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OF LIGHT AND HELP
A Summary of the Address to the 1st (Aust) Field Hospital Association
By Major General John Pearn
on the occasion of the Vampire Millennium Reunion 10 June 2000 “Here, at whatever hour you come,You will find light and help and human kindness”
Albert Schweitzer (1875 – 1965) A sign outside his jungle hospital at Lambourne, Africa.
The millenium year brings a perspective of the First Field Hospital and
its outreach service. The First Australian Field Hospital (1AFH) was
formerly opened at Vung Tau on 1 April 1968. Its formation consisted of
a complement of 18 officers and 107 other ranks. 1 AFH closed at Vung
Tau on 30 November 1971. Its three and a half years of duty in the Vietnam Campaign was to establish the clinical excellence and service reflected in its national support role and its international clinical outreach over the ensuing three decades. This account gives a brief prospective of its contributions internally to Australia’s preparedness for national defence; and for its service in the nation to countries stricken by man-made and natural disasters.The First Australian Field Hospital developed from an upgrade service, splendidly provided by its two predecessors, 2 Field Ambulance and 8 Field Ambulance, in Vietnam. During its three and a half years of initial operational service, 1AFH established itself as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for military medicine. The total battle casualties from the entire Vietnam Campaign (July 1965 to June 1972) who were admitted alive to the medical units were 1,952. The total number of injured comprised 4602. Malaria, non-malarial fevers, gastro-intestinal disease and venereal disease contributed another 12,039 admissions. Of this total, 1 Australian Field Hospital itself admitted and cared for 1,371 living battle casualties – alive when the reached LZ VAMPIRE; and 784 cases of malaria were admitted also to the hospital beds. The hospital provided for specialist facilities and a two-bed intensive care ward was established in early 1970.An important component of the hospitals work was its volunteer Medical Civic Aid Programs (MEDCAPS). This work has not been fully documented. Staff from the hospital, mostly on their ‘days off’, would go with an accompanying section guard and provide outreach clinics to places such as the orphanage at Baria, various village clinics such as that at Leloi and refugee camps on islands in the Mekong Delta. After its return to Australia, the hospital has continued with its local support and its international outreach. Its ‘field honours’ included service in Somalia, Rwanda, Bougainville, based a Vanimo following the Sepik Tsunami (17 July 1998) and its foundation service as the core military hospital in InterFET Service in East Timor.1AFH formed the base and core of the international hospital, during the crisis which followed the referendum for independence in East Timor. The hospital deployed its field elements, initially as a Forward Surgical team (Light) from 6 September 1999, rapidly upgrading its facilities to those of a full level 3 hospital. With the compliment of 21 health personnel from the Singaporean Armed Forces, the hospital in Dili became the FST (Heavy). In the traditions of its previous international field service, it provided splendid service over the ensuing six months (6 September to 19 February 2000).Over this latter period, the hospital staff cared for 1,210 admissions. Of these 506 were major surgical cases. Unlike the initial Vietnam deployment, a significant componenet of patients cared for in the FST (Heavy) in Dili were civilians; and in all, the hospital cared for 597 inpatients during its six month deployment. During this period there were two deaths; and two battle casualties following a severe gunshot wounds. In this period of servicee, in Dili, the hospital treated 136 cases of malaria and 206 elisa-diagnosed cases od dengue fever.The Vietnam traditions of the Vampire System established the basis for excellence for aeromedical casevac which became the benchmark standard in the decades to come. From 1968, in the Vietnam Campaign, averaged time from wounding to arrival at LZ Vampire was between 20 and 40 minutes. In the East Timor campaign of 1999 – 2000, aeromedical evacuation, both tactical and strategic, also formed a crucial part of the medical system. In all, during the six month deployment of 1AFH in its InterFET service, there were 246 Froward AME casevacs, 237 practical AMEs within country and 282 aeromedical evacuations out of country, for crossing the one hour bridge of the Timor Sea from the Area of Operations back to further specialist care in Darwin or beyond.The name “VAMPIRE” was decided upon by an ad hoc meeting of officers and senior warrant officers called by Lieutenant Colonel Bill Rogers, following the establishment of the pad at Vung Tau in May 1966. The traditions of 1AFH are firmly founded; and form a basis for the excellence and vigour, which is living and serving hospital today.Acknowledgements: I thank Major Chris McCormack, RAAMC, Acting SHO of Headquarters 1st Division and Deployable Joint Force Headquarters; and Mr. Bob Bell, President of 1AFH Association, for much encouragement. |
Reunions 
