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As Received from Kathy Lee -
A Testamonial of service in Vietnam
==========================================
New Year's Eve 1968. I had just landed at the 90th
Replacement Center, Ben Hoa, South Viet Nam. I was
introduced to temperatures of over 110 degrees after just
having left a snowstorm in Boston the previous day.
Five days later I landed at what was to be my home for the
next year.
The 312th Evac Hospital was made up of individual
quonset huts along a ramp. The roofs were galvanized
aluminum painted white with a big red cross in the middle,
a perfect target from the air. The crosses were meant to
assist the medevac helicopters to land with the wounded.
My schedule consisted of two shifts, days or nights, each
12 hours long. Days off were scheduled, but if push came
to shove and you were needed, you would work.
I worked on the Vietnamese ward, triage, recovery, and
the
malaria wards. It took me a few short weeks to get into the
swing of things. It was definitely on the job training with
little margin for error. I saw things and did things that I
hope never to see again in my lifetime.
I saw young men with horrific injuries and incredible
stamina. I witnessed pride, loyalty, and a brotherhood like
no other.
On June 8, 1969, my life changed forever. At 0600 hours,
a
rocket came into our compound, hitting the Vietnamese
ward. I was only a few hundred yards away on the malaria
ward and will never forget the sound. We all hit the floor
grabbing flak jackets and helmets on the way and yelling
at everyone to get on the floor. It seemed like an eternity
but it was only a matter of minutes before we heard voices
and got up to see the Vietnamese ward completely leveled.
We soon discovered that one of our nurses had been killed
with shrapnel to her neck. She was Lt. Sharon Lane, of
Canton, Ohio. She had only been in country six weeks. I
did not have time to really get to know Sharon very well,
but we were friends. In a place of war, friendships bond
rather quickly. I still mourn the death of Sharon Lane to this
day, and wonder why it was not me, but that is something I
will never know. She is my hero and that will never change.
Whenever I go to the wall in Washington, D.C., I always
stop
by her name to say thank you for your sacrifice. A small
gesture, but a very sincere one. | 
