Don Blumenthal
adak scrapbook 1943-1944
Originally Published: 03 May 2001
Last Update: 25 May 2020 13:15
During
my
first
stay
on
Adak
in
43,
I
was
a
medic
in
the
dispensary.
I
assisted
the
doctors
in
treating
patients
which
included
minor
operations.
I
gave
those
lovely
shots
that
we
all
enjoyed
so
much.
On
one
of
the
islands
I
remember
giving
first
aid
classes
to
the
squadron.
Sometimes
I
felt
this
was
done
to
keep
all
of
us
busy.
When
I
returned
to
Adak
from
seven
months
on
Shemya,
I
was
put
in
charge
of
the
medical
supply.
I
ordered
supplies
from
the
station
hospital
and
sent
them
on
to
the
dispensaries
on
the
other
islands,
as
they
had
ordered
from
me.
As
you
remember,
everything
required
six
copies
and
those
old
typewriters
were
not
the
easiest
to
use.
Correcting
a
mistake
in
typing
was
the
pits.
We
didn't
have
white-out
at
that
time.
I
also
set
up
a
photo
lab
so
I
could
develop
and
print
pictures.
I
had
to
get
the
approval
of
the
Base
Censor
and
was
given
a
number
to
stamp
on
the
back
of
each
print
I
made.
This
is
how
I
came
to
possess
some
of
these negatives.
Email Don
Don Blumenthal
#1. This a picture of me with my ambulance on Adak in either 1943 or 1944. We had four
ambulances and one was assigned to each one of four of us. Adak.
#2. Adak in 1943 or 1944...probably 1943 when we depended on the navy for some
supplies we could not get from the army. This is a portion of Finger Bay where the navy
was stationed. The roads were dirt. Adak.
#3. Adak, 1943. Our fleet of ambulances at the Air Base Dispensary. Note dirt roads. Our
dispensary was the Quonset dug into the ground. My ambulance is the one with the dent
in the roof. One night the wind (oh yes) lifted the three hole outhouse over the hill and
dropped it on top of the ambulance. Adak
#4. Adak,1943 looking into the inner harbor. Adak harbor was very large. I have many
stories and pictures concerning Adak as that is where I spent most of my time. I was two
or three months on Umnak, seven months on Shemya and the rest of my 28 months on
Adak except for a short stay at Elmendorf Field before going to the islands. Adak.
#5. Some idea of the weather in 1943 and how we were dug in. The hut in front was our
infirmary, the dispensary was on the right of this. You can see several of the tents in the
background that were our living quarters. Adak.
#6. Some medics and a doctor outside of the dispensary. Summer 1943, Adak.
#7. Me in 1944. Adak.
#8. John Newell and I on the walkway leading to our tents. Adak, 1944
#9. Myself (on the right) and unknown outside our tent. Adak,1944.
#10. We used this tractor to pull us up the mountain side to ski! Also used for rescue like
with the airplane crash. Adak.
#11. This is a picture of the C-47 that crashed on the mountain between the runways. We
had to go up there twice...once at night in a blizzard to examine the area and the next
day to bring down the remains...which were few. Adak.
#12. This was the living area for the Air Base Dispensary medics in 1943. Even though
these were dug into the hillside, the good old wind removed some of them! Adak.
#13. Our CO was real smart, having these tents placed in a flat area. When the snow
would melt, we'd be surrounded by water! Adak.
#14. Apicture of the staging area in 1943 Adak.
#15. Part of the area where the Air Force was camped in 1943.
Photo Viewing Instructions
Mouse-over a selected image, a magnifying glass icon will appear. Left click on that image and an enlarged version of that image will appear. This will begin an automated slide show, bringing up each image in turn after a 5-second display. You can manually control the slide show by placing the mouse cursor over a displayed image…a control panel will appear at the bottom of the display. You can then manually select the display function.
Don Blumenthal
adak scrapbook
1943-1944
During
my
first
stay
on
Adak
in
43,
I
was
a
medic
in
the
dispensary.
I
assisted
the
doctors
in
treating
patients
which
included
minor
operations.
I
gave
those
lovely
shots
that
we
all
enjoyed
so
much.
On
one
of
the
islands
I
remember
giving
first
aid
classes
to
the
squadron.
Sometimes
I
felt
this
was
done
to
keep
all
of
us
busy.
When
I
returned
to
Adak
from
seven
months
on
Shemya,
I
was
put
in
charge
of
the
medical
supply.
I
ordered
supplies
from
the
station
hospital
and
sent
them
on
to
the
dispensaries
on
the
other
islands,
as
they
had
ordered
from
me.
As
you
remember,
everything
required
six
copies
and
those
old
typewriters
were
not
the
easiest
to
use.
Correcting
a
mistake
in
typing
was
the
pits.
We
didn't
have
white-out
at
that
time.
I
also
set
up
a
photo
lab
so
I
could
develop
and
print
pictures.
I
had
to
get
the
approval
of
the
Base
Censor
and
was
given
a
number
to
stamp
on
the
back
of
each
print
I
made.
This
is
how
I
came
to
possess
some
of
these negatives.
Email Don
Photo Viewing
Instructions
Mouse-over a selected image, a magnifying glass icon will appear. Left click on that image and an enlarged version of that image will appear. This will begin an automated slide show, bringing up each image in turn after a 5-second display. You can manually control the slide show by placing the mouse cursor over a displayed image…a control panel will appear at the bottom of the display. You can then manually select the display function.
#1. This a picture of me with my
ambulance on Adak in either 1943 or
1944. We had four ambulances and one
was assigned to each one of four of us.
Adak.
#2. Adak in 1943 or 1944...probably 1943
when we depended on the navy for
some supplies we could not get from the
army. This is a portion of Finger Bay
where the navy was stationed. The roads
were dirt. Adak.
#3. Adak, 1943. Our fleet of ambulances
at the Air Base Dispensary. Note dirt
roads. Our dispensary was the Quonset
dug into the ground. My ambulance is
the one with the dent in the roof. One
night the wind (oh yes) lifted the three
hole outhouse over the hill and dropped
it on top of the ambulance. Adak
#4. Adak,1943 looking into the inner
harbor. Adak harbor was very large. I
have many stories and pictures
concerning Adak as that is where I spent
most of my time. I was two or three
months on Umnak, seven months on
Shemya and the rest of my 28 months
on Adak except for a short stay at
Elmendorf Field before going to the
islands. Adak.
#5. Some idea of the weather in 1943
and how we were dug in. The hut in
front was our infirmary, the dispensary
was on the right of this. You can see
several of the tents in the background
that were our living quarters. Adak.
#6. Some medics and a doctor outside of
the dispensary. Summer 1943, Adak.
#7. Me in 1944. Adak.
#8. John Newell and I on the walkway
leading to our tents. Adak, 1944
#9. Myself (on the right) and unknown
outside our tent. Adak,1944.
#10. We used this tractor to pull us up
the mountain side to ski! Also used for
rescue like with the airplane crash. Adak.
#11. This is a picture of the C-47 that
crashed on the mountain between the
runways. We had to go up there
twice...once at night in a blizzard to
examine the area and the next day to
bring down the remains...which were
few. Adak.
#12. This was the living area for the Air
Base Dispensary medics in 1943. Even
though these were dug into the hillside,
the good old wind removed some of
them! Adak.
#13. Our CO was real smart, having
these tents placed in a flat area. When
the snow would melt, we'd be
surrounded by water! Adak.
#14. Apicture of the staging area in 1943
Adak.
#15. Part of the area where the Air
Force was camped in 1943.
Last Update: 25 May 2020 13:15
Originally Published: 03 May 2001