Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

"WE arc not going to bubble over with a lot of cflcrvcscent
fizz about 'How to Gct \Vcll in Ten Easv Lcssons.'
You mcn cntcring here have seen too "much
blood and muck to swallo«: such lines. But von can be sure
of this fact: every eby mcn who camc hcr~ shot to pieces
walk out of this hospital ready, able, and cagcr to compete
with anybody-s--bc it for a civilian job or a blondc."
This is the straightforward introduction to the AAF's
convalescent hospitals that overseas returnees get when they
enter, wounded, ill, mcntallv and phvsicallv worn out. And
the hospitals make good thcir boast with thc most farsigh
tcd com bi na tion of medical, voca tional, anel cd uca tiona]
rcconditioning vet developed.
As an outgrowth of thc Convalescent Training Program
inaugurated in 1942, several AAF convalescent hospitals
throughout thc country arc now rccciving thc sick and
wounded from ports of debarkation, redistribution stations,
AAF station and rcgional hospitals and Army gcncral hospitals.
Administered by the ncwly-organizcd Personnel Distrihution
Couuuancl, thcy arc stratcgically located at these
points: Fort Logan, Colo.; l\fiami Bcach, Fla.: St. Petersburg,
Fla,; Albuquerque, N. l\1.; Nashvillc, Tcnn. and Ft.
Gcorgc \Vright, \Vasll. In addition, a similar convalescent
center at l'~l\\'liug, N. Y., now under the I st Air Force as an
adjunct to l\fitchel Field, soon will be absorbed hy the Personnel
Distribution Command, along with several others,
Thc Pcrsonnel Distribution Command also has established
liaison with ASF gcncral and AAF rcgional hospitals by assigning
cspccinlly trained liaison officcrs and NCOs to 120
of these instullutions. 'I'hcv perform 1!oll-lllcdical service for
AAF casual tics destincd for future assignmcnt to AAF convalcsccnt
hospitals and rcdistrihution stations or, in rare
cases, for return to civilian lifc. They assist hospital staffs in
handliug AAI' puticnts' problems such as records, pay,
awards and dccorat ious, aIilll.oricntation prior to proccssing
for future rcassignmcnt.
Suppose vou'vc hccn a patient in a station or gcncral hospital.
Unless vou'rc returned dircctlv to dutv or to civilian life,
chances arc that vou will cntcr onc of these convalescent
centers. If VO\\ conic home from overseas suffering from combat
fatigue; voull prob.iblv lx: scnt to onc of them iuuuccliatcly
upon vour nrr iv.rl in this couu trv. If vou comc from a prcvious
hospital, von arc noxv over thc acute phase of vour illness.
Your dcfmitivc mcdical trc.rtmcnt is concluclcd and vour spccific
injury or ailmcnt has comc to take on sccond.irv import.mcc
to vour O\'cr,J11 condition. Also, bv nO\I' vou arc .unbulatOf\'-\:ou
arc ahle to \valk about, if 01'111' bv ;\sing crutches.
C;J\\q;lete medical rccO\cry is thc chIef 'aim of the convalcsccnt
program, hut medical officcrs know this means
both physiological and psvchologic:d fitncss. As a result. thc
SOl' of any of these couvnlcsccut hospitals is a skillful
blcnding of medical care, supervised, though not rcgimcntcd,
exercise. hcalthv pbv, academic and vocational training-all
aimed at the rccovcrv of the "wh olc man,"
"One hoy hack fr(lm the ETO camc to us with a serious
ann iujurv-s-piccc of flak O\'Cr Brcmcn got him-and hc
was fa\'Cning the wounded arm to thc point of not using it
at all," says a convalescent training officcr at Pawliug. "lIis
60
medical officcr told us he must exercise those muscles or
they would atrophy. \Vcll, the boy had signcd up for our
farm projcct so we decided to han; him dig those post holes
\\'C needed to fence thc livestock corral. That's one job you
just can't do with one hanel. In a vcrv short timc even the
1\10 was astonished at the ituprovcmcut in the condition
of the arm, \Vhcn we had run out of post holes to dig, the
soldier volunteered to help us clear a section of ncarby
woods. \Vhile he worked with us he learned a lot about
the farming business-so much so, in fact, that he has decidcd
to go in for it after the war."
"\Ve had a licutcnant here a couple of months," says
the shop forcman at lr. Ccorgc \\fright. "Llc'd lost an
arm in a hoobv trap in It.ilv. Before he went into the AAF
he'd had somc cnginccriug experience anel our mach in
shops intcrcstcd him more than anything else. I Ie c.uncaround
one duv to ask if there \\'as auv machine hc coulc'
managc with rust one hand. So I sh~l\\'CCl him how tc
operate a radial drill prcss. In a week's time he wa::
\l'Orking it like an expert. It did wonders for his self.
con ficlcucc."
A corporal who had injured his back in the
Southwest Pacific signs up for courses in wild life
conservation at Nasll\'ille. I Ic plans to enter this
field after thc war and thinks it would be a prac
tical idea to learn all he can about game preserves,
bird refuges, and stocking streams '
while lie's recuperating. '
Before he joincd the AAI', a captain