M*A*S*H Vietnam by Lorna Griess

Author:Lorna Griess [Griess, Lorna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781732900028
Google: vA9AvgEACAAJ
Publisher: Laylor Press
Published: 2018-11-03T00:44:21+00:00

Hong Kong

Chapter 13

New Quarters

It’s hard to believe, but I was glad to be back in this place I called home. After dinner, I unpacked my clothes and neatly hung up what I could. I had washed most of the underwear and civilian clothes I had worn while I still had running water in Hong Kong. The rest I just folded and put in the locker for another day. I had enough clothing for now. I did not have to be back to work until seven p.m. the next day, so I had time to relax.

People asked me about my trip. I told them about Hong Kong and how nice it was to be back in civilization. I looked at their tired faces and reality set in. My mood got outwardly dampened. Inside I was still happy. The going and coming of personnel at our unit was not celebrated and barely noticed. From other books, I have read about Vietnam; that was true in many places. When I left, I knew people would have to work harder until I came back. I did the same for them. When I went home, I was grateful to be going home intact, but very sad to leave people behind to do what I knew was a very difficult job. That was just the way it was.

One of the things I did with my free time was go and look at our new lodgings. I waited until the workers were gone and strolled up the hill. When I got to the concrete walkway, I was pleasantly surprised. This was a palace from what I had been living in for so many months. The rooms were good-sized, with more than enough room for a bed and locker. The outside walls were not solid. They were solid from the ground to about three feet up, and then they were screens covered by louvers (boards slanted down) for another four feet, and then solid again to the roof. Inside, the walls were solid to the ceiling level but did not reach the roof. There was no ceiling.

The building was kind of a squared U shape. There were six rooms on each side, with the bathroom connecting them at the end. The bathroom had a row of sinks with running water, flush toilets behind partial doors, and showers with ledges for soap and shampoo. I could hardly wait to move in.

The next day, I slept through breakfast and made it in time for lunch. I had to adjust for night duty. I relaxed, read, and caught up on letters home. I knew the hospital was busy, so I put on my fatigues and went in an hour early. I got a nice “Welcome back,” and the usual “You actually came back!” that always created a laugh or a smart remark. After the day’s transfers, there were six patients left in ICU/RR, all with major trauma to limbs or to body areas requiring a tube of some kind. One had a whole leg cast and needed to be monitored for circulation to his toes.

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