Preface
This important volume in the administrative history of theU.S. Army Medical Department in World War II has itself had a long, andsomewhat checkered, history. The work was begun a decade ago under the aegis ofan Advisory Editorial Board, whose members are listed on the flyleaf of thisbook. Key figures, both in stimulating and in organizing the study, were Col.Charles F. Shook, MC, who chaired the Board, Maj. Gen. Silas B. Hays, and Maj.Gen. Paul I. Robinson. These three, all retired Medical Corps officers with wideand distinguished experience in varied aspects of medical supply, comprised adynamic subcommittee dedicated wholly to the task at hand despite in eachinstance a full-time and exacting second career. To spearhead the project, theyselected Lt. Col. (later Col.) R. L. Parker, MSC, who gave to the project thebetter part of 5 years before he, too, retired from active service. With thecooperation, and sometimes the collaboration, of the working subcommittee,Colonel Parker prepared the detailed outline of a book. Then, with the sure handborn of intimate knowledge, he selected literally scores of individuals who, inone way or another, had participated in the medical supply operations of WorldWar II, and assigned them topics connected with their own expertise uponwhich to write or comment. Before his retirement, therefore, Colonel Parker hadnot only assembled a manuscript from the many contributions of former medicalsupply personnel, but had made great progress in reshaping and revising the vastamount of material within it to a usable level.
Colonel Parker's retirement and the unfortunate death ofGeneral Hays left The Historical Unit with an incomplete manuscript, which hadto be put aside because staff replacements were not then available. When itbecame possible to resume activities, Mr. William D. Shaver, formerly of theHistorians Branch, was selected for the assignment. Working under the directionof the undersigned, and using as guidelines valuable suggestions made by theOffice of the Chief of Military History, he reorganized the study, integratedthe various individual contributions, and revised and rewrote as seemedindicated. The work as it progressed was reviewed by General Robinson andColonel Shook, the two surviving members of the working group. Colonel Shook,regrettably, did not live to see the book in print, but read and commented uponthe entire manuscript. In its present form, it carries the final approval ofboth men.
If any one individual could be singled out as author, itwould have to be Mr. Shaver, but the contributions of so many others have beenso important that it would be unfair to give preeminent credit to any one ofthem. The entire list of contributors and reviewers appears underAcknowledgments. Very special thanks are due, however, to Colonel Shook, GeneralHays, and General Robinson, as well as Colonel Parker. Others who labored longand diligently to make the book a success are Mrs. Claire M. Sorrell of theGeneral Reference and Research Branch, Mrs. Martha R. Stephens of the EditorialBranch who did the editing, Mrs. Marjorie G. Shears the index, and on the mapsMiss
Elizabeth P. Mason and Miss Jean A. Saffran, of the Special Projects Branch.Thanks are also due to Dr. Stetson Conn, Chief Historian, Office of the Chief ofMilitary History; and to Col. John Boyd Coates, Jr., MC, former Director of TheHistorical Unit, USAMEDS, who set the whole project in motion.
CHARLES M. WILTSE.
