Yesterday, Mr. James Parsons, assistant professor of biology, left for special duty in Viet Nam with the 61st AME Barksdale Air Force Base Reserve Unit.
The unit composed of nurses and medical technicians will evacuate wounded military personnel to the states for Christmas.
An AME unit recently brought home 73 wounded on one plane and 56 on another on a similar mission. The personnel with whom Mr. Parsons will travel are from hospitals in Little Rock, Shreveport and Houston.
“I’m eager to help in this evacuation,” Mr. Parsons said. “Bringing back those 18- and 19-year-olds, who could well be TC students, will be a rewarding Christmas experience.”
To Gain Knowledge
In making the trip, Mr. Parsons hopes to gain added knowledge, too, of the treatment of wounds and the giving of blood transfusions.
He feels that working with this unit will give him practical and firsthand insight into the nature and symptoms of diseases that no textbook can give him.
“Next summer I’m slated for study at a special Field Service Medical School at Brooke Army Hospital in San Antonio. All aspects of medical technology will be covered,” Mr. Parsons said.
Mr. Parsons, a Green Beret until he broke his back on a night practice jump in Europe, has been an officer in the National Guard. He joined the Barksdale Reserve Unit in ’67 and is a technical sergeant.
The evacuation team slated to return Dec. 22, will also bring home war casualties for stateside burials.