thedrifter
02-13-07, 07:55 AM
The Lore of the Corps
For one Iwo surgeon, the fight was for brandy
By Charles A. Jones - Special to the Times
Posted : February 19, 2007
Navy corpsmen are popular with Marines because they save lives in combat.
During World War II, they were also popular for another reason: They carried medicinal brandy.
Navy Lt. James Vedder, battalion surgeon for 3rd Battalion, 27th Marines, on Iwo Jima, signed the medical section of the unit’s after-action report. An incident involving a drunken chief pharmacist’s mate triggered Vedder’s evaluation of medicinal brandy.
In his book about his Iwo experiences, “Combat Surgeon, Up Front with the 27th Marines,” Vedder elaborated on the drunken chief pharmacist’s mate, who was unpopular but performed adequately. Vedder permitted him to take a jeep to deliver reports, but he returned 90 minutes late and drunk on brandy.
Vedder took the sailor to the battalion commander, who ordered him locked up with prisoners of war, eliminating him from the unit.
Vedder noted in the report that of all the casualties treated by his aid station, only two had requested brandy. However, he believed the liquor had a role to play in a battle like Iwo. Front-line troops became mentally and physically exhausted after two weeks and suffered many sleepless nights. He issued each man a 2-ounce bottle, noting that brandy had insufficient alcohol to affect their efficiency, but offered a psychological benefit.
In his book, Vedder describes a confrontation after he issued his corpsmen all the brandy. Company officers were upset that it had not been issued to them instead, and Vedder told the battalion commander the officers were trying to take brandy away from corpsmen.
The battalion commander, wise to this ploy, laughed, knowing that officers tried to wrest brandy from new surgeons like Vedder. He told Vedder to stand his ground.
Vedder soon found himself surrounded by 14 hostile officers demanding the alcohol. He stood his ground, citing Navy regulations giving corpsmen control of medicinal brandy. He refused a compromise — officers taking half the supply — and ignored a plea that “Marine Corps tradition” required that commanding officers carry brandy.
While the officers debated appealing to the battalion commander, Vedder escaped.
Vedder also discovered brandy’s nonmedical benefits. He needed a road graded to his aid station, but Marine bulldozer operators refused assistance. Vedder grabbed six bottles of brandy and stopped a corporal driving a bulldozer.
He offered the corporal two bottles; the Marine balked. Vedder offered four; the corporal’s resistance weakened. The corporal finally agreed, but being a smart Marine, insisted on two extra bottles to mollify a first sergeant who was probably wondering where his corporal was.
Vedder got his road.
The writer is a Reserve colonel. He can be reached at cajones@earthlink.net.
Ellie
For one Iwo surgeon, the fight was for brandy
By Charles A. Jones - Special to the Times
Posted : February 19, 2007
Navy corpsmen are popular with Marines because they save lives in combat.
During World War II, they were also popular for another reason: They carried medicinal brandy.
Navy Lt. James Vedder, battalion surgeon for 3rd Battalion, 27th Marines, on Iwo Jima, signed the medical section of the unit’s after-action report. An incident involving a drunken chief pharmacist’s mate triggered Vedder’s evaluation of medicinal brandy.
In his book about his Iwo experiences, “Combat Surgeon, Up Front with the 27th Marines,” Vedder elaborated on the drunken chief pharmacist’s mate, who was unpopular but performed adequately. Vedder permitted him to take a jeep to deliver reports, but he returned 90 minutes late and drunk on brandy.
Vedder took the sailor to the battalion commander, who ordered him locked up with prisoners of war, eliminating him from the unit.
Vedder noted in the report that of all the casualties treated by his aid station, only two had requested brandy. However, he believed the liquor had a role to play in a battle like Iwo. Front-line troops became mentally and physically exhausted after two weeks and suffered many sleepless nights. He issued each man a 2-ounce bottle, noting that brandy had insufficient alcohol to affect their efficiency, but offered a psychological benefit.
In his book, Vedder describes a confrontation after he issued his corpsmen all the brandy. Company officers were upset that it had not been issued to them instead, and Vedder told the battalion commander the officers were trying to take brandy away from corpsmen.
The battalion commander, wise to this ploy, laughed, knowing that officers tried to wrest brandy from new surgeons like Vedder. He told Vedder to stand his ground.
Vedder soon found himself surrounded by 14 hostile officers demanding the alcohol. He stood his ground, citing Navy regulations giving corpsmen control of medicinal brandy. He refused a compromise — officers taking half the supply — and ignored a plea that “Marine Corps tradition” required that commanding officers carry brandy.
While the officers debated appealing to the battalion commander, Vedder escaped.
Vedder also discovered brandy’s nonmedical benefits. He needed a road graded to his aid station, but Marine bulldozer operators refused assistance. Vedder grabbed six bottles of brandy and stopped a corporal driving a bulldozer.
He offered the corporal two bottles; the Marine balked. Vedder offered four; the corporal’s resistance weakened. The corporal finally agreed, but being a smart Marine, insisted on two extra bottles to mollify a first sergeant who was probably wondering where his corporal was.
Vedder got his road.
The writer is a Reserve colonel. He can be reached at cajones@earthlink.net.
Ellie