Setting up the Hospital in Nagoya (89)

     After all of the idleness on the ship, Maj. Pfile is delighted to take some photos, then get to work setting up the hospital.

A field near Nagoya with the air base in the background

27 Oct. '45
Beloved,
     Oh me!  Oh my!  Have I ever been flying around and getting little done.  This morning at 8 [supply and transportation officer Ed] Gray was on hand with our trucks and most of our EM's [enlisted men] came up to our building.  Then they sent back weapons carriers [jeep-like trucks] for the officers.  We left about 10 but first yours truly (and I do mean yours, Sugar!) took a roll of color pictures.  As it turned out, it was well I did, for I had no time later.  The sky was cloudless but there was quite a haze in the distance.  This is all perfectly flat around here, with mountains far off.  We certainly saw a burned out city!  We passed huge factories that were mere skeletons and miles and miles of some factory areas that were burned to the ground, with machinery all warped and rusted.  It certainly is freakish how here and there a home or building would be entirely unscathed.  They certainly have lots of cops here on the street corners directing traffic.  They wear blue uniforms with black roll leggings, white gloves and SWORDS!  Can you feature that?  Most are short swords, perhaps 18" overall, but some are long.  They appear to be on the cavalry saber style and not Samurai.  Here and there are shrines and small nooks with shrines in them.  Very few of the tall factory chimneys were knocked flat, and there weren't many bomb craters.  Rusted iron is everywhere.  They have plenty of scrap now!

A tower of the castle in Nagoya; the enlisted mens' barracks
were located on the grounds of the castle

     What a building we have!  It is 5 stories, completely modern and quite new.  One set of elevators is running, complete with floor indicator showing the floor it is at, in lights.  The outside looks rather crummy - dark and in places the smooth brick facing is knocked off.  But the inside!  The front has a marquis [marquee?] in fancy bricks, with part of the roof in glass bricks.  The floors in all halls are of this smooth stone and there are slabs of it in the walls.  There are mail chutes, light colored metal trims.  Most of the metal banisters have been replaced by wood.  The floors in the rooms are of wood (in squares) laid in cement.  The windows are large and the frames are metal.  The toilets are large - urinals and the porcelain "hole in the floor" stools, but with movable wooden seats over them.  I'm certain they were made at the [U.S.] army's orders.  The wash rooms are separate with lots of basins and large mirrors, both are rather low and you have to stoop to use them.  Showers have been added, again at army orders.  This is the pay-off - hot and cold water! and it is steaming hot.  The place must have been built with the idea of a hospital or barracks in mind, for on each floor is a large pantry with gas stoves, sinks, dining room and dumb waiters to a large kitchen in the basement!  The stoves are out, however.  There is a large built-in refrigerator.  We live on the 2nd floor.  The men have to live in some Jap cavalry barracks about a quarter of a mile away, situated in what was once a castle grounds.  There is a moat and walls and the whole area seems quite large.  They won't have such nice quarters.  The 25th Med. Bn. [medical battalion] and the 32nd Field Hosp. (a long time in Italy - a lot of their docs have been overseas 3 years) are all here but not setting up.  We have a few patients already.  The men are all hard at work plumbing and wiring.  We have lights in most of the building.
     Back to my day - we arrived a little after 11 and looked around.  There is one small building next to us and a large [one] set about 1/2 mile away, but otherwise the area is burned out.  We ate our rations about 12 and went to work.  One of the Lt.s [lieutenants] helped me part of the time.  We went to work on the inventory - gave the kitchen a quick once over, and a few other items.  A lot of it we don't need to check such as knives and forks for they are expendable.  Most of the time I spent on surgery, but it was easy.  They [whoever packed] had a complete list of their instruments, and a list of what was in each of their 100 boxes, so we went thru the lists and named off the non-expendables.  So many things are expendable - syringes, needles, supplies.  It would be something terrible to do the millions of individual items.  Sterritt [?] is doing the wards as they set up.  X-ray, dental, lab, ENT will do their own, so while it will tie me up for a few days, it won't e so bad.  Right now I'm waiting to check the receiving office.  A street car and a suburban electric go by here and the suburban's horn sounds natural.  The high point men are all hoping to leave.  I'm sure a General Hospital will take over, for this is an ideal set up for them.  I suppose they will take me over, too!  Oh, well, what's the difference for a couple of months!