A Tribute to the 109th Evacuation Hospital

This is the untold story of the 109^th Evacuation Hospital (SM) which provides the reader with a piece of history about evacuation hospital semi-mobile units during World War II. The cohesion and respect for one another was evident for 109^th Evacuation Hospital (SM) unit which held numerous reunions after the war where my father-in-law made every effort to attend, like the rest of the unit members.

My father-in-law’s journey and the veteran’s interviews painted a picture of teamwork close to the front lines. Here the danger was so palpable and close too our young soldiers, as told by a nurse: “The boys were only 18 and 19 years old and of course, none of course none of them wanted to die, you know, and they knew that they were dying. They know what kind of shape they were in and it was pretty rough watching them.” We see to the experiences of a unit member witnessing Nazi collaborators being clubbed to death in a small town in Czechoslovakia, and in another unit member’s chance encounter with General Patton and General Eisenhower.

This photo journal book contains over 100 photos and data points that highlight the experiences of the men and women of the 109^th Evacuation Hospital (SM) who put their lives on the line each day to preserve our democratic ideals and values that we cherish today.