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Introduction |
| The 51st Evacuation Hospital was the only hospital unit to be formed in Sacramento during World War II. The unit was the inspiration of Dr. Orrin S. Cook, a World War I veteran and head of the Radiology Department at Sacramento’s Mercy General Hospital. | ||
| Early in 1942, Dr. Cook applied to the U.S. Army Medical Corps for permission to form a Sacramento County Affiliated Field Hospital. Permission for formation of such a unit was received from Colonel Shamborra in Washington, D.C., and the recruiting of doctors and nurses was initiated. | |
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| In September 1942, induction of the volunteer group began at Ft. Douglas, Utah, the volunteers receiving direct commissions. The group was assigned to TDY (temporary duty) at Ft. Ord, CA until the 750 bed 51st Evacuation Hospital was officially mobilized the latter part of September 1942 at Ft. Lewis, WA. | ||
| In October 1942, I was assigned to the 51st Evac. at Ft. Lewis as an anesthesiologist from the Mayo Clinic, where I was in a Fellowship training program. | ||
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TABLE OF CONTENTS, "The Journey"
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