MASH ORIGINS: COL. POTTER
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to MASH.
A/N: My take on Colonel Potter's wartime experiences as a doctor in World War II and how they shaped how he would run the MASH 4077th in the Korean War. A prequel of sorts to my crossover story "Dr. Quinn, Army Doctor".
Sunday December 7th 1941
Major Sherman T. Potter U.S. Army Medical Corps was sitting in his parlor at his home in base housing at Fort Benning when he found out about Pearl Harbor. His wife Mildred was cooking supper with the help of their daughter, Evy. The radio was on playing music when the announcer came on.
Ladies and Gentleman we apologize for this interruption of our normal programming. We have just received news that the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor Hawaii is under attack by Japanese aircraft. The attack began around eight o'clock Hawaiian time. There are no further details at this time.
Mildred Potter was now standing in the doorway of the parlor. "Pearl Harbor Sherman! That's Schofield Barracks. Martin Jacobson and wife Betty are there!" Major Martin Jacobson had been neighbors with the Potters till last year. The hospital at Schofield Barracks had been a dream assignment for the Jacobsons.
"Now Mildred, the man just mentioned the naval base. We'll just wait and see what else has happened in Hawaii." Sherman Potter told his wife.
"Dadddy are you going to the war now?" 16 year old Evelyn "Evy" Potter asked. She was a junior in High School.
"Evy your Father's a Soldier now. He goes where the Army tells him to." Mildred said. "Speaking of which I'll start getting your things together Sherman just in case." Mildred Potter was a practical woman. If her husband went to war she wanted him prepared.
November 1942
Casablanca, French Morocco
Sherman Potter was now in his second war. He was now chief surgeon for the 224th Field Hospital. The Army had pulled medical personnel from all over to create the 224th for Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. Major Potter was the only doctor to have been to war. The other surgeons were new to the Army having enlisted in the days following Pearl Harbor. That was why he was chief surgeon.
The 224th Field Hospital was born in the spring of 1942 as America geared up to go overseas and fight the Japanese and the Germans. Major Potter was busy taking care of the large influx of recruits flooding Fort Benning when he got his orders.
Mildred wasn't happy of course. But she took charge of the Potter household and told Sherman she was going home to Missouri after Evy finished High School next year.
"Your daughter will finish school here and start college in Hannibal this fall". She told her husband.
"Yes Mother" was all Sherman Potter said. Mildred had made up her mind.
The Philippines had fallen that spring and many of the Potter's old Army friends were now prisoners of war. Major Jacobson had survived the bombing of Pearl Harbor but was now in New Guinea where the Army was trying to stop the Japanese there.
Morocco wasn't too bad. The 224th came ashore and set up operations outside of Casablanca. No one had seen a German yet. They were out west in Tunisia running away from the British 8th Army. Rumor had it the fighting would be over by Christmas. The Doctors at the 224th passed the time buying souvenirs from the Arabs and drinking wine brought from French colonials. Sherman Potter brought Mildred and Evy some wooden camels for Christmas.
Tunisia, North Africa
March 1943
"Air Raid!" a medic shouted into the post-Op ward. Seconds later an air raid siren starting wailing. "Hell's bells" Major Potter swore to himself. These Air raids were starting become a daily occurrence.
The 224th had left Morocco at the beginning of 1943 and made its way to Tunisia. The weather had turned for the worse. It was cold and raining. Mud was everywhere. Who ever thought it got cold in the desert? In February the U.S. Army finally ran into the Germans or rather the Germans ran into them here in the mountains of Tunisia. The famous German General Rommel, "The Desert Fox" had attacked the Americans at a place called Kasserine Pass. It was the American's first real fight and they got kicked back 50 miles. The 224th Field Hospital learned how to pack up and leave in a hurry. During the retreat German aircraft bombed them. No one knew where their own Air Force was.
"Get the wounded under cover now" Major Potter shouted. Nurses and medics helped the wounded out of their cots and put them on the ground under mattresses. Minutes later there came the roar of airplane engines and the chatter of machine guns. Minutes later the ground shook as bombs exploded nearby.
Potter hit the dirt as the first bomb exploded. One of the nurses started screaming. It was Lieutenant Goldman, a short skinny girl from New Jersey, scared of her own shadow.
"Are you hurt Lieutenant" He yelled to the woman over her screaming. She didn't reply and kept on screaming.
Potter got up a dashed over to the woman, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her."Calm down Woman, you have to stay calm for your patients. The Germans ain't bombing us; they're bombing the supply dump down the road."
Lt. Goldman had stopped screaming and stared at Major Potter with a blank look on her face. Another bomb went off. She started to scream but Potter cupped his hand over her mouth and said softly to her. "Now Goldman stop screaming like a banshee. I know you're scared girl but get a handle on yourself. If you got to scream then bite down on this and don't let them see you". He gestured to the wounded. Potter then pulled out a handkerchief and gave it to Goldman.
Another bomb went off in the distant. Lt. Goldman stuffed the handkerchief in her mouth and bit down with her eyes closed tight. She then opened her eyes and looked around. Major Potter was looking at her with a grin. "Works better than screaming now don't it".
"Yes sir" she mumbled. "Thank you sir" she mumbled again. Another bomb went off. Once again Goldman bit the handkerchief. After that she never screamed in an air raid again.