𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 | band of brothers [on hold]

the crisis.

       BEFORE 1942.

Nations all over Europe have been fighting the fascist regime of the Nazi Party, fueled by the political leader, Adolf Hitler, starting the day the German Army invaded the state of Poland.

The leading Western world power, the United States of America, opted to remain as a neutral nation, continuing to supply the conflicting countries in any way possible to stabilize their economy.

That didn't stop the war from reaching them.

December 7th, 1941, planes from the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service bombed the naval base at Pearl Harbor, destroying warships, aircrafts, and took the lives of over 2,400 servicemen.

Thrusted into the globalized battle, men were ready to arm up, enlisting themselves at nearby posts in towns big and small. Cities to rural parts across the country joined together, to fight and to protect their loved ones. These men, however, were brashly pushed through training, leading to hundreds of disorganized and imprecise assaults.

In an act to aid the wounded, the U.S Nurse Corps was the first and only unit to be deployed to hospitals overseas, assisting dozens upon dozens of soldiers. This decision was heavily criticized, both by ranking officers and nurses themselves. Not only did they endure foreign lands, they faced inadequate resources, maximum capacity, and the constant run-ins with enemy gunfire, which ultimately rose to a catastrophic disaster.

The number of casualties continued to climb day by day, and yet, the number of medical personnel to combat the fallen, was dropping substantially.

Working quickly and cautiously to solve the growing medic crisis, the government was able to formulate a strategy, seeking those in established medical fields from a wide range of departments.

Operation Apothecary, they called it.

These individuals were approached from various organizations such as the American Red Cross, the American Dental Association, and the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Both men and women were to be selected and transferred into the military's Medical Corps, the unit where they would expand their medical knowledge before aiding in human services.

Out of 20,000 recipients who were academically qualified, more than 70 percent declined the propositions, and only 14,000 accepted.

Across the board, these people worked in different lines they studied hard for and were passionate about. Nurses, dentists, and veterinarians alike, would come together to use their skills and expertise for the greater good, however, they wouldn't be stuck in some makeshift field hospital with the possibility of enemy forces firing all around them, no. They were to be apart of something much closer to the front lines.

They were to be combatant medics.

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this section was inspired by wexhappyxfew's introduction to the soldier of stars and not intended to be a copy their work. i want to give homage to other units that did their service in ww2. inspired by benjamin l. salomon's story, a dentist who acted as a front-line surgeon, he volunteered to replace the aid station's wounded surgeon with the 27th infantry division in the south pacific's marianas islands on july 7, 1944, where his battalion was attacked by japanese soldiers. single-handedly manning a machine gun, it was said that 98 dead enemy soldiers were piled in front of his position. salomon saved the lives of many soldiers, and ultimately sacrificed his own. he was a hero and deserves to be commemorated.