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Around
the middle of June I was reassigned to the Battalion Aid Station 3/3
forward CP at Payable. The BAS was built by the engineers of mahogany
timber, buried in the ground, and covered with sand bags. There were 10 corpsmen
and one doctor assigned here.
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Forward
BAS. The bamboo bench, built by the Montagnards, was used as the waiting
room for sick call. The device in the foreground was a blower used to fumigate
with DDT, which was used to kill mosquitos. The double line of sandbags is
where the Ambulance was normally kept.
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The Battalion Surgeon, John P. Miller MD, spent the majority of his waking hours
sculpting Playboy centerfolds out of blocks of mahogany timber with his
wood chisels. He was quite a talented carver and averaged one carving per
week. He actually sent a letter and a picture of himself standing with one
of his carvings to Playboy which was published in the August or September
issue.
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Dr.
John P Miller in his studeo, a poncho set up to provide shade works on a
carving of Miss June 1967.
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HM2 Nick Longo would take
these works of art down to Phu Bai and Da Nang to trade for items we could
not get through normal supply channels. By the effort of these two the BAS
had electricity from our own generator and a refrigerator. Nick actually
was able to get a microscope, which enabled Dr. Miller to confirm a
diagnosis of Malaria, which expedited treatment.
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