Do the Best You Can,
Sergeant: If You Insist on Learning the Hard Way - Learn to Laugh
By Tom Zwemer
http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m2VS75COLP63FW/ref=ent_fb_link
BookSurge Publishing (March 5, 2009 )
I grew up farming. I attended both public and private school. I
stood at the head of my class, but naïve as country can make one. What I should
have learned in Kindergarten took a lifetime. These stories are the tales I
told my children and theirs when ever hard knocks came their way. During World
War II, I was a member of Company D 115th Medical Battalion attached to the
40th infantry division. I served in New Guinea Luzon , Southern Philippines , and Korea
http://www.amazon.com/Do-Best-You-Can-Sergeant/dp/1439224005/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1333637663&sr=8-9
http://spectrummagazine.org/review/2011/02/01/blueprint-controversies%E2%80%A6please
Tom Zwemer - Fri,02/11/2011 - 06:07
Below is a story out of my book. "Do the Best You Can Sargeant"
Tom Zwemer - Fri,
Below is a story out of my book. "Do the Best You Can Sargeant"
Victims
The campaign forLuzon was almost over.
One of our regiments was pulled out of the line after receiving very heavy
casualties during the battle for Clark Field. We were exhausted from days of
patching up the victims of hate and fear from both sides.
Besides our own wounded, we received Filipino guerrilla fighters who had been strung up by their thumbs and used for bayonet practice. I watched them die as their lungs slowly filled with blood. We received Japanese soldiers captured by the guerrillas who had methodically cut across all major tendons of the hands, wrist, elbows, knees, and ankles.
This quiet afternoon, the ambulance delivered two Japanese soldiers beaten from one end to the other with heavy clubs. They were covered with bruises, abrasion, their eyes and mouths were swollen almost shut, but they were still conscious.
I was the medic assigned to care for the wounded and injured before surgery. The triage officer knelt beside the litter and started to examine the prisoners. As he got to the legs, he grabbed them roughly and began to twist and pull and then tried to make a sawing motion. I said, “Sir, why are you doing that? Look how much it is hurting.” He said, “I’m checking for fractures.” I said, “We don’t check our men that way.” He said, “If it weren’t for these bastards, I’d be back in theBronx making a damn good
living.” I said, “They are just as much victims as we are.” He said, “Soldier,
you are out of order. I’m in charge here. That will be all.” He did stop his
examination.
(What I didn't write, is that Major made life hell for me for the next three months until he was rotated home)
Ali Agins - Fri,06/03/2011 - 23:05
Tom Z.
My brother was killed onLuzon . He was a SDA medic
and carried no weapon. I'm wondering if it is possible that you would have
known him. His name was Charles Harold Jones. He was killed just about a month before the end of the war.
We received letters from Adventist Filipinos who had befriended him. Romeo Brion wrote a letter telling my parents that Charles was the first GI that he saw. He had gone to the campus of the College to see if it was ok and there was an American GI checking it out too. Charles was in that push through the South Pacific mopping up and was there when Manilla was liberated.
I have searched for years to see if I could find anyone that knew him and now time is really running out.
Alison Jones Agins
Tom Zwemer - Sat,06/04/2011 -
00:46
Ali Agins
Sorry, I did not know your brother. I was a member of the 40th Infantry Div. There was very littl interchange between divisions. We had different sectors sometime miles apart even ilsands apart. I remember one situation, one infantry man slightly wounded and seven medics seriously wounded in attempting to aid the fallen infantry man. In the heaviest fighting in my unit, I was spared because, the war had lost so many medics below the age of 20 that they made a ruling that no one under twenty be sent to the front. I was 19. Later at 20 the fighting was much less intense.
Tom Z
The campaign for
Besides our own wounded, we received Filipino guerrilla fighters who had been strung up by their thumbs and used for bayonet practice. I watched them die as their lungs slowly filled with blood. We received Japanese soldiers captured by the guerrillas who had methodically cut across all major tendons of the hands, wrist, elbows, knees, and ankles.
This quiet afternoon, the ambulance delivered two Japanese soldiers beaten from one end to the other with heavy clubs. They were covered with bruises, abrasion, their eyes and mouths were swollen almost shut, but they were still conscious.
I was the medic assigned to care for the wounded and injured before surgery. The triage officer knelt beside the litter and started to examine the prisoners. As he got to the legs, he grabbed them roughly and began to twist and pull and then tried to make a sawing motion. I said, “Sir, why are you doing that? Look how much it is hurting.” He said, “I’m checking for fractures.” I said, “We don’t check our men that way.” He said, “If it weren’t for these bastards, I’d be back in the
(What I didn't write, is that Major made life hell for me for the next three months until he was rotated home)
Ali Agins - Fri,
Tom Z.
My brother was killed on
We received letters from Adventist Filipinos who had befriended him. Romeo Brion wrote a letter telling my parents that Charles was the first GI that he saw. He had gone to the campus of the College to see if it was ok and there was an American GI checking it out too. Charles was in that push through the South Pacific mopping up and was there when Manilla was liberated.
I have searched for years to see if I could find anyone that knew him and now time is really running out.
Alison Jones Agins
Tom Zwemer - Sat,
Ali Agins
Sorry, I did not know your brother. I was a member of the 40th Infantry Div. There was very littl interchange between divisions. We had different sectors sometime miles apart even ilsands apart. I remember one situation, one infantry man slightly wounded and seven medics seriously wounded in attempting to aid the fallen infantry man. In the heaviest fighting in my unit, I was spared because, the war had lost so many medics below the age of 20 that they made a ruling that no one under twenty be sent to the front. I was 19. Later at 20 the fighting was much less intense.
Tom Z
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