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Taking care of wounded at a hospital, the front

Gilbert Weiss, 120 E. De Soto Rd., Bonne Terre, served in the 180th General Hospital with the U.S. Army during World War II in Europe.  His top rank was T/5. 

Weiss recalls leaving his wife, C. Catherine, and five children when drafted. "Pay was small.  I got $13 a month," he recalls, an amount too small to pay rent and live off of. 

"I went to Texas, short basic, then to Denver, Colorado to Medical Tech School then to Fort Warren, Wyoming, to take training in Army Hospital."  Weiss recalls it was not all men at this camp and young ladies, fresh from nursing school, joined the unit. 

In less than five months since he joined, Weiss was off to France. 

"I waded onto Utah Beach and walked to where our first tent hospital was being built," Weiss added.  "The next day, the three doctors and the nurses I took hospital training with in Colorado and Wyoming were right there with us in the 180th General Hospital.  It was a real nice meeting."  What disappointed Weiss most, though, was his pay was still the same, $13 a month (an equal amount was still being sent to his wife). 

"We were under the 3rd Army, General Patton's.  He was a pretty tough guy on his men, so they said, I guess you had to be to win a war." 

Working in a hospital was not at all like Weiss' job at home.  "I was a barber here at home but believe it or not I was a nurse in the overseas war.  I had 30 patients, same as the rest of the nurses.  We worked 12 hours, seven days a week.  A lot of times, we worked 14 hour days.  The doctors and superior nurses were good at showing me what to do.  It was learn as you go with me." 

Being a nurse was not his only job. "Then the Germans killed off all our front line medics so myself and some buddies were sent up front under fire to pick up the wounded and dead.  That lasted 36 hours straight before we got relieved.  That was when we found out what real war was.  It was Hell," Weiss continued. 

Going into live fire occurred more than once.  He did a second stint at the front a short time later.  "Well, I was very lucky, I didn't get a scratch.  But some of my buddies got killed and my partner got about half his face shot off.   Last time I saw him, he was still alive. 

"We worked in Paris, as medics up front. Well, back to the tent hospital we went and glad to be there," Weiss recalled.  As a mobile hospital, the tents moved frequently as troops advanced across France. 

Weiss recalled crossing the Rhine River at Frankfurt.  The tent hospital took over a German Air Force Hospital there.  "It was nice and we lived in apartment houses," Weiss said.  "It was like a different world, thought we had it made."   This was toward the end of the European portion of the war. 

Then came word the unit was being shipped to the Pacific Theater.  Just as they began their trek back across France, hostilities ended in Japan.  "So you got some good breaks and some bad ones," Weiss admitted. 

One of the "good breaks" Weiss had was meeting up with his hometown friend, Ralph Bockenkamp.  "We had a good visit," Weiss recalled. 

Weiss also got to visit Hitler's private yacht on the Rhine.  "It was nice.   We had a GI band, cold cuts and soda.  Only four of us from the 180th Hospital got to go, two doctors, one young nurse and myself.  I said, 'why me?'   They said, 'because you earned it.  You know you worked 200 days, seven days a week, 12 - 14 hour days, without missing a day's work'." 

Weiss' tour ended and he headed back across the Atlantic.  "Well, I made it home in good shape, thank God.  Many didn't.  But how many GI's got to take a day out on Hitler's private yacht.  I did. "

Weiss concluded, "I think my wife could write a better story than mine on our time apart during the war."

 The DAILY JOURNAL, St. Francois County., Wednesday, April 26, 1995.

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