ron_c
US Veteran
So, do we talk about SF VET behind his back while he is gone, or just wait until he gets back?
Just as long as he doesn't know where we all live.
Snubby in Vietnam
- Thread starter SF VET
- Start date
Just as long as he doesn't know where we all live.
SF VET is a no good bum! Or my name ain't ron c in north central Texas!
I really have enjoyed this thread, and appreciate the stories y'all are sharing. Thanks
I really have enjoyed this thread, and appreciate the stories y'all are sharing. Thanks
Standing by, anxiously awaiting his return and more of his insights.
ron_c
US Veteran
I contacted SF VET about others posting stories while in the military, until he returns. He said please do so. He did say, no wounded, bodies or nudity, of course.
Sistema1927
US Veteran
Even though the Medevac crew cut my uniform off of me while airlifting me in a UH-1 to the hospital at Ft. Hood, I can guarantee that nobody wants to see my body naked.
Tailgate Medicine
I have spent hours and hours trying to find a way to digitalize some of my other military slides. Bought a Kodak scanner, not happy with that, then spent near two days finally getting my Epson flatbed to copy a few test slides. Seems to be OK.
In the army, "tailgate" medicine refers to emergency care given while on the move, without taking the time to set up more specialized care facilities.
By the late '90's, I had by then transferred to an EVAC up in Minneapolis. The army was sending us for our two week "summer camps" overseas to maintain our medical skills and organization. The moutains of Guatemala, or El Salvador, guarded by those countries' troops. Hours of dangerous bussing up mountain roads to small villages, where we would set up in local schools. With advance notification, the local people would often trek over mountains for days to see if we could somehow help with their injures and illness, and we often were successful with that. Usually, US Peace Corps volunteers would help out too.
Here, a local had whacked his knee with his machete, and was being driven down the mountain to be repaired at some far distant clinic, so when I saw this, I just had him lie on a litter, and right on the tailgate of a truck, gloved up and after thoroughly cleaning his wound, sewed him up. I have no idea if soon he was good as new, or later he had to have his leg amputated.
We gave him a tetanus shot too.
I enjoy reading the stories of other forum members. More to come. Zeroed m Winchester 70 in 270 today with my reloads.
All the best, and stay safe. SF VET
I have spent hours and hours trying to find a way to digitalize some of my other military slides. Bought a Kodak scanner, not happy with that, then spent near two days finally getting my Epson flatbed to copy a few test slides. Seems to be OK.
In the army, "tailgate" medicine refers to emergency care given while on the move, without taking the time to set up more specialized care facilities.
By the late '90's, I had by then transferred to an EVAC up in Minneapolis. The army was sending us for our two week "summer camps" overseas to maintain our medical skills and organization. The moutains of Guatemala, or El Salvador, guarded by those countries' troops. Hours of dangerous bussing up mountain roads to small villages, where we would set up in local schools. With advance notification, the local people would often trek over mountains for days to see if we could somehow help with their injures and illness, and we often were successful with that. Usually, US Peace Corps volunteers would help out too.
Here, a local had whacked his knee with his machete, and was being driven down the mountain to be repaired at some far distant clinic, so when I saw this, I just had him lie on a litter, and right on the tailgate of a truck, gloved up and after thoroughly cleaning his wound, sewed him up. I have no idea if soon he was good as new, or later he had to have his leg amputated.
We gave him a tetanus shot too.
I enjoy reading the stories of other forum members. More to come. Zeroed m Winchester 70 in 270 today with my reloads.
All the best, and stay safe. SF VET
Welcome back. Looking forward to more of your stories.
All in a day's work
I think this is up in the mountains of Guatemala. Just a few of the thousands of locals who would show up to see if we could help them. I just looked over some hundreds of my slides, but many are just not suitable for this forum, being dreadful injuries and diseases, and congenital defects, even snake bites and venomous insect sequela. We were usually on-site by mid morning, after leaving from our lodging at a local army camp well before dawn, and had to be back down by dusk. The most patients I saw in one day at one of these clinics was 370. When you read about some bus full of people going over a cliff into a river or the like, it was like that danger for us.
For the locals who lived high up on a mountain, it was so difficult for them to walk down and then back up to bathe in a river, that their skin disease were unlike any I have seen in the US or even other countries. Scabies, a small mite that burrows in one's skin, causing in intense itchy inflammatory reaction and was often nearly fatal from the secondary infections and abscesses, babies, children, just awful cases. I would rub them down with my bare hands with an anti-scabies lotion, never having time to wash my hands between patients. Lance the accesses: I just couldn't imagine the intense awful itching these poor people suffered.
There must not have been much intermarriage between valleys, because the locals were very different in each valley and mountain. Plus, I was amazed at the "western" names. I had thought that being of Indian heritage they would have had names foreign to me. But time and time again, I would be introduced to children with names like 'Oscar", "Mike', "Larry", "Henry" and the like.
In one village, I noted a young mother wearing nothing but a near transparent cast-off American slip, and nothing else. I asked one of our interpreters why she was nearly unclothed, and he replied after talking with her, that she was wearing the only garment she had. So I gave the interpreter $20 US to give her, so she could go down the mountain and buy something to wear. I had to tell him to NOT tell her where the $ came from or I would be mobbed.
I was told the mountain people usually wore out and died, women in their early 50's, men usually in their late 50's. Just wore out.
I could go on and on......
SF VET
I think this is up in the mountains of Guatemala. Just a few of the thousands of locals who would show up to see if we could help them. I just looked over some hundreds of my slides, but many are just not suitable for this forum, being dreadful injuries and diseases, and congenital defects, even snake bites and venomous insect sequela. We were usually on-site by mid morning, after leaving from our lodging at a local army camp well before dawn, and had to be back down by dusk. The most patients I saw in one day at one of these clinics was 370. When you read about some bus full of people going over a cliff into a river or the like, it was like that danger for us.
For the locals who lived high up on a mountain, it was so difficult for them to walk down and then back up to bathe in a river, that their skin disease were unlike any I have seen in the US or even other countries. Scabies, a small mite that burrows in one's skin, causing in intense itchy inflammatory reaction and was often nearly fatal from the secondary infections and abscesses, babies, children, just awful cases. I would rub them down with my bare hands with an anti-scabies lotion, never having time to wash my hands between patients. Lance the accesses: I just couldn't imagine the intense awful itching these poor people suffered.
There must not have been much intermarriage between valleys, because the locals were very different in each valley and mountain. Plus, I was amazed at the "western" names. I had thought that being of Indian heritage they would have had names foreign to me. But time and time again, I would be introduced to children with names like 'Oscar", "Mike', "Larry", "Henry" and the like.
In one village, I noted a young mother wearing nothing but a near transparent cast-off American slip, and nothing else. I asked one of our interpreters why she was nearly unclothed, and he replied after talking with her, that she was wearing the only garment she had. So I gave the interpreter $20 US to give her, so she could go down the mountain and buy something to wear. I had to tell him to NOT tell her where the $ came from or I would be mobbed.
I was told the mountain people usually wore out and died, women in their early 50's, men usually in their late 50's. Just wore out.
I could go on and on......
SF VET
Sistema1927
US Veteran
When I was in Korea I had the privilege of working with some dental and medical clinics on my own time. A missionary dentist and his wife were in country for a year, and I often accompanied them into villages where they set up clinics. I helped out as best I could, and learned how to inject Novocain and was allowed to pull a couple of teeth.
The army dentist at my base was interested, and tagged along with us one Saturday afternoon. She wasn't familiar with the primitive "combat" nature of this dentistry, but did her best. With one patient, she was working away when the missionary dentist came over and asked what she was doing. It was some complicated procedure. He pushed her away, and extracted the tooth that she had been laboring over. When she complained, he asked if she was going to be around in a couple of days should infection or other complications set in. Even though she was miffed, she told me later that he was absolutely right.
Maybe another time I will share about helping out with a medical clinic in the local prison, and assisting with surgery. Quite an eye opener to this medically untrained soldier.
The army dentist at my base was interested, and tagged along with us one Saturday afternoon. She wasn't familiar with the primitive "combat" nature of this dentistry, but did her best. With one patient, she was working away when the missionary dentist came over and asked what she was doing. It was some complicated procedure. He pushed her away, and extracted the tooth that she had been laboring over. When she complained, he asked if she was going to be around in a couple of days should infection or other complications set in. Even though she was miffed, she told me later that he was absolutely right.
Maybe another time I will share about helping out with a medical clinic in the local prison, and assisting with surgery. Quite an eye opener to this medically untrained soldier.
A son's love for his mother
I am going to post only a few more of my pics from our medical missions in Central America; they can wait 'till later. I have about a dozen carousels of my Vietnam and DS slides to review, and I know where the French lady is in that carousel.
It was near heartbreaking to see how difficult it was for these mountain people, here in Guatemala, to find care for their families. Here, this son had carried his immobile mother across a mountain range in his backpack chair, to see if we could help her.
Can there be a better measure of a son's love for his mother than this slide? I don't recall what her disability was, or if our other doctors were able to somehow help them.
stay safe, NAM VET
I am going to post only a few more of my pics from our medical missions in Central America; they can wait 'till later. I have about a dozen carousels of my Vietnam and DS slides to review, and I know where the French lady is in that carousel.
It was near heartbreaking to see how difficult it was for these mountain people, here in Guatemala, to find care for their families. Here, this son had carried his immobile mother across a mountain range in his backpack chair, to see if we could help her.
Can there be a better measure of a son's love for his mother than this slide? I don't recall what her disability was, or if our other doctors were able to somehow help them.
stay safe, NAM VET
"....like puling teeth..."
Our "MedCap" brief deployments also had accompanying army dental teams. Actually, the field dental units had full portable dental systems, chairs, sterilization equipment, and every thing that might be needed for comprehensive field dental care. But the reserve dentists who were part of our EVAC simply could not begin to handle the many hundreds of patients in the 4 or 5 hours they were see at the village schools. So it was mass tooth extraction. I think it was for the best, just pulling aching teeth by the hundreds, and tossing the removed teeth into buckets. Injecting lidocaine then puling rotten teeth I am sure provided immediate relief for the locals. Interestingly, if a mountain village had access to sugar cane, their teeth, esp the kids', were just in in terrible condition, but if they did not have sugar cane to gnaw on all day, some villages had just perfect teeth.
Here, up in the mountains hundreds of villagers patiently and painfully await their extractions. These people were very stoic when it came to pain.
A few more....
SF VET
Our "MedCap" brief deployments also had accompanying army dental teams. Actually, the field dental units had full portable dental systems, chairs, sterilization equipment, and every thing that might be needed for comprehensive field dental care. But the reserve dentists who were part of our EVAC simply could not begin to handle the many hundreds of patients in the 4 or 5 hours they were see at the village schools. So it was mass tooth extraction. I think it was for the best, just pulling aching teeth by the hundreds, and tossing the removed teeth into buckets. Injecting lidocaine then puling rotten teeth I am sure provided immediate relief for the locals. Interestingly, if a mountain village had access to sugar cane, their teeth, esp the kids', were just in in terrible condition, but if they did not have sugar cane to gnaw on all day, some villages had just perfect teeth.
Here, up in the mountains hundreds of villagers patiently and painfully await their extractions. These people were very stoic when it came to pain.
A few more....
SF VET
A typical day up in the mountains, this is Guatemala. The local government with their social and military agencies would pre-arrange where we were to go, and supply us with lunch meals, and security. We also worked with the village "nurses" who were really quite adept at minor surgery and esp attempts at hygiene, and mass vaccinations. We could learn a lot about how to give free and adequate medical care to local populations, without all the obstacles our own health care system puts in the way of taking care of people.
I would have a line of people, whole families, in front of my litter, working with one US Army nurse. I would examine them and as soon as I found something, I would go no further. If a mother had an eye infection, or lice, or scabies, or some other instantly noted affliction, I was done, and would motion them to move to the end of our line, where our pharmacists would provide the appropriate RX, with instructions in Spanish. Sort of like instant Triage, decision, and then the next patient. The only things that took longer than a few seconds were with congenital defects, or afflictions for which there was no cure. Club feet, anatomic defects, like missing limbs, blindness, and so forth. I saw things that one just doesn't see in this country. My accompanying RN kept "score' on a piece of cardboard cut out a ration box. I have that 4X4 piece in my Shadow Box, with 370 tick marks on it, the most I ever saw in one day.
Was necessary to make quick decisions as to the problem and what we had to hopefully make it better, if only for awhile.
SF VET
I would have a line of people, whole families, in front of my litter, working with one US Army nurse. I would examine them and as soon as I found something, I would go no further. If a mother had an eye infection, or lice, or scabies, or some other instantly noted affliction, I was done, and would motion them to move to the end of our line, where our pharmacists would provide the appropriate RX, with instructions in Spanish. Sort of like instant Triage, decision, and then the next patient. The only things that took longer than a few seconds were with congenital defects, or afflictions for which there was no cure. Club feet, anatomic defects, like missing limbs, blindness, and so forth. I saw things that one just doesn't see in this country. My accompanying RN kept "score' on a piece of cardboard cut out a ration box. I have that 4X4 piece in my Shadow Box, with 370 tick marks on it, the most I ever saw in one day.
Was necessary to make quick decisions as to the problem and what we had to hopefully make it better, if only for awhile.
SF VET
'...she can't hear."
Many of my slides are of things not appropriate for this forum. But here is an example of the hope that us Americans could somehow fix this little girl's deafness. As you can see, she had no language because she had no external ear opening. I believe if she were in this country, likely her inner ear is intact, and with a surgical approach to let sound waves reach her inner ear, she could have been able to hear. But sadly this was never going to happen for her, which means her marriage prospects were poor. Just so many congenital defects for which we had no cure. My Spanish is reasonable, but it took an interpreter to gently explain that her daughter would likely never be able to hear or speak.
SF VET
Many of my slides are of things not appropriate for this forum. But here is an example of the hope that us Americans could somehow fix this little girl's deafness. As you can see, she had no language because she had no external ear opening. I believe if she were in this country, likely her inner ear is intact, and with a surgical approach to let sound waves reach her inner ear, she could have been able to hear. But sadly this was never going to happen for her, which means her marriage prospects were poor. Just so many congenital defects for which we had no cure. My Spanish is reasonable, but it took an interpreter to gently explain that her daughter would likely never be able to hear or speak.
SF VET
About half our our EVAC MEDCAP was female. While on the way to the mountains, our bus stopped for a bite to eat and something to drink, and us guys had the whole outdoors for our own latrine, but for our lady-folk, this was their "ladies room."
If a woman choses to serve in our Military, they have to be tough. .
SF VET
If a woman choses to serve in our Military, they have to be tough. .
SF VET
"...not sure what's in this, but it tastes pretty good"
We were "wined and dined" at our meals, often really nicely done up with a Marimba band accompaniment, exchanging of tokens and gifts and such. Actually, as far as I can recall, we didn't have any alcohol. But when we would get back in the evenings to whatever army post we were staying over nite at, they would try to put out their local specialties. But sometimes we weren't' really sure what was in the dishes put down in front of us.
Anyone who takes pictures sometimes just happens to click the shutter at precisely the moment when something humorous is occurring. And what the image captures is only evident when it is printed or developed later.
Like this one...
The trooper on the left "..., not sure what's in this, seems pretty spicy, but I like it.''
The middle trooper "...I have never liked spicy foods, especially when I think they just killed some animal or bird out behind the kitchen."
And the female soldier on the right "...I just think I won't eat it, I don't want to get diarrhea or Lord knows what other parasite is in these unwashed bowls."
SF VET
We were "wined and dined" at our meals, often really nicely done up with a Marimba band accompaniment, exchanging of tokens and gifts and such. Actually, as far as I can recall, we didn't have any alcohol. But when we would get back in the evenings to whatever army post we were staying over nite at, they would try to put out their local specialties. But sometimes we weren't' really sure what was in the dishes put down in front of us.
Anyone who takes pictures sometimes just happens to click the shutter at precisely the moment when something humorous is occurring. And what the image captures is only evident when it is printed or developed later.
Like this one...
The trooper on the left "..., not sure what's in this, seems pretty spicy, but I like it.''
The middle trooper "...I have never liked spicy foods, especially when I think they just killed some animal or bird out behind the kitchen."
And the female soldier on the right "...I just think I won't eat it, I don't want to get diarrhea or Lord knows what other parasite is in these unwashed bowls."
SF VET
OK, am going to put my Central American slides aside, and begin to look over my Vietnam and DS and other mission slides. I have been all over the world, and if children are not ill, or injured, or hungry, or in some danger, they universally just want to play. Unlike us adults, who fret about all sorts of issues, or wish we had this or that, and are often just not happy with our lot in life, kids the world over just want to play.
So here is just the cutest, happiest little lady, next to one of our nurses. This preteen is wearing some American hand-me-down dress, likely the very best she has. For her, a day filled with excitement and adventure,
Made up about a hundred rounds of 270 today for my Winchester 70, will get back to the range to do the final tweaks to sight in my Vortex scope.
All the best... SF VET
So here is just the cutest, happiest little lady, next to one of our nurses. This preteen is wearing some American hand-me-down dress, likely the very best she has. For her, a day filled with excitement and adventure,
Made up about a hundred rounds of 270 today for my Winchester 70, will get back to the range to do the final tweaks to sight in my Vortex scope.
All the best... SF VET
Thank you for sharing your story. Again, have you ever thought about writing a book? You have the knack to write a good short story, and your pictures would accentuate that.
SF Vet Thank you.
Your experiences remind me how lucky I am to be living in the United States.
Sharing the hardship these people endure as part of their daily lives reminds us to be thankful.
I applaud your efforts and success in making a difference in the world.
Your experiences remind me how lucky I am to be living in the United States.
Sharing the hardship these people endure as part of their daily lives reminds us to be thankful.
I applaud your efforts and success in making a difference in the world.
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I appreciate the complements. Oh, just another example of what or MEDCAP missions were able to do, even if helping someone was only for a brief time. In one village, two little girls were brought to me. They could not go outside in the sunlight as they had no eye Iris's, and thus had no "pupil which would constrict out in the sun. So you can imagine how blinding it was for them to be outside in the daytime. They really didn't venture out until after dark.
But I remembered in one of our supply packs, we had quality sunglasses, so I told their mother I would be back the next day with something for them. When we went up into the same valley the next day, I gave each little girl a pair of sunglasses. So, for just a little while, until they broke, or someone took them, these two little girls could venture outside to play. Sometimes, in medicine, all we can hope to do is to make someone's day just a little better, even if only for a short time.
Once, in Africa a child was brought to me with a history of years of a draining ear. I mixed up some antibiotic, and instilled a few drops into her ear. In a few days, when I saw here again, her ear was clear and dry, and she could once again hear from that side
When I noted that several of the pics I posted two days ago were Blanked out, I thought at first the moderators were shutting this thread down. Then, being a computer novice (most definitely not a Nerd!) realized that if I deleted a pic from my post image site, then it obviously deleted the link and hence any pics.
Here is a just scanned pic of the "office" of a UH1 "Huey" 'chopper. Before the enemy began to use surface to air missiles, choppers routinely flew at about a thousand feet, up where the pilots could see, and the air was cool and clean. Then, when they were to land at a compound like mine, they would bank into a very tight spiral, almost on their side, and spin down and then flare out and land on a pad or the like.
So, for the aviators here, this one is for you. Note the turn and bank indicator
SF VET
But I remembered in one of our supply packs, we had quality sunglasses, so I told their mother I would be back the next day with something for them. When we went up into the same valley the next day, I gave each little girl a pair of sunglasses. So, for just a little while, until they broke, or someone took them, these two little girls could venture outside to play. Sometimes, in medicine, all we can hope to do is to make someone's day just a little better, even if only for a short time.
Once, in Africa a child was brought to me with a history of years of a draining ear. I mixed up some antibiotic, and instilled a few drops into her ear. In a few days, when I saw here again, her ear was clear and dry, and she could once again hear from that side
When I noted that several of the pics I posted two days ago were Blanked out, I thought at first the moderators were shutting this thread down. Then, being a computer novice (most definitely not a Nerd!) realized that if I deleted a pic from my post image site, then it obviously deleted the link and hence any pics.
Here is a just scanned pic of the "office" of a UH1 "Huey" 'chopper. Before the enemy began to use surface to air missiles, choppers routinely flew at about a thousand feet, up where the pilots could see, and the air was cool and clean. Then, when they were to land at a compound like mine, they would bank into a very tight spiral, almost on their side, and spin down and then flare out and land on a pad or the like.
So, for the aviators here, this one is for you. Note the turn and bank indicator
SF VET
I would think, SFVET, knowing unquestionably that you have helped so many people, many with no other possible recourse, during your career must make for some peaceful nights.
Well done.
Well done.
