GOOD MORNING VIETNAM! Chapter Fifteen

Chapter 15: Surgery at the 12th Evac Hospital in Cu Chi

The 12th Evacuation Hospital was established in Cu Chi along Highway 1 on December 1, 1966 in support of the 25th Infantry Division and remained on site until its deactivation on December 15,1970. The hospital was situated across the road from a petroleum dump and the artillery battery. The hospital, which could accommodate up to 300 casualties, was situated in a violent corner of Vietnam between Saigon and the Cambodian border and rarely lacked for action...


Here are a couple of pictures of an OR nurse that served at the 12th Evac Hospital in 1967, the pictures were just labeled Sarah.

Sarah outside the operating room and one of the hospital buildings.

Chopper landed outside the 12th Evac Hospital

The instant the medivac chopper touched the ground outside the 12th Evac Hospital in Cu Chi, my stretcher was taken off.


The first face I see is of the cutest little brunette nurse you’ve ever seen. “Hey, your cute.” I said. I didn’t get any response, I suppose, because the helicopter engine was making so much noise. (Yeah, I was a horn dog even then)

They took me inside the building and several people started checking me out. First thing they did was cut off every stitch of clothes I had on, including my boots. Bandages were removed and some replaced right away. They started poking and prodding me and moving me around, even took a couple of x rays.


Damn, that was uncomfortable. So I asked them for something for the pain. I wasn’t really in pain, just kind of very uncomfortable, but I was afraid, and didn’t want to be in pain.

“Did they give you anything in the field?” the doctor asked.

“No” knowing damn well they had. I just didn’t want to be in pain.

The doctor says, “Nurse, give him some demoral.” I got the shot.

I felt the doctor squeezing a piece of skin on the front of my throat, right under my chin. He asked me, “Can you breath okay?”

“Yeah, I can breath fine” I said. “I’m just cold.”

“Are you sure you not having any problem breathing?” he asks again, while still squeezing that little bit of skin under my chin.

“I’m sure. Why?” I asked.

“Oh, nothing. We’ll have you in surgery in a few minutes.” The doctor said calmly. “Get him covered with something, he’s cold.”

I don’t remember how long I laid there, not long though. The demoral and morphine had really kicked by now and I really wasn’t feel much of anything. They came an got me and wheeled me down through some doors and eventually in a building rolling me past some operating rooms which were all filled. They were all separated from each other, but there was an opening in the front of each of them so I could see in as we passed.

They rolled me into the area I was to be operated on, picked me up and placed me on the operating table. Got me settled in, strapped down, blood pressure cuff on, IV in; you know the drill if you’ve ever had surgery.

“Were going to put you a sleep now" the surgeon says. I want you to start counting backwards from 100."

“Wait an minute Doc,” I said “make sure you don’t start cutting on me until I’m asleep, okay?”

“Don’t worry, we won’t, now start counting”.

I start counting and my eyes started to close, but I quickly opened them again and repeated, “Make sure you don’t start cutting on until I’m a sleep.” Again the surgeon repeated not to worry and I fell a sleep.