NAME OF RESPONDER: MAY MACDONALD HORTON

 

DATE: AUGUST 2000

 

ASSIGNMENT: CHIEF NURSE-OPERATING RUN’S ADMINISTRATION WITH CAPT. USSERY

 

YOU ARE TO BE COMMENDED IN REACHING OUT TO MEMBERS AND FAMILIES OF THE 120th EVACUATION HOSPITAL UNIT, TO RECEIVE INFORMATION, WHICH WILL BE USED, EDITED AND TRANSFERRED TO A WEB SITE. A TOOL, WHICH WILL PRESERVE OUR HISTORY. ALTHOUGH IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO, I WAS FLOODED WITH MEMORIES.

 

FOLLOWING COLLEGE-NURSES TRAINING AS RN FROM COTTAGE HOSPITAL IN SANTA BARBARA CA. I JOINED THE RED CROSS PRE-MED AT USC –1941 CAME. THE RED CROSS IN MAY 1941 REQUESTED ME TO REPORT TO CAMP CALLAN CA. TO BE ON STAFF TO START A STATION HOSPITAL. CAMP CALLAN LOCATION IS NOW TERREY PINES GOLF COURSE IN HA TOLLA CA. ON DEC. 7 THE BASE WAS ABRUPTLY CLOSED TO OUTSIDERS. WAR HAD BEEN DECLARED IT WAS NOW A VERY SERIOUS MATTER. SUBMARINES WERE CRUSING THE COAST LINE. MY TRAVELS TOOK ME TO FORT McARTHUR AND CAMP COOK. WHERE WE RECEIVED ORDERS TO CAMP SHELBY MI. WHERE WE BEGAN OUR TRAINING FOR OVERSEAS. I WAS WITH ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATING RUN’S.

 

CAMP KILMER NJ. WAS OUR PORT OF DEBARKATION. EARLY ONE MORNING AS WE SAILED, I WENT OUT (ISHOULDN’T HAVE DONE THIS) TO SEE THE STATUE OF LIBERTY IN NY HARBOR, ON THE QUEEN ELIZABETH (18 OF US IN THE BRIDAL SUITE).

 

WE LANDED IN SCOTLAND, DEC 22 AND BOARDED TRAINS TO TAKE US TO TEUBY WALES. FOR SEVERAL MONTHS WE ORGANIZED AND PREPARED FOR THE TRIP ACROSS CHANNEL TO FRANCE.  ARRIVING THERE, LE HOURE WAS DEVASTED-ALL IN CRUMBLES. IN PATTONS 3rd ARMY WE MOVED ALONG AS AN EVACUATION HOSPITAL, STOPPING FREQUENTLY. THEN OUR DESTINATION WAS WIEMAR. THE HOME OF THE RUTHLESS AND INFAMOUS SS TROPERS. CLOSE BY WAS BUCHENWALD CONCENTRATION CAMP. WHEN TRAVELING TWO TRUCKS HELD THE NURSES, 20 IN EACH, THIS WAS DONE SO IF 20 GOT THERE THEY COULD SET UP OUR HOSPITAL. WE ALSO TRAVELED BEFORE DUSK, SO BED CHECK CHARLIE, and WOULD NOT STTRAFE US ON THE HIGHWAY AT 9PM. APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES AWAY FROM OUR DESTINATION A FETID AIR BLEW INTO OUR TRUCKS. INDICATING WE WERE GETTING CLOSE TO BUCHENWALD. NURSES WERE HOUSED IN A BUILDING FORMERLY OCCUPIED BY THE SS. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF A QUICK DEPARTURE. IN THE MORNING, SURVIVOR’S AND A FEW NURSES MET ON THE WAY TO CAMP. THE SORRY SOULS WE ENCOUNTERED WERE TOTALLY BEWILDERED. VERY THIN, BONY, AND TERRIBLY UNDERNOURISHED. A GAUNT LOOK, BUT NOW SOME HOPE WAS WITHIN THEIR GRASP. WE FELT THEIR GRATTITUDE WITH SINCERE HEARTWARMING AND LOVING THANKS TO OUR UNIT ARRIVING. ONE MAN KNELT DOWN AND KISSED MY COMBAT BOOTS (I CAN NEVER THINK OF THIS WITHOUT TEARS.). WE WERE SAVIOURS, AND I KNEW THEN OUR UNIT HAD MADE A DIFFERENCE. THIS WAS TRULY AN ATROCITY OF MAN’S INHUMANITY TO MAN. WE WERE THE UNIT THAT HAD FREED THE SURVIVOR’S FROM THEIR MISERY AND GAVE THEM HOPE OF RECOVERY. TIME MAGAZINE PUBLISHED A PICTURE AND INFORMATION REGAURDING THE 120th EVACUATION HOSPITAL. MY MOTHER THEN KNEW WHERE I WAS OVERSEAS.

 

 I MUST INSERT HERE- THANKS TO OUR CORPMAN FOR ALL THE HELP TO NURSES MOVING US FREQUENTLY FROM PLACE TO PLACE, SETTING UP OUR LIVING TENTS AND WORK AREAS. NOT ONLY TO NURSES BUT HELP TO BUCHENWALD SURVIVOR’S. THESE YOUNG MEN ARE ENTITLED TO BEING CALLED AS TOM BROKAW CALLS “THE GREATEST GENERATION” (I LOVED HIS BOOKS).

 

FROM WIEMAR CHAU HOSPITAL IN A LARGE BUILDING WAS SET UP. AFTER DE-LICEING, THE COTS WERE VERY CLOSE FOR PATIENTS. WE GAVE THEM NOURISHMENT, IV’S AND A CLEAN SAFE ENVIROMENT. LIFE WAS VERY BUSY AND VERY REWARDING.

 

WE HAD HIGH’S AND LOW’S, SOME VERY SAD GOING THROUGH THE PATIENT TENTS. THE ENEMY HONORED THE RED CROSS IN FRONT OF THE TENTS ON THE GROUND. ONE PLANE DID COME OVER ONE NIGHT, TURNED AWAY AND FLIPPED OVER IN S FIELD. THE PILOT WAS FOUND DEAD THE NEXT DAY.

 

THERE WAS A DISPLACED CAMP OUTSIDE CHAU. IT WAS UNREAL WHEN THE WAR WAS OVER IN GERMANY, ALL THE INDIVIDUALS BEHIND THE FENCE WERE WALKING AMONG US AS PEACEFUL AS COULD BE, I’M SURE THEY WERE HAPPY TO BE GOING HOME- WALKING.

 

ONE NIGHT IN WEIMAR COL. WILLIAMS GAVE 45’S TO GUARDS, THAT NIGHT TWO OF THE ENEMY WRE CAUGHT WITH HAND GRENADES.

 

LARGE STOVES WERE IN CENTER OF TENTS.  WATER WAS HEATED ON THESE TO BE SHARED FOR BATHING AND WASHING CLOTHES. WATER WAS POURED INTO HELMETS TO BATH AND WASH CLOTHES.

 

 

WAR CAME TO AN END. OUR PRESIDENT DIED, WE RETURNED TO NEWPORT NEWS VA.  ABOARD THE CRISTOBAL. WHERE WE HAD FRUIT, FRESH MILK AND ROUGH SEAS. A TRAIN TOOK US TO MARYSVILLE CA. FROM THERE BACK SOUTH TO CAMP POLK LA.  WHERE WE STARTED TO MAKE PLANS TO GO TO JAPAN. PEACE ARRIVED BEFORE WE HAD TO TRAIN FUTHER.

 

WAR ENDED IN AUGUST 1945. IT WAS TIME TO THINK OF GOING HOME.  FOR ME IT MEANT DECISIONS TO MAKE. I COULD REMAIN IN REGULAR ARMY AS A CAREER OR RETURN HOME TO PASADENA CA. MY MOTHER HAD BEEN ALONE FOR 5 YEARS. SHE VOLUNTEERED DURING THE TIME I WAS GONE AT HUNTINGTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. THE DECISION I FELT WAS BEST WAS TO RETURN HOME, HOWEVER I WAS BROKEN-HEARTED LEAVING WONDERFUL FRIENDSHIPS.  I FELT WE HAD A WONDERFUL UNIT WITH FINE PEOPLE.

 

THIS IS A PERIOD IN OUR LIVES THAT WILL NEVER BE REPEATED AGAIN.

 

YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE SHOULD REALIZE AND BE AWARE THROUGH EDUCATION, HOW AMERICA WON THE WAR AND SAVED THE WORLD.  WE SHOULD LEARN TO LIVE AND TEACH FAMILIES TO LIVE BY THE GOLDEN RULE, LOVE OF FAMILY, LOVE OF COUNTRY, BE RESPECTFUL, LOYAL WITH STRENGTH OF CHARACTER AND PROUD OF A JOB WELL DONE.

WARREN

THANK-YOU FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING. ENCLOSED IS A CHECK TO HELP ALITTLE.

                                                             VERY SINCERELY WITH GOOD WISHES,

                                                              MAY (MACDONALD) HORTON

 

MY HUSBAND WAS A LT. COL. LANDED ON D-DAY WAS IN EVERYDAY OF COMBAT. WE HAVE BEEN MARRIED 53 YEARS. WE HAVE TWO WONDERFUL

CHILDREN, A DAUGHTER AND A SON. SADLY MY HUSBAND SAM IS AN INVALID, REQUIRING 24 HR. CARE; HENCE I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO COME TO REUNIONS.