Although I was only a private first class, I had the authority of an officer, complete with my own car and driver available anytime day and night. This was necessary because if I began to run out of x-ray film, I had orders to go anywhere in order to replenish my stock of film. I estimate that I made around 10,000 x-rays in the next three months. In addition to the x-ray work, I also did blood typing and administered immunization shots. At this time I was planning to enter OCS, and for this purpose received the following recommendation from the surgeon in charge: 'Private First Class Robert L. Rowland . . . reported to this unit January 26, 1942. He has trained the men working in the department and supervised the installation of the x-ray filing system. He has also demonstrated his ability to do clerical work; typing, etc. In addition, he has demonstrated his ability to do clinical laboratory work. Private Rowland has been extremely valuable in organizing the x-ray department. He has also worked many hours each day of his own accord. During the period that he has been under my command he has been an outstanding soldier. In my opinion, Private Rowland has the qualifications for the appointment of second lieutenant in the Medical Administrative Corps.' It was signed, Frank J. McDonald, Major M.C. Surgeon. From June, 1942 to January, 1943 my basic outfit, the Mobile Surgical Hospital, was assigned to the Mojave Desert to support General Patton's maneuvers, where I served again as chief x-ray technologist. Just prior to this time I had passed the officer candidate board's examination for assignment to officer's school in Texas, but I was destined to spend the next three months in the desert. The mobile hospital to which I was assigned was converted to an evacuation hospital with a capacity of 900 beds. In this position I supervised and trained four technicians in the operation of the x-ray department. Also during this time, I instructed inductees assigned to us in military drill (usually platoons of ten, twenty, or thirty men), culminating in parade drills involving formations of as many as one hundred men. My duties here were still those of medical technologymostly x-ray work. We had some grisly accidents that I will remember all my life. The TV program MASH is a good representation of our activities. That show was more similar to life in our hospital than you might imagine. Although it seemed like I would never make it, I did finally reach officer school. This was from January to April, 1943 at Camp Barkley in Abilene, Texas. 'Ninety-day wonder schools' is what they were called and, be that as it may, you had to be some kind of wonder to make it. Over one half of my class didn't make it, and there were some real sharp ones in the group. I don't know why I succeeded unless it was because I kept my mouth shut and worked like hell! It was an experience that you would treasure all your life but wouldn't ever want to repeat. I graduated as a second lieutenant, medical administrative corp. After this, my first assignment was at the Pier B Seattle Port of Embarkation. Believe it or not, I asked for this assignment and got it! In this capacity I served as expediting officer. My duties included everything possible to expedite the shipment of medical supplies to posts in Alaska, the Aleutians, and Canada. To do this I had to make friends with the officers of various ships and entice them into finding room for a badly needed medical shipment. It was sort of exciting and required a lot of salesmanship. I also did research work to determine why certain supplies were not being furnished for shipment by places like the St. Louis Medical Supply Depot. It was fun. These duties entailed supervision of the compilation of data concerning supplies that had been received and shipped to the above mentioned posts and then to take action in accordance with the information so complied. I supervised from two to four clerks in the searching of files and records, the tabulating of data, and in the final preparation of typewritten reports. After about a month of this, I was assigned medical supply officer, at the sub port of embarkation in Skagway, Alaska. For some reason, someone figured that my services were needed further north, and Alaska was where I ended up. At first, I was sent to a sub port of embarkation called 'Excursion Inlet' (this was next to Glacier Bay). Prior to this time we had medical troops in the Aleutian Islands. A hospital was wiped out by machine gunning Japanese, and the Navy was sent in and cleaned up the Aleutians in high style. I had been in Excursion Inlet about one week when this happened so there was a lot less need for Excursion Inlet, and I was reassigned to Skagway. I spent 11 months there and was man of all work. In addition to being port medical supply expediting officer, I had the additional duties of adjutant to the Skagway port surgeon, acting detachment commander (about 30 men), personnel officer, transportation officer, etc. When I arrived at this port, a preliminary survey indicated upwards to a million dollars worth of medical supplies very poorly stored in various places. There was no record other than an incomplete handful of shipping tickets, in terms of accountability for these supplies. During the next ten months I directed and supervised from three to ten men in the setting up of a stock record account along with proper classification and storage of these supplies in an adequate warehouse. In connection with this I had the duty of equipping a new 250 bed hospital under construction. Complete inventories (and other supply data) were compiled and 114 forwarded to headquarters. At the end of four months as a second lieutenant, I was promoted to first lieutenant. On or about December 1943, Skagway Port of Embarkation was transferred to the Northwest Service Command (NWSC) in charge of the Alaska Highway. In January 1944 I was ordered to headquarters in Whitehorse, Canada, Yukon Territory. Here, I became chief medical supply officer for the command. They also brought another bright first lieutenant in from the Dawson Creek Hospital and assigned him as adjutant to the surgeon. He didn't like the assignment and went out on leave, and I took over his duties as well as my own. When he came back, he told them he didn't like the job; and we traded places. So I was adjutant to the surgeon for the rest of the war. We commanded four 250-bed hospitals and ten 20-bed dispensaries in a million square miles of rugged territory. My duties included primarily the supervision of the collection of supply data and the compilation of statistical reports. These reports served as the basis for the management of medical supplies for the Service Command. Three to four clerks were supervised in the collection, tabulation, and compilation of master supply records and reports. Many of these reports were submitted to the Surgeon General, Washington D.C. I was promoted to captain in this position, and it was one of the best assignments a man could have. I enjoyed every minute of it (all except being away from my family while in Whitehorse). The duties of an adjutant are multitudinous, among them, supervision of administrative assistants, typists, file clerks, etc.; preparation of all directives and correspondence issuing from the office of the surgeon; supervision of the tabulation, compilation, and maintenance of all statistical reports and records for submission to the Surgeon General, Washington D.C; compilation of the history of the Medical Department, NWSC, which was later to be consolidated with histories from other commands by the department of the Army into an overall history of World War II; preparation and maintenance of Tables of Organization, to govern personnel requirements, both military and civilian, for the Medical Department, NWSC; and a great deal more. And even though it was quite a responsibility, it was really a wonderful way to spend World War II! I was discharged at La Crosse, Wisconsin, in December 1946. Robert Clarence Rush During WWII, Robert C. Rush was an Army private ln the Army's Specialized Training Program at the University of Utah. He later served active duty in the Air Force during the 1950's in Germany. Raymond Thomas Sanders Sanders attended Weber College from 1941-1943 at which time he was drafted into the Army. He was assigned to the Army Medical Corps and participated in the invasion of Southern France in the summer of 1944 with the 3rd Division, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion. Sanders was to remain with that unit during his entire tour of duty in Europe as it crossed France, moved into Germany and reached its final destination in Berchtesgaden, Germany, on May 8, 1945the day that Germany surrendered. By the time he was separated from the service in 1946, he had risen to the rank of captain, had received the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat, and a Bronze Star for gallantry in action. Floyd Williams Seager Floyd W. Seager attended Weber from 1939-1941. He served in WWII between 1943 and 1946. After WWII, the Army finished his medical training, which made him a likely candidate for service in Korea from 1950-1953. Following a successful practice in Ogden, Floyd retired and established a clinic in the Ogden Rescue Mission, involving retired colleagues in the medical treatment of the homeless. He received the Point of Light Recognition from President George H.W. Bush for this effort. Sherman E. Sewell I was in basic training at Camp Roberts, California, for only two months when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Without completing basic training I was assigned to an activated National Guard Unit that was on its way to the South Pacific, We became part of the 41st Infantry Division. For most of three years, I was located in Australia and in the Islands of Papua, New Guinea. Under the rotation plan I returned to the United States and was then assigned to the Air Force. There, I served in communications until the war ended in September 1945. After release from the military service, I returned to my civilian position in the accounting and finance division, directing various accounting systems. 115