Shortly after graduating from medical school, husband and wife Dan and Mary Brown were drafted to serve in Vietnam
By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald
While every war is fought on the front lines, there are also those behind the scenes who play a key role in the effort.
Such is the story of Dan and Mary Brown of Riley, who served in Vietnam from September 1968 through August 1969 as Provincial Health Advisors.
“While we were there during the Vietnam war, I first want to acknowledge all those who have served in uniform, the young men and women doing the job,” Dan said. “It’s easy to take so much for granted living in this country. Those people in uniform deserve our respect and thanks. We returned unscathed, but others among us returned with wounds, both physical and mental.”
The Browns, who first served at the 91st Evacuation (Evac) Hospital in Tuy Hoa, said they had an incredible amount of sympathy for those who returned from Vietnam only to find an angry country.
“When we came back to the states, we asked people if they wanted to see our slides, and nobody wanted to see them,” Mary said.
Enlistment
Dan and Mary met while attending medical school in Portland and were married in 1966.
After graduating the following year, they spent a year of internship at Fitzsimmons General Hospital in Denver, Colo.
“At that time, every medical school graduate was being drafted into the service,” Dan said. “We were told if we joined the Army together, we would get the same orders and stay together.”
In August 1968, the Browns attended one month of basic training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.
“They tried to teach us to march, and we weren’t very good at it,” Mary laughed.
In September, they were flown to Vietnam to begin serving as Provincial Health Advisors. They first landed in Saigon, and then boarded a helicopter for transportation to Tuy Hoa, where they would work at the 91st Evac Hospital.
The flight to Tuy Hoa, and their first night there left them with some indelible memories.
“The helicopters flew with their doors open,” Dan said, and who then admitted he’s not very fond of flying.
“So we’re up in the air and there’s red fireworks going off below us. I thought it was a welcome,” Dan said. “Then we found out later they were tracer bullets.”
Their first night at the evac hospital was spent in a single room, and Mary said they could hear booms, the sounds of cannons, going off all night long. When they mentioned the noise to others in the morning, they were told, “Those were outgoing.”
“We had to learn the difference between outgoing and incoming,” Mary said.
91st Evac Hospital
Housed in a Quonset hut, the 91st Evac Hospital was a first-tier facility that provided medical help for the wounded.
Dan explained that the medical corpsmen in the field were for immediate care, and the soldiers would then be taken to the evac facility. If the medical care warranted it, the patients would then be transferred to another medical facility.
The staff included about 30 doctors, plus general medical officers to assist the surgeons.
The commissary was used for routine illnesses, such as respiratory illness, or minor injuries, like ankle sprains.
Asked if the setting was similar to the portrayal on the “M.A.S.H.” television show, Dan replied it was almost exactly like that, “except there was no ‘Hot Lips’ there,” he joked. As battles were fought, the wounded were brought in and cared for by the medical staff.
The Browns said one time, the helicopters ferrying the wounded soldiers to the hospital just kept coming. “There were maybe 100 patients that they brought in, one right after another,” Mary said. “Head injuries, missing hands, war is not a pleasant thing. We were so busy you just did what you had to do.”
The Quonset hut had a supposedly safe perimeter of about a mile, which was surrounded by a fence. Even though there was the safe zone, it couldn’t stop the constant sounds of explosions.
There were also nights spent in a bunker or in stairwells for safety reasons, and Dan said a rocket even came through the roof of the cafeteria on one occasion.
On to Da Nang
After several months in Tuy Hoa, the Browns were transferred to a provincial hospital in Da Nang to aid the native doctors in treating tropical diseases.
“Their concept of infectious diseases was a lot different than ours, and overcrowding was a problem,” Mary said. She stated that a facility meant for 40 patients might actually have 200 patients, with those suffering from tuberculosis (TB), cholera and other diseases all in together.
“I had the idea to put all the patients with TB in one area, those with cholera in another and so on,” Mary said. “Then we went to Hong Kong for a few days of ‘R & R,’ and when we returned, they were all mixed up again.”
She explained that the people grouped themselves together in a cultural way, because they were family or from the same community.
“It never occurred to me that they were in different groups because of their culture,” Mary said.
While cultural differences did exist, the Browns said they did feel welcome while in Da Nang. “For whatever reason,” Mary said. “Maybe it was because we were needed and could contribute.”
The civilian hospital where the Browns were working in Da Nang was a safer place, but Dan said there was a constant awareness that danger was everywhere. “The things we take for granted here, like going to the store or a ballgame, or driving from Riley to Burns, we assume it’s a right,” he said. “In a war situation, that doesn’t exist. You better be accompanied by soldiers and know that the road is secure.”
Mary added that other facets of the American way of life she grew to appreciate more were common, everyday items such as fresh water, fruits and vegetables. “I wanted a fresh peach first thing when I got back home,” she smiled.
In August 1969, the Browns returned to the United States, where they served one more year at Madigan Hospital in Fort Lewis, Wash.
From there they went through more medical training and eventually set up private practices and raised a family.
Dan is now retired, while Mary works several days a week at her pediatric practice.
Reflections
The Browns haven’t returned to Vietnam, but that doesn’t mean they have forgotten those they encountered while in the service.
Dan said that within minutes of their arrival in Tuy Hoa, a boy from a nearby village wandered into the safe perimeter around the evac hospital and stepped on a land mine. Dan raced to his side, picked him up and carried him in for emergency care. “The boy lost his foot, and I’ve always wondered how the rest of his life has gone,” Dan said.
The soldiers they met also made an impact. “All the G.I.s we interacted with had an unfailing commitment,” Dan said. “We are so blessed to live in this country and are thankful for those who made sacrifices, including the ultimate sacrifice. Because of them, we’re able to live the way we do.”
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