Show S W fa ft- ft GS By IRIS YN G The WAC's were given carefully selected courses in Basic Training designed to make soldiers of us willy Must Most of this painfully pain pain- fully acquired information has long since left me but some of it I retain Like the lessons learned in an afternoon class on first aid IT WAS A HOT 1101 muggy day Before our company reached the classroom we were all soaking wet A threatened shower hadn't materialized materialized ma but we still wore rubber raincoats over our heavy cotton uniforms uniform so our copious sweat had no chance to do anything but collect And drip Which it did Even our cotton stockings were damply congregated about our ankles So we weren't a cheerful group when we filed in to take seats before a raised platform which held a collection of splints bandages and wrappings TilE THE AFTERNOON rapidly disintegrated The class began with a film on combat casualties with bones sticking out here and there pieces of soldiers lying about and other assorted gore The film was in color So was the audience a sickly green A few of the weaker sisters deserted but we were herded back inside for the second part of the program pro gram a lecture by a medical corpsman HE liE DEMONSTRATED what we were to todo todo todo do when confronted with gaping wounds sprains suppurations wrenches wren he and malaria When he was ready to show the proper way to splint a broken leg he decided I 1 looked like a good model so 50 he called me up I J declined momentarily one does not decline in inthe Inthe inthe the army Our Lieutenant kindly reminded me so up I went 1 The he corpsman had me lit stretch retch out on a blanket Any basic trainee once prune prone drop drop- ped pod instantly to sleep as a matter of course but my nap didn't last long With a yank that nearly broke my right leg for real the corpsman pulled it sideways and up NOW THIS TillS HERE he maintained is a laig Its It's busted right cheer He fetched my laig a hearty heart blow Now if it was a comPOUND comPOUND com corn POUND fracture bones bone's a be stick in out of the skin He added a wound to the skin over my crunched bones So we wee need splints land Hand me them boards maam ma'am The Lieutenant Lieuten Lieuten- ant handed him them boards We get this leg straight thusly He lie demonstrated straightening my leg in places place where it had been curved from rein the beginning The splints go on each side nice and lie He slapped slapped slapped slap slap- ped the boards into position And bind er up Tights Tight's the ticket There you ARE lie He dusted dust ed his hands proud as punch Hey corpora corporal That was me registering register register- ing a protest from the floor One of your splints has come HE liE GLARED GLARE down town at me say there Ive got a large sliver in my leg I com com- about giving me n a little first aid L liE THOUGHT that was a hearty joke H and laughed while he took the b bandages r dage oft off ff my leg and removed the splints On Only Ii one of them didn't come off alone A fair sized portion of my skin attached to a loose shaving came off with it Lordy be he mourned Youre Plop A COUPLE COUrLE of our heftier gals slung his arms around their necks and hauled him off to the dispensary limp toes trailing Which concluded our class clau on First AId AM |