US Army 120th Evacuation Hospital

The 120th Evacuation Hospital, Camp Shelby, Mississippi, December 2, 1944

click here to view the photo as close-up panels.

The United States Army 120th Evacuation Hospital was activated March 25, 1944, as a field hospital unit, a group created to provide surgical and medical services in or near battle fronts.

The photo above was taken just five days before we boarded a train to New York that took us to the Queen Elizabeth II that then sailed to England. By 0900 hours on December 7, 1944, we were on our way.

Our unit was attached to General George Patton's Third Army. We became one of the first American medical units to encounter concentration camp survivors.

For a more extensive archive of 120th documents and photos, go to www.buchenwaldandbeyond.com.