Veterans Voices' Episode 10

On this episode of Veterans' Voices, we sit down with Tom Whal, a Navy Vietnam War veteran who served as a Hospital Corpsman aboard the USS Sanctuary hospital ship. Tom shares his experiences from enlisting in 1965, following in his father's footsteps who served 30 years in the Navy including during Pearl Harbor. He discusses his abbreviated two-week boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois, and his three-month medical training before being assigned to Chelsea Naval Hospital and later the USS Sanctuary in 1967. Tom provides fascinating insights into life aboard the hospital ship, which operated off the coast of Vietnam from Da Nang to the DMZ. He describes how the ship treated over 2,500 casualties delivered by helicopter during his year aboard, with a remarkable 97% survival rate for those who made it to the ship. The Sanctuary provided care not only to U.S. military personnel but also to South Vietnamese forces, civilians, and even enemy combatants. Through candid and often humorous stories, Tom recalls his interactions with medical staff, including some memorable confrontations with junior officers when advocating for his patients. He served until 1971, receiving an honorable discharge after injuring his back in his civilian job. The episode also includes a veteran's profile of Staff Sergeant Harold Labelle, who served in WWII and was awarded a Bronze Star for heroic actions rescuing men from minefields in 1945. The show concludes with information from Veterans Services about local veteran gatherings and support services, highlighting the importance of camaraderie among veterans in the community.