Grayson-+Doctors

Medical Ambulances By: Grayson Thornton

Medical ambulances played an important role in the Vietnam War. Advisors were sent to Vietnam in the early 50’s and 60’s. In the US, doctors had been given 14 hours of combat training outside the classroom. Also, by 1969, 90% of Vietnam doctors were draftees. Medovac (medical ambulances) saved many lives with helicopter missions. When the ambulances would get back, they would unload and then go right back into saving people's lives. Some survived, a lot of others didn't. In 1965, Medovac flew an average of 2 missions a day. In that same year, they carried 13,004 American, Vietnamese, and free world evacuees. In 1969, the average amount of missions a day was 4 and in 1969, they had carried 206,209. In the entire war, they carried 900,000 military personnel. 208 pilots and crew were killed and 545 were wounded. A total of 199 air ambulances were lost. On the helicopters, even the doctors had weapons. Mines and booby traps accounted for 65% of the wounds and of the fatalities sustained by Americans in the Vietnam war. Also, some cases of malaria could hospitalise a soldier for 5 days or longer! Major Charles L. Kelly assumed command of the 57th medical detachment and he was willing to fly to help people even under heavy fire. This saved many lives. MEDCAP provided medical care to nearby villages and hamlets. This also saved many lives. So, the medical ambulances were key to the Vietnam war, if we hadn't had had them, we might be looking at different lines on the map in the history book.





Bibliograph:

Greenwood, John T., and F. Clinton Berry Jr. __Medics at War__. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2005. http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=71299&rendTypeId=4 http://www.southeast.k12.oh.us/vets/images/vietnam.jpg http://www.olive-drab.com/gallery/photos/heloevac_vietnam_sm.jpg