearers from evac-uating them, by keeping the house and allroutes of approach under intense fire. Atgreat risk to his life, Sergeant Berek vol-untarily made three trips under fire assist-ing in evacuating the wounded. Togetherwith his comrades, Sergeant Berek safelyevacuated twenty wounded soldiers.”

Assigned to Co. G, 120th Infantry, 30thDivision when he went overseas in Feb-ruary of 1944, Sergeant Berek was a mem-ber of the “lost battalion” at Moratan,France when his unit was missing for 6days in August of 1944.

Wounded three times, Sergeant Berekwears the Purple Heart and two Oak-LeafClusters. The first time he was woundedJuly 25, 1944, the second, August 10, 1944,and the last time on February 27, 1945. Hereturned from overseas in June.

Besides the Silver Star and the PurpleHeart with Clusters, Sergeant Berek wearsthe Good Conduct ribbon, the Combat In-fantryman Badge, the European Theatreof Operations ribbon with four battle starsand the Distinguished Unit Citation. Heis the son of Mr. and Mrs. L. Ostrowski of7332 S. Artesan in Chicago.

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BHC-ARMY-CRAFTS-CONTEST—-CPEN TO ALL MILITARYPERSONNEL OF BROOKEHOSPITAL CENTER

The Brooke Hospital Center’s Army-Crafts Contest offers the following prizes:

1st PRIZE—$25.00 War Bond2nd PRIZE—$10.00 War Bond3rd PRIZE—$5.00 in War Stamps

CLASSES OF ENTRIESClass I—Originality of Design

Class II—Best Craft Techniques andMaterials

Class III—Inventive Use of ImprovisedMaterials

Class IV—Functional ValueEntries must be in by November 15th,1945. Entry blanks may be obtained in theOccupational Therapy Shops or from yourSpecial Services Offices.

GENERAL RULES:1. Each entrant will fill out one entrvform.2. All military personnel are eligible.3. No restrictions are placed on types of

entries, materials, or numbers of entriessubmitted by any one participant.4. Entries will have been made while inmilitary service.5. Entries will not include paintings,drawings, sculpture, prints, renderings, orphotography.G. Entries will not exceed 25 pounds inweight and 30 cubic feet based on theirthree outside, over-all dimensions. There

aie n ° minimum weights or measurements.7. All entries will be returned to en-trants when no longer needed for exhibi-tion purposes.The following categories are suggested:(a) Household articles. Knives, canopeners, tableware, spoons, forks, pots andpans, bread trays, etc. Carvings, trays,vases, letter openers, clocks, lamps, book-ends, tables, coat hangers, ink ’stands,waste baskets, etc. Spades, hoes, rakes,garden furniture, bird houses, etc. Rugs,curtains, draperies, mats, table cloths!couch covers. Marketing baskets, mats,floor coverings, etc.(b) Articles for gifts and personal use.Gloves, moccasins, handbags, belts, knittedhosiery, aprons, cigarette cases, rings,broaches, bracelets, ear-rings, wallets, keycases, walking sticks, etc.(c) Models. Houses, parks, memorial mon-

uments, stage sets, plants and factories,furniture, etc. Ships, trains, automobiles,tanks, planes, etc.(d) Toys, games and athletic equipment.

Animals, dolls, animated toys, decorativewood blocks, etc. Chess sets, backgammonsets, poker sets, jig saw puzzles, archerysets, croquet sets, fishing rods, etc.

•

DREAMS ARE REALI dreamed I stood on the crest of a hill.And looked on a valley fair;'Twas a peaceful scene, I saw in my dream.But something was lacking there.When I awoke, the dream lingered on,

It haunted me all the day thru;At last, my heart found the answer.

The thing that was lacking, was you!—LT. HELEN ARMSTRONG, ANCPatient in Ward 11,Brooke General Hospital


353,710 U. S. Deed, Millions Injured as ResultOf Careless Accidents In a 5-Year Period

prevention, and such outlays are not madewithout justifiable proof of its effective-ness.

Safety at the Brooke Hospital Center in-volves an organization and a program,about which latter you will learn morelater. The organization stems directly fromthe Commanding General, through the Ex-ecutive Officer to a Safety Council com-posed of several key officers. Reportingto this Council, and in cooperation with itsmembers in effecting corrective measures,is the office of the Safety Director. It isthe responsibility of this office to makesafety inspections, conduct investigationsof military and civilian injuries for causes,etc., make analyses of accident reports toarrive at corrective measures to be applied,make consolidated monthly reports to theService Command, and plan and direct thesafety program. Funnelling into this officefrom all the various activities of the hos-pital are accident reports which are madeout by non-commissioned officers, foremen,or supervisors upon whom falls the re-sponsibility for accident prevention withintheir own spheres of authority. These ac-cident reports constitute the essential toolsfor proper accident analysis, and the deter-mination of effective preventive measures.It is necessary then, that all accidents andespecially all injuries, regardless of howminor they may seem, be reported im-mediately to the supervisor. Between theseforemen, supervisors, and non-commission-ed officers, and the office of the SafetyDirector there is a Safety Committee whosemembers function as liaison between theabove elements. Its members will assistthe Safety Director in investigations, in-spections, and in working out training pro-grams in line with the nature of the activitywhich they represent.

Such an organization is the resultof an effort to coordinate all hospital act-ivities into such a relationship that the pri-mary objective of protecting the individualfrom accidental injuries may be more ef-fectively accomplished .

In conclusion, there are two points whichdeserve particular emphasis. First, accidentprevention is an integral part of every job,and to be effective must be participated inby every individual. Second, responsibilityfor accident prevention in any given activityfalls directly upon the supervisor, foremanor non-Commissioned officer in charge ofthat activity. Finally, we hope that, in allfairness to one’s family, employer and one-self, each member of the personnel ofBrooke Hospital Center will give accidentprevention a larger place in his daily liv-ing.

—H. L. EVANSAssistant Safety Director

It is not intended or desired that thefollowing statistical figures will produce a‘fear of injury’ complex in anyone, butrather that they will clearly point out theneed for accident prevention work. Thentoo, it is hoped that these remarks maycreate a greater degree of safety conscious-ness on the part of those who read them,and an awareness of individual responsibili-ty in the maintenance of physical fitnessthrough the avoidance and prevention ofaccidents.

During the five year period, 1938through 1942, 353,710 persons died as aresult of injuries sustained in accidents inthe United States from motor vehicles, falls,burns and drowning. Projecting this lossto a few Texas towns, for the sake of ahomely illustration, one might say that infive years the total populations of Austin,Waco, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, Abilene,Brownwood, Marshall, Temple, Gonzales,Beeville, Sweetwater, New Braunfels andSeguin were entirely destroyed as a resultof only four types of accidents.

Further, during a three-year period, 1940through 1942, all types of accidents ac-counted for over 280,000 lives in the UnitedStates; whereas, the total number of menkilled in action in the Army and Navyfrom December 7, 1941 (Pearl Harbor) toDecember 7, 1944, a three-year period, was119,578. This is a ratio of nearly two andone-half deaths by accident in the UnitedStates to one killed in action in WorldWar II. And, while on the subject of theWar, it might be timely to state that hos-pitalization for non-combat injuries in theContinental United States and overseastheaters was of such proportion as to havewithheld from service or combat a numberof men greater than three full infantrydivisions, with all their complements, fora full year of war.

Finally figures reveal that in New YorkState alone, there were 807,298 compen-sations paid out over a ten-year periodending in 1942, for industrial injuries inthat state. Total amount paid was $289,-396,476.00.

It would be interesting to elaborate onthe preceding figures, but space does notpermit. However, it can be said that thefigures on accidental deaths barely touchthe surface of accidents as a whole. Thefigures do not reflect the millions of minorand major injuries which involve expenseand suffering.

Industrial managements spend millionsof dollars annually for safety promotion,and save many times those millions in com-pensations, medical fees, training new em-ployees, machinery repair or replacement,etc. Additional millions are spent by CivilGovernments, and by the Army for accident

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