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9th Hospital Center
US Army, Europe
Looking for more information from military/civilian personnel assigned to or associated with the U.S. Army in Germany from 1945 to 1989. If you have any stories or thoughts on the subject, please email me (webmaster).

549th Hosp Cen History (19.. - 1962)

9th Hosp Cen History (1962 - 19..)

USAREUR Med Regulating Office

Central Medical Records Ag

57th Med Bn

Hospital Trains

Newspaper articles


 
549th Hospital Center History
19.. - 1962
(Source: Special Orders #130, Headquarters 549th Hosp Cen, APO 403, dtd 14 Dec 1962)
SO #130 directed the reassignment of personnel from the inactivated 549th Hosp Cen to the newly formed 9th Hosp Center.

1. Page 2 (150 KB)
2. Page 3 (103 KB)
3. Page 4 (53 KB)
 
9th Hospital Center History
1962 - 19..
(Source: Email from William R. Pupke)
I just retired from the Army Reserve in 2003 from AD after being called up in Nov 2001. I had many EM in my unit that served in Germany and I'll pass the site to them. Most are intel types.

We would spend most weekends in the EM club from Friday night thru Sunday evening playing cards (whist or hearts or pinochle) and eating all our meals. For a break we would play the slots which lined every wall.

1. SO #200, 1962 (KB)
2. SO #138, 1963 (KB)
3. EM Billets (KB)

4. Bldg 3610, (KB)
5. (KB)
6. (KB)		  

7. Cover of the 'Nine High' EM Open Mess Menu 		     
(Source: Organization & Functions, Headquarters 9th Hospital Center, 1964)

Organization, 1964


Würzburg MSA
(as an example of an MSA
under the 9th Med Cen)
   Subordinate units:

Würzburg MSA

3332nd Labor Service Med Ln Det
45th Labor Service District

57th Med Bn
If you have more information on the history or organization of the 9th Hosp Cen, please contact me.
(Source: STARS & STRIPES, May 1, 1964)
Brig Gen Douglas B. Kendrick, Jr. is the current commanding general of the 9th Hospital Center.

The Center, with headquarters at Heidelberg, provides hospitalization, medical and dental clinic services, preventive medicine facilities and veterinary services for an area of 50,000 square miles.

The command also directs the operations of
four general hospitals
eight station-type hospitals
more than 80 separate and attached dispensaries, and
90 dental clinics

The Hospital Center also provides (through the 57th Med Bn) intra-command medical evacuation service by rail, air and motor ambulance by means of its ambulance unit operations, railway ambulance cars and helicopters.

The 9th operates the USAREUR Medical Regulating Office (which handles medical evacuations to the US) and the Central Medical Records Agency.

In addition to all of the above, the Center watches over USAREUR's 300 water sources and their chlorination, and the sanitary safety for 600 USAREUR messes and dining establishments.
(Source: Medical Bulletin of the US Army, Europe, March 1965)

Area of Responsibility, 1964 (click on map for hi res)
 

 
(Source: Medical Bulletin of the US Army, Europe, March 1965)
DENTAL SERVICES IN 9th HOSPITAL CENTER & 819th HOSPITAL CENTER

Medical Bulletin, March 1965
  Pages:

Page 97 (9th Hosp Cen)
Page 98 (9th Hosp Cen)
Page 99 (819th Hosp Cen)
Page 100 (819th Hosp Cen & Berlin Brigade)
Page 101 (Berlin & SETAF)
Page 102 (SETAF & Heidelberg MSA)

 
(Source: Email from James R Keel)

NOTE: James would like former members of the 9th Hospital Center, Heidelberg, Germany, to contact him at srkeel9@juno.com

1. Brig Gen Douglas B. Kendrick, Commander of 9th Hospital Center when it was activated.
2. S/Sgt (E-6) Harry C. Berner & wife; center is wife of Sergeant Major Frank G. Giraud. Sergeant Berner and wife were killed in an automobile accident near Heidelberg during this tour of duty. They were interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

3. SFC (E-7) James R Keel & family - 1964.



 

4. Sgt Keel, Colonel William M. Wegner, Chief of Personnel and Manpower Control, and Assistant Edith Schuman - 1964.



 
 
(Source: Email from Peter C. Johnson, 9th Hospital Center, Aug 1968 - Jan 1970 )


I served with the 9th Hospital Center from Aug 1968 Jan 1970.  It had just relocated to Landstuhl Germany.

As custodian of the classified documents I took part in a little bit of history. I was called in on the weekend of the first moon launch. A Top Secret message instructed us to refer to an other Top Secret document, with further instructions to alert all medical facilities in the path of the orbiting spacecraft to activate their Secret contingency plans in case something went wrong and an emergency landing occurred in Europe.

Obviously nothing happened and our first moon flight was a great success.

1. Group photo, 1969 (KB)
2. General's office (KB)
3. Promotion (KB)

4. Billets party (KB)
5. Billets party (KB)
6. Taking a spin on a new BSA (KB)		  
 
57th Medical Bn
19.. - 19..
57th Medical Bn DUI
(Source: STARS & STRIPES, Dec 6, 1960)
57th Medical Battalion

The mission of the 57th Med Bn is to evacuate patients to or between hospitals. The means used to transport patients are helicopters, ambulances and hospital trains. CO of the battalion is COL Jack T. Waldren.

The units under the 57th that perform the medical evacuation mission are the following:

Ambulance Units:
581st Medical Company (Ambulance) (Separate), Landstuhl
583rd Medical Company (Ambulance) (Separate), Landstuhl

Helicopter Ambulance Unit:
63rd Medical Detachment (Helicopter Ambulance), Landstuhl

Hospital Train Units:
31st Medical Train Ambulance (Rail), Pirmasens
34th Medical Train Ambulance (Rail), Neubruecke
37th Medical Train Ambulance (Rail), Muenchweiler
80th Medical Train Ambulance (Rail), Toul, France

There are four of the "two-car diesel" trains and eight "10-car steam-powered" trains. The diesel trains are used for peacetime efficiency. The steam trains (providing wartime capabilities) are kept "in storage" for emergencies but taken out for periodic runs and servicing. These hospital trains are the only ones operated by the US Army anywhere in the world.

The hospital trains run once a week in peacetime. A typical run (80th Amb Train) sees the train stop at Toul and Nancy in France; and Neubrücke, Bad Kreuznach and Frankfurt in Germany. Another one (34th Amb Train) connects Neubrücke, Landstuhl, Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Würzburg and Nürnberg. The connections permit trains to pick up and deliver patients who cannot be treated locally and need to be transported to the Army's "specialty" hospitals in Europe -- the 2nd General Hospital at Landstuhl, the 98th General Hospital at Neubrücke and the 97th General Hospital in Frankfurt.

As a train arrives at a German railway station, ambulances are already in position to deliver patients. Inside the train is a registered nurse assisted by medical and surgical technicians, wardmen, a train NCO, cooks, and a Medical Service Corps officer who serves as the train commander. There is a fully equipped gallery in the coach car. (The 10-car trains used in wartime would carry two doctors and five nurses; these trains have a capacity of 242 litter patients, or six ambulatory patients for every two litter cases.)

The two-car diesel provides space for a maximum of 42 patients -- one (litter) ward car with room for 21 persons; the other is a comfortable coach with space for additional 21 patients.

The USAREUR Medical Regulating Office, located at the 9th Hospital Center in Landstuhl, is responsible for directing medical evacuation so that there is no delay in getting to proper treatment facilities.
(Source: STARS & STRIPES, March 14, 1967)
The 57th Medical Battalion (TO/E 8-126E64) is located at Wilson Barracks in Landstuhl. The battalion transports by rail, road or air sick and injured personnel to and between 51 separate medical facilities (operated by the 9th Hosp Cen) within an area of responsibility that covers over 49,150 square miles of West Germany and northern France. In 1966, the battalion transported 44,854 patients -- covering 1,698,849 vehicle (ambulance and jeep) miles, 35,910 rail (diesel and steam train) miles, and 1,555 flight (helicopter) hours.

Currently, there are eleven units subordinate to the 57th Med Bn.

Ambulance Service -- Ambulance (the field ambulance is also nicknamed "crackerbox") drivers receive eight weeks of basic training at the Medical Field Service School at Ft. Sam Houston, Tex. Then they get on-the-job training in handling patients and giving first aid. Approved speed for the ambulance is 50 m.p.h. on the autobahn, 30 m.p.h. in built-up areas.

Helicopter Ambulance -- the 63rd Med Det (Hel Amb) is stationed at Landsberg (Kirchberg Hill). Equipped with UH-1B Huey helicopters, each can carry up to six litters. The Hueys not only haul patients but also carry doctors, drugs, blood or specimens.

Ambulance Trains -- two-car diesel trains and steam trains.
The two-car diesels (built in Germany in 1956) run regular routes originating from their home stations at Neubruecke and Muenchweiler. Originally they went through Landstuhl, Heidelberg, Frankfurt and Wuerzburg to Nuernberg. Now they have added Bad Cannstatt, Augsburg and Munich to their runs. The cars are air-conditioned and carry 43 patients: 16 normal litters, 4 litters for women, 2 for isolation, and space for 21 ambulatory patients. Books, magazines and full length movies are available. Meals are served en route from the train's diet kitchen.

There are four big steam trains that are maintained by the Ambulance Train (Rail) units at Muenchweiler and Neubruecke. They are used during large field exercises.
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