Evening star., 1953-04-23
Red POWs Nuisance to u. S.,
Silver Spring Doctor Finds
But All Get Same
Medical Treatment
As Allied Soldiers
By John Sock
North American Newspaper AIIianes

PUSAN, Korea, April 23.-The
Chinese private swung his feet
over the side of the bed and
slowly groped for a bowl Of to-
matoes and rice.
Hell be blind for life" said
the doctor. 1.-THE bullet went
straight through his head"
He's 81 years old and his name
is-but that's a secret. Call him
Private Yang. 1t doesn't make
much difference.
They are the sick and wound=
ed" prisoners we talk about at
Panmunjom.
Nobody knows where Yang was
wounded, or when, or the name
of the man who captured him.
Once it was all on card, but
the card disappeared" while
Yang was travelling south.
HE probably tore it up" said
the doctor. They'll do every
thing they can to work trouble.
I can't keep a cast on some OF
them. They break it off as fast
as you put it on"
Yang Wants to Go Back.
He looked down at Yang, who
braced himself with hand and
sucked rice sullenly from the
bowl. In the language of the
hospital, Yang is screened
north" He wants to go back to
China.
He got here a month ago."
said the doctor We've been
giving him antibiotics. If his
infection is left alone. it will kill
him in a week"
The doctor is Capt. William G.
Dunckel jr.. and he's from Silver
Spring, Md. The Communists
know his name already. They
have tried him in absentia and
convicted him of war crimes, be-
cause a patient of his once died.
CDR. Dunckel is the husband
of Mrs. Gerry Dunckel of 164
Colony road, Silver Spring,
Md. The couple have two
children, Barbara and William
C. III. He is the son of Maj.
Gen. and Mrs. William C.
Dunckel, U. S. A., retired, of
9127 Sligo Creek Parkway,
Silver Spring.
Treated Like Own Men.
1--WE did everything we could,
Of course" said DR.. Dunckel.
1--WE always do. The Geneva
Convention says we must treat
them like our own men. We do"
He walked to another bed.
where a bottle of dextroSe hung
on a hook and rolled, drop by
drop, into the arm of a North
Korean.
The patient pushed himself
up on his elbows. and DR.. Dune
kel adjusted the pillow beneath
him. He grunted thanks.
II operate on him tomorrow"
DR.. Dunckel said. I'VE think it's
a direct 155-hit. He's lost his
entire right buttock."
The hospital-it is the 14th
Field, in the rolling rice paddles
near PuSan-has an up-to-date
laboratory and X-ray machines
worth thousands of dollars. 1t
grinds lenses for prisoners who
need glasses.
Prisoners Wrecked Warehouse.
It used to have a warehouse
for artificial arms and legs, un-
til the prisoners broke in and
wrecked it.
Those were the patients who
are screened north" Many of
them refuse to be treated, until
their wounds are shapeless.
swollen, painful masses.
Would you like to see Little
Moscow" said DR.. Dunckel.
He walked across to a ward.
where an MP. with a billy stick
guarded a dozen patients.
You couldn't help staring at
one of them. You couldn't help
it, even if he weren't wearing o
black coat and a black cap
pulled low on his forehead.
$4,000 Worth of Surgery.
Hes a face-reconStruction
case" said the doctor. Its
being rebuilt"
How was his face before you
started?" / asked.
There wasn't any"
The man looked up at us, and
we turned away. We've been
working on him a year and a
half" said DR.. Dunckel. IT
guess this would cost $4,000 in
the States. He's got another year
and a half to CO."
rs he screened north or
south?" asked.
North" said the doctor.