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
A Brief History of 38th Evacuation Hospital
"The crossing was uneventful," wrote Captain Stan Pickens. "The artillery up the way was booming along with monotonous
regularity. The flares lighted up the sky from time to time. You could feel the ground beneath quiver when the big boys fired.
The excitement of the day kept us from sleeping immediately. Eventually I dropped off to sleep with thoughts of home in my
dreams."
In one of their first locations, Caserta, it wasn't long before they received their first patients. "Patients have been coming in
rapidly, all battle casualties, " said Captain John Montgomery. "We hear the sound of artillery fire and the windows rattle with
the vibration from the larger explosions." The 38th would remain in Caserta for less than a month until orders were sent to set
up camp near Riardo. Captain Munroe recalled, "The battle casualties rapidly filled the shock tents as the Army ambulances
pulled from the highway into the muddy drive that fronted the receiving tent."
"Richard Tregaskis was a war correspondent and he had a very severe head injury and Dr. William Pitts did surgery on him in
our hospital and saved his life," said Beatrice Hogan. "He was the third of fourth patient I had operated on that evening," said
Dr. William Pitts. "And it was about three or four o’clock in the morning and needless to say, I was pretty well suckered out."
"When you do a brain operation on a patient," said Clarence O. Kuester Jr.. "The brain area is anesthetized but the patient cannot
be, for some medical reason, be unconscious. 'So my task for that evening was to crouch beneath the table, near the table and
speak with Mr. Tregaskis. And so I was able to converse with him, I hope intelligently and to encourage him that he was going to
be all right and he was in a good hospital and we cared about him."
Dr. William Pitts recalls the reactions he received after operating on Richard Tregaskis. "All these newspaper correspondents
greeted me in the morning and said, “How is Dick Tregaskis?” and I said, “Dick who?” I didn’t know that I had operated on such
a famous guy." "I think he and Major Pitts continued a friendship through the years if I remember hearing it correctly, " said Polly
Bell White.
regularity. The flares lighted up the sky from time to time. You could feel the ground beneath quiver when the big boys fired.
The excitement of the day kept us from sleeping immediately. Eventually I dropped off to sleep with thoughts of home in my
dreams."
In one of their first locations, Caserta, it wasn't long before they received their first patients. "Patients have been coming in
rapidly, all battle casualties, " said Captain John Montgomery. "We hear the sound of artillery fire and the windows rattle with
the vibration from the larger explosions." The 38th would remain in Caserta for less than a month until orders were sent to set
up camp near Riardo. Captain Munroe recalled, "The battle casualties rapidly filled the shock tents as the Army ambulances
pulled from the highway into the muddy drive that fronted the receiving tent."
"Richard Tregaskis was a war correspondent and he had a very severe head injury and Dr. William Pitts did surgery on him in
our hospital and saved his life," said Beatrice Hogan. "He was the third of fourth patient I had operated on that evening," said
Dr. William Pitts. "And it was about three or four o’clock in the morning and needless to say, I was pretty well suckered out."
"When you do a brain operation on a patient," said Clarence O. Kuester Jr.. "The brain area is anesthetized but the patient cannot
be, for some medical reason, be unconscious. 'So my task for that evening was to crouch beneath the table, near the table and
speak with Mr. Tregaskis. And so I was able to converse with him, I hope intelligently and to encourage him that he was going to
be all right and he was in a good hospital and we cared about him."
Dr. William Pitts recalls the reactions he received after operating on Richard Tregaskis. "All these newspaper correspondents
greeted me in the morning and said, “How is Dick Tregaskis?” and I said, “Dick who?” I didn’t know that I had operated on such
a famous guy." "I think he and Major Pitts continued a friendship through the years if I remember hearing it correctly, " said Polly
Bell White.
