South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-03-30

and se,.d out as many II was our
duty 70 be on day or night and re-
ceive the cases as they were brought I.
20 the departments in which we
were on duty.
Wards Always Filled.
I'm our own department we start |
ed out with one ward Of Is beds. In I
very short time II became neces- /
sary 20 increase TO six wards. all Of
which were filled until after the
signing Of the armistice. Our most
difficult work was during the fight
ing I'm the Argonne. 1t was during
that period that we received a num-
Der Of patients from the famous Lost
Battalion. A more starved and shot
up bunch of boys 1 hope ! may new
er be forced to see. Those patients
sent direct from the fields were ney-
er more than two or three days
reaching us. but those who came
from the mobile hospitals were Oft
en- two or three weeks. The wounds
Of the men varied, some being super
fetal that would permit their re-
turn 20 duty after little time. while
others came in with large and hid
eous wounds in some instances with
their entire lower jaw shot away. or
the whole side of their faces miss
ing so that all semblance to human
bvings had been lost. Those were
extreme cases. The greater portion
OF the injuries we treated were
caused by machii gun ire AMI the
disagreement was naturally not so
great as those caused by schrapnel
or hand grenades IL was the ex-
IRENE case that was hard to treat.
many Of them requiring several OPP
I erations before the victims were able
( 20 be returned home for the final
treatment.
; Extreme Cases Sent Home
/ "All cases that would require
more than four months for recovery
were sent home as soon as the pa
/ tients were able to travel. Many of
these men will be detained in hos
pitfalls for a year or more before they
Will be Mt to be discharged into
civil life. IL was thought by-uthor-
tiles that the care given in the states
would be more complete than that
| possible in France.
Everyone has heard what splen-
did fighters our boys were, but il is
not commonly known that they were
just as courageous and fine as pa
/ tents. Facial injuries are without
"A doubt more hideous and more de-
| pressing than any other. yet our
boys were accustomed to getting up
as soon as possible to walk about
the town as though they hardn't a
care or worry, eager TO help their
comrades who were not so fortunate
as they in that they were unable to
talk. Each day they could be seen
wheeling their buddies round the
hospital grounds This is only
small idea OF the spirit manifested
by our men in France, but / am sure
that those of US who have worked
with them have quite different ideals
from those we entertained before we
entered the army
Before closing I wish 20 say a
word about the wonderful help we
received from the Red Cross. which
urchased in the open market prac-
tically all the supplies used in our
work. The majority Of our patients
mot having the use OF their jaws
were forced to live on liquid diets,
and for months the Red Cross fur
nished the only means Of securing
eggs for those diets. For those able
to walk, we maintained a special Ia
bic where they were served with
minced foods, the only manner in
which they could be easily assimil-
lated.
After the signing Of the armis-
tice all patients were prepared as
soon as possible TO be sent back TO
the States where the work of restor-
alton will be completed"