The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-12-17
HOW AMERICAS WOUNDED
SOLDIERS WILL Be RETURNED

J Press )-November'S swing of the
pendulum of history from war to
peace, which reversed the eastward
flow of Americas fighting millions
the greatest trans-oceanic troop move
ment ever known-brought the AM
erican people face to face with the
tragedy of the casualty lists.
General Pershings announcement
that more than $4,000 of the expedi-
tionary forces had given their lives
in the nations cause and that $4,000
others, exclusive of prisoners, were
missing, created a profound impress
sion; but the human touch of almost
100000 wounded, 10000 of whom al
ready have been returned in various
stages of helplessness to their native
shores, promises to give the country
its first real appreciation of the sac
rifices of it's sons who followed the
| flag on foreign soil.
The method of their debarkation
denies to the homecoming wounded
the popular honors paid their COM
rades in full health. But the war de-
partment along lines intended to give
the lie to the proverbial 'ingratitude
of government" has arranged for
medical, recreational and educational
attention whose aim is to restore
|
sible, to physical comfort and finan-
cial independence.
From the day of their arrival at
ports debarkation, to their re-entrance
into civilian life, host of good Sam
aritans-army doctors, nurses and
orderles and workers of the Ameri-
can Red Cross-will minister to these
sufferers, from a ruthless enemy's
engines of war. Harbor hospital
boats, debarkation hospitals, hospital
trains and general hospitals for re-
construction of convalesCence form a
chain of service linking the westward
bound fleets of transports with the
homes of the wounded. And in this
service the medical debarkation corps,
suddenly thrust into the foreground
of publicity by the collapse of the
Central Powers, plays an important
and picturesque part.
The end OF the war found the port
medical authorities prepared to
shoulder the heavy burden laid upon
them. During nineteen months of
American participation in the con-
flict they had maintained an embar-
kation hospital service, treating the
comparatively rare cases of illness
among troops ready to go overseas.
When American forces entered
trenches small groups of wounded,
evacuated from hospitals in France,
began to filter through the service
on this side of the Atlantic. With
this experience accentuated by the
lessons of the Allied governments In
repatriating their wounded, the de-
barkation system was put IN readl-
ness for the reception of injured men
e a
month.
During the war and five weeks
period following the signing of the
rm S t e, approximately 11,500
wounded had been received at New
York and 4,500 at Newport News.
And the authorities were prepared, on
official advices from Washington, to
handle $4,000 cases in the next four
months.
The army embarkation service at
New York, which sent three-fourths
of the nations 100000 men overseas,
is expected to debark a majority OF
the returning forces, and the west
ward flow of wounded also will be
directed here, with some diversion to
Newport News and possibly, later on,
To Boston. To carry on the work at
this port the medical department has
a personnel of 7,306-greater than
the entire army medical corps when
the United States entered the wor.
On this staff, headed by Colonel j. M.
Kennedy, veteran of twenty-five
years service as an army surgeon,
$50 are medical officers, 983 nurses,
men and women, 5,184 enlisted men
and 189 civilian employees.
The operating facilities include
eight debarkation hospitals with an
of capacity of 10000 beds,
two base hospitals with 4,250 beds,
a reconstruction hospital at Columbia
University for cases too serious to
be moved to interior institutions, i've
harbor hospital boats with 300 beds
each. seventy-five ambulances, with
fifty additional held in reserve by the
Red Cross, and four hospital trains
each accommodating upwards of zoe
patients.
The base hospitals are at Camps
Merritt and Mills, former embarka-
tion, now debarkation environments
for the overseas army. The debarka-
ton hospitals are strategically located
On or near the harbor front.
The port medical authorities, re-
sponsible for soldier patients from
the time of their arrival from Europe
to their delivery at general hospitals
nearest their home communities, ann
20 clear their charges from the de-
oarkation hospitals within week.
The work begins at the port quaran-
line station. Here medical officers
BOARD incoming transports and assist
he doctors aboard in preparing the
men for landing. In practically all
,ases the wounded are taken directly
rom the ship to the harbor hospital
,oat, which conveys them to pier
lear one of the debarkation hospitals,
where ambulances are in waiting.
While the men get their "shore
bearings" their cases are studied and
lContinued ON mage four.l