If They Could See Us Now
The Story of Charlotte's 38th Evacuation Hospital
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©2008 Chris Hudson Productions. All Rights Reserved
At the beginning of December a famous war correspondent visited
the 38th. His name was Ernie Pyle. During the war he became a frequent
visitor and wrote a number of articles about the Evac unit.
"If the folks of Charlotte, NC, could only peep down out of the African
sky and see their family doctors and nurses in their new kind of life - what
a surprise they’d have!" wrote Ernie Pyle in one of his many newspaper
articles.
"For a bunch of men and women from Charlotte are operating the only
American tent hospital so far set up in North Africa, and they’re doing a
dramatically beautiful job. They’re really like something out of Hollywood,
and I’ve visited them time after time just out of fascination.
'Everything is in tents, from operating rooms to toilets. Everything was
set up in three days. They can knock down and be on the move again in
another three days, and they expect it to happen any moment. They are
like a giant medical Ringling Brothers. Their whole crude existence was
built around the call of those thousands of men whose lives depended
on them. Yes, if the folks back in Charlotte could only have seen them!"
By the end of the year, the 38th had taken care of thousands of casualties. This was only the beginning.
The 38th followed wherever the battle ensued. In one of Dr. John Montgomery's short journal entries, he wrote.
"Moved to Telergma. A nice location along a creek. We are not far from Constantine."
During the period of March 10th through April 29th at Telergma, the 38th took care of almost three thousand
patients. After a month in a half in Telergma, the 38th made preparations to move toward the Tunisian front. In
Tunisia, Ernie Pyle visited the 38th again and this time wrote highly of the Charlotte Nurses.
"This gang is kept pretty much on the move," wrote Ernie Pyle. "They don't dare to be too close to the lines,
and yet they can't be very far away. So as the war swings back and forth they swing with it. The nurses of this
outfit are the most veteran of any in Africa. There are nearly 60 of them, and they are living just like the soldiers
at the front. They have run out of nearly everything feminine. They wear heavy issue shoes, and even men's G.I.
underwear. Most of the time they wear Army coveralls instead of dresses. These girls can really take it. They eat
out of mess kits when they're on the move. They do their own washing. They stand regular duty hours all the time,
and in emergencies they work without thought of the hours. They're terrifically proud of having been the first nurses
to land in Africa, and of being continually the closest ones to the fighting lines. And they intend to stay."
the 38th. His name was Ernie Pyle. During the war he became a frequent
visitor and wrote a number of articles about the Evac unit.
"If the folks of Charlotte, NC, could only peep down out of the African
sky and see their family doctors and nurses in their new kind of life - what
a surprise they’d have!" wrote Ernie Pyle in one of his many newspaper
articles.
"For a bunch of men and women from Charlotte are operating the only
American tent hospital so far set up in North Africa, and they’re doing a
dramatically beautiful job. They’re really like something out of Hollywood,
and I’ve visited them time after time just out of fascination.
'Everything is in tents, from operating rooms to toilets. Everything was
set up in three days. They can knock down and be on the move again in
another three days, and they expect it to happen any moment. They are
like a giant medical Ringling Brothers. Their whole crude existence was
built around the call of those thousands of men whose lives depended
on them. Yes, if the folks back in Charlotte could only have seen them!"
By the end of the year, the 38th had taken care of thousands of casualties. This was only the beginning.
The 38th followed wherever the battle ensued. In one of Dr. John Montgomery's short journal entries, he wrote.
"Moved to Telergma. A nice location along a creek. We are not far from Constantine."
During the period of March 10th through April 29th at Telergma, the 38th took care of almost three thousand
patients. After a month in a half in Telergma, the 38th made preparations to move toward the Tunisian front. In
Tunisia, Ernie Pyle visited the 38th again and this time wrote highly of the Charlotte Nurses.
"This gang is kept pretty much on the move," wrote Ernie Pyle. "They don't dare to be too close to the lines,
and yet they can't be very far away. So as the war swings back and forth they swing with it. The nurses of this
outfit are the most veteran of any in Africa. There are nearly 60 of them, and they are living just like the soldiers
at the front. They have run out of nearly everything feminine. They wear heavy issue shoes, and even men's G.I.
underwear. Most of the time they wear Army coveralls instead of dresses. These girls can really take it. They eat
out of mess kits when they're on the move. They do their own washing. They stand regular duty hours all the time,
and in emergencies they work without thought of the hours. They're terrifically proud of having been the first nurses
to land in Africa, and of being continually the closest ones to the fighting lines. And they intend to stay."
A Brief History of 38th Evacuation Hospital