The War Years and the Willard Years: A Memoir of William H. Kauffman, M. D.

By Nancy Kauffman, Ph.D.

Dr. Bill Kauffman was an Army physician who served on troop ships during WWII, keeping secret journals so that he could share his experiences with his wife. He served mainly in the North Atlantic, was part of the invasion of Sicily, and made one 6-month trip around the world. Doc was an excellent observer, making his journals rich in detail. His words show his character and sense of humor as well as his compassion. The second part of the book illustrates his post-war years. He was one of the last physicians to make house calls in Willard, Ohio, yet he was willing to try new approaches to medicine. He was active in his community, worked to break down racial barriers in the early 1960s, and had a great sense of humor. He helped colleagues in The Netherlands after the war and provided a home for 2 young men from Cuba. He was an avid fisherman, a pilot, and a poker player.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9781387214471

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The War Years and the Willard Years: A Memoir of William H. Kauffman, M. D.

THE WAR YEARS AND THE WILLARD YEARS: A MEMOIR of William H. Kauffman, M.D.

Nancy Kauffman, Ph.D.

Columbia, SC

2003

Editor’s Note

Dr. Kauffman used various styles to refer to the date (and sometimes the time) of entries.  These inconsistencies have been left as they were in the original journals.

This book is dedicated to

Bettie Kerr Kauffman and William Herman Kauffman, M.D., an inspiring couple, to all the medical personnel who have served in the military, and to Anna Hancock Blanchard and Louis Blanchard, who provided love, support, and vision.

This book relies on the words of others: First, Doc Kauffman, whom I have come to know through his family, friends, and patients.  Secondly, through all the people cited in this book who were willing to share their memories.  Thank you.  Each day brings new stories, so it is possible that there will be a second – expanded – version or a supplement.  Many thanks to the following excellent proof-readers: Dr. Sandra Bartlett, Leigh Decker, Leslie Kauffman, Janet Pomann, and Roberta Worcester.  They helped this process significantly.

Copyright © 2003 by Dispute Resolution Services, LLC, Columbia, SC

ISBN 978-1-387-21447-1

Photo Credits from U.S. Signal Corps, courtesy of Library of Congress; U. S. National Archives, and the George C. Marshall Research Library

Jacket design by Elizabeth Madden

7INTRODUCTION[1]

Well the troops are aboard.  The loading took about two hours.  The troop areas are hot and stinking.  I expect a lot of heat exhaustion when we hit the tropics.  One soldier tried to avoi7 sailing and was brought aboard under guard and put in the brig.  I had him transferred to the hospital mental ward for observation.  At least he will be comfortable there.  He is returning to Panama after a furlough which was granted because his mother was sick.  When he got home she had already been buried.  He had been in Panama for nine months and I can't blame him for not wanting to return.

[2]

The compassion shown for this soldier was typical of Dr. Bill Kauffman.  During WWII, he fought (and won) battles for his patients when officers wanted to use hospital space on board troopships because that space was more comfortable than their assigned quarters, he struggled to keep the galleys (kitchens) sanitary so that troops would not get ill, and when he found a contagious disease, he ran regular inspections to catch illnesses early, even when his commanding officer thought the inspections were unnecessary.  In addition, he kept journals in which he observed the world around him both on ship and in foreign ports.  He noted geography, prices of goods, read books, saw films and live entertainment, and commented on the behaviors of his shipmates.  And he had an on-going battle with keeping a watch running, even finding one in Panama that ran backwards.

Dr. Kauffman attended high school, college, and medical school during the depression, so he was used to working hard.  In addition to working in his father’s garage and delivering oil barrels, he studied languages (Latin, Greek, French) as well as science.  His grandmother’s on-going treatments for cancer may have sparked his interest in medicine.  He came from a family of

Susanah Herman

with Gertrude

young age, yet supported her family first hard-working entrepreneurs.  His grandmother[3] was widowed at a as a housekeeper for three orphaned boys and then as a restaurant manager.  Eventually, she bought a house and, in the late 1800's, sent her daughter Theresa to business school to learn bookkeeping. Theresa, Dr. Kauffman’s mother,[4] helped support her family by taking in sewing and by keeping books in her husband’s businesses.

Theresa Herman, 17 years

After completing 3 years of undergraduate work (first at Wayne State and then at the University of Detroit) during which he worked weekends in a garage and as secretary of his pre-med fraternity, Bill was accepted into medical school at Wayne State and worked for a doctor who trained him in medical practices.[5]   He graduated in 1939 during the depression and interned at St. Mary’s Hospital, Detroit and married Bettie, who proved to be an extraordinary partner. 

Bill at graduation

In September, 1942, when he joined the Army, he had a daughter Roberta, and son Charles was born in November.

Bill, Bettie,

Roberta, Charles 

Winter, 1942

           Bill and Bettie, Wedding Reception

Roberta, Charles, Leslie

Spring, 1947

Dr. Kauffman was allowed into the U.S. Army in 1942 in spite of being overweight on a limited duty classification which was supposed to keep him out of the war zone.  Just before the invasion of Sicily, he says, It is possible that we may be part of the invading fleet or we may go in as part of the second wave.  They can’t send me into a combat area because I am classified for limited service, ha ha,[6] but as a physician, he was frustrated that wounded soldiers were left on the beach when he had room in his hospital.

In Part I of this book, World War II is seen through Dr. Kauffman’s eyes. He reacts to situations and observes the world around him, often noting the cost of items.  He notes the books he’s reading and the movies he’s seeing.  His journals have been supplemented with some brief historical notes to provide context to the journals.  These include information about battles, political decisions, and quotes from the shipboard newsletter.  (The Appendix offers more detailed information on various elements that are in the background of the journals: The Army Transport System, the War Shipping Administration, the U.S. Army Medical Department, Limited Duty Classification, Mariners, and

Convoys/U-boats.)Bill in uniform

Most of his 18 tours were in the North Atlantic, some during the height of attacks by German U-boats.  However, the most damage was caused by the guns fired on his own troopship or by Atlantic storms.  One night, the waves crashed through the porthole to his room, washing away precious letters and pictures from home. 

One six-month tour took him literally around the world through the anama Canal and then to the South Pacific, India, and Brazil.  In this story, his rough exterior shows (and perhaps some common sense) as well as his concern for the patient:  Last night one of the men laid his scalp wide open by falling down a stairway.  The medical OP and one of the other men were called to take care of it.  I wandered in after they had been fooling around with it for a while and told one of my men to call me when they were finished as I wanted to examine the man and write orders for his care in the hospital.  After waiting a half hour I went back and no progress had been made.  These two medicos were still fussing around and discussing the best way of treating the thing.  So I took over and sewed the man up in about five minutes.  The other two resented my interference a little, but it was such a simple thing and they had already wasted nearly an hour so I didn't mind their resentment.

[7]

This concern for his patients was a characteristic of his practice after his military service.  He especially related to small children.  Picture if you can this portly doctor with huge hands, talking sympathetically to this 2 year old sprite of a child who was very communicative ... And knew she was going to get a shot.  He held her attention with talk and a treat all the while preparing the syringe out of sight.  He’d catch the skinny little arm in his huge hand, hit her with that needle, and it was all over before she could let out a peep.  That went on [every 3 weeks] for almost 2 years, and she never saw the needle.  Fastest needle in the West!

[8]

Part II of the book tells about Dr. Kauffman through the eyes of his patients, colleagues, and friends in Willard, Ohio.  There, he was one of the last doctors to make house calls, but he was not old-fashioned in his approach to medicine.  He believed that nurses could learn to give anesthesia, and he was willing to try new approaches to traditional medicine, such as acupuncture.  He was an avid fisherman, a pilot, and a poker player. His sense of humor, compassion, dedication to patients, and his life beyond his profession are described by those who knew him well.  This book is a celebration of Dr. Kauffman’s life.

---

[1] Information on Dr. Kauffman’s early life is based on interviews with his sister and brother-in-law, Virginia and Leigh Decker.

[2] Journal I, page 5, 10/21/42

[3] See photo of Susanah Herman

[4] See photo of Theresa Herman at 17 years

[5] See photo of Bill in graduation robe

[6] Journal V, page 93, 7/4/43

[7] Journal IX, page 190, 4/9/44

[8] Jim and Barb Grit

THE WAR YEARS

Your travel life has the essence of a dream.  It is something outside the normal, yet you are in it.  It is people with characters you have never seen before and in all probability will never see again.  It brings occasional homesickness and loneliness and pangs of longing, but you are like the Vikings or the master mariners of the Elizabethan age, who have gone into a world of adventure and home is not home until you return.

Agatha Christie

1890-1976

JOURNAL I:

October 12, 1942 to November 23, 1942

Panama Canal Zone

Introduction

On land, Eisenhower arrived in London in June, 1942, and by November he had decided to take three major ports in North 7777Africa: Casablanca on the Atlantic, an entry to French Morocco; Oran and Algeria, both inside the Mediterranean and past the Rock of Gibraltar.  Rommel had reached El Alamein, Egypt, in June, and the Germans began their drive toward Stalingrad in July. 

And a young medical doctor, just completing his internship, joined the army [see Appendix for information on Army Transport Service, War Shipping Administration, the U.S. Army Medical Department, and Mariners].  He was assigned to troop ships  which crossed the Atlantic 16 times, and he traveled through the Panama Canal and to the South Pacific in 1944.  He kept journals each trip, which were kept locked in a safe, to share his feelings and observations with his wife.  He was a particularly alert observer with a good sense of humor and a midwestern no-nonsense approach to life.

During his first cruise (which took him from Galveston to New Orleans; Guantanmo Bay, Cuba; Kingston, Jamaica; Christobal, Panama Canal Zone; and New York), the US invasion of North Africa had begun, and the Germans and Italians invaded France.  More important to Dr. Kauffman was the impending birth of his son.

10-12-42

Dear Bettie   This is for your eyes alone till after the war.  I might say something that could be of use to the wrong people.

We pulled out today, left the wharf about 9 a.m. and in about two hours were out of sight of land.  At 11 am we had an alarm, just practice to acquaint everyone with his station.  We circled around with some patrol boats near us waiting for other ships to make up a convoy.  The sea is smooth, and a good thing too.  My stomach feels a little queer.  My hospital is in pretty fair shape, though not quite ready to handle customers yet.  We have no troops aboard or passengers of any kind.  Just the ship's company, the gun crew and my men.  I think we are going to New Orleans to pick up troops.

On the way out of the harbor this AM we passed a fleet of tankers lying at anchor apparently waiting a convoy.  We also saw a submarine in the harbour.  It was an American sub and  was cavorting around quite briskly.

I made a tour of the ship today on sanitary inspection.  I was amazed at the space set aside for food storage.  The refrigerators alone occupy enough space to put our house in.

My stomach continued to feel queer so I took a sedative and lay down for half hour. Felt much better and then went to lunch.

It is a curious thing that the ship's engines use oil for fuel while the galley stoves are run on coal.

It is now 1 PM and we are not moving.  The convoy is forming with ships approaching from several directions.  There are patrol boats and courvettes moving around constantly.

2 pm  As you can see I don't have a lot to do today.  We are moving along in convoy now: We have passed hundreds of jelly fish in the past half hour.  They look like white balls about the size of a toy balloon.  They vary somewhat in size and are transparent.  Some contain small fish, in the process of digestion.  The sea is still calm and my stomach is resting quietly.  A naval patrol plane has been cruising about near us for some time.

While I am thinking of it I will mention that there are plenty of cockroaches aboard, also many crickets.  I can understand roaches but I don't know why there should be crickets on a ship.  This ship was supposed to have been fumigated while in dry dock.  Either it wasn't a good job or the workmen carried on a new crew of bugs.

4 PM  This is a big convoy, about 30 ships.  There are two naval planes constantly circling us and several naval patrol boats.  Our ship has more guns than any of the others (about 15).  This morning soon after we left Galvestone  I was startled to hear some gun fire in the distance but was informed that it was the guns at Fort Crockette practicing.  We are still seeing a lot of jelly- fish.

We are under blackout regulations tonight and hereafter.  All windows and ports must be closed. I have a fan in my room and an arrangement on the door that will permit the door to be partly open, but still not allow anyone to come in.

I don't suppose that I mentioned that Galvestone is under dimout regulations.  Street lights are very dim, no advertising signs are  permitted, buildings near the shore must have all windows and doors screened against light, cars driving near the beach must use only parking lights.

I am beginning to get use to the Galvestone water but I will welcome some fresh sweet water when we reach New Orleans.  The chef makes remarkably good coffee with this water.  I don't know how he does it.

7:30 PM  It is dusk.  All doors and ports are closed tight, Blackout curtains are in place.  A guard patrols each side of each deck to make sure that no light shows.  The other ships are all dark too.  There is one woman on the ship, a stewardess.  She is about forty and is deaf.  She wears a hearing aid but still difficult to converse with. 

It isn't bad with the windows closed because there is a ventilator in my ceiling which is pouring in fresh air.

10-13-42

I didn't sleep too well.  It took quite a while for me to get accustomed to the sound of the engines. I expect that I was a little nervous too.  I got up at 7 AM and watched the sunrise.  It was really something.  The sun was a big cherry red ball and the entire horizon was pink.  It looks like it will be a beautiful day.  The water is calm.

11 am  The hospital is just about complete now.  We had sanitary inspection today again.  We will have inspection every day at 10 AM.  Orders were issued today that effective today everyone on ship will carry his life preserver at all times.  There is a P.X. on board where I can buy cigarettes for $.60 carton.  Too bad they don't carry your brand.

I sure miss you and Bobby and keep wondering whether Junior is making life miserable yet or if he has arrived.  I don't suppose he is here yet.

8 PM  It is dark now and everything is peaceful.  We had a little excitement about an hour ago when one of the subchasers dropped a couple of depth bombs.  The chaser was about two miles from our ship but we could see the water boil up higher than the ship and then we could feel the impact on our own ship.

I have had a dull day, no patients and not much to do except watch my men work and watch the sea and the convoy.  The sunset was pretty nice and for an hour afterward the sky was all pink.  With all this time on my hands I am doing some much needed reading in my medical books.  I shall send some of my books home as there is a small selection of good medical books in the hospital office.

10-14-42

Another warm clear day.  I was on deck this AM in time to see the convoy split.  Our ship and several others headed for the Mississippi while the rest of the convoy continued east.  It is now 8 AM and we are in the mouth of the Mississippi.  Theoretically we are out of any danger now.  There is a school of porpoise accompanying us and it is really a pleasure to watch their graceful motions.  The shores are lined with many fish-gulls and there are many more flying about.

9:45 AM  We are traveling a lot faster now than when we were in convoy.  At present we are passing a fleet of new freighters lying at anchor.  We don't have to carry our life preservers now that we are in the river.  I had two patients this morning - neither one was sick.

1 PM  This ride up the river is a nice trip.  We expect to hit NOPE at about 3 PM.

I was talking to a syphilitic patient today in the dispensary.  He picked up the disease in Africa and brought it home to his wife.  She was angry because he hadn't taken care of himself, not because he had been with other women.  She did not expect him to stay away from other women when he was on a two or three month trip.  It is hard to understand such an attitude.  I couldn't sleep with another woman.  I seem to feel you by my side all the time.  Anyone else would be a poor substitute. 

10-21-42

Dear Bettie,

We will soon be traveling. Yesterday we took a little ride up the river and had the coils that protect us from magnetic mines checked, to be sure that they were in working order.  Today has been spent in last minute preparation and details.  The brass hats were aboard and inspected the ship.  Some of the officer passengers came aboard, and now we are waiting to load troops.

My medical detachment took some of my supplies ashore the other day to have them sterilized.  We nearly got away without them which would have been embarrassing.

I received two letters from you and one from Mom today as well as a journal.  I keep thinking of you and hoping to get that telegram before the ship leaves.  I forgot to mention that I received a letter from Betty Henrich today and a picture of Bobby.

I am glad that I called you last night.  I had a hunch that I wouldn't have another opportunity.

I have no nurse aboard for this trip which is going to make things tough if I get a lot of hospital cases.

10:30 pm  Well the troops are aboard.  The loading took about two hours.  The troop areas are hot and stinking.  I expect a lot of heat exhaustion when we hit the tropics.  One soldier tried to avoid sailing and was brought aboard under guard and put in the brig.  I had him transferred to the hospital mental ward for observation.  At least he will be comfortable there.  He is returning to Panama after a furlough which was granted because his mother was sick.  When he got home she had already been buried.  He had been in Panama for nine months and I can't blame him for not wanting to return.

10-23-42

11:30 AM  We entered the gulf this morning at breakfast time.  The sky is overcast and the water choppy.  Breakfast was somewhat delayed.  There is only one galley to feed troops and crew and first class passengers.  The troops had to march thru the galley to get their food[9] and the other passengers could not be fed till later.  It took two and one half hours to feed the troops this morning, an hour longer than estimated. I was kept busy in the dispensary till about 10:15 AM with sick call.  Then we had a fire and boat drill which lasted till 11 AM. I had planned to make a sanitary inspection at 10 AM but will have to postpone that till after lunch.  The C.O. of troops was going along but I haven't been able to find him at all.

6 PM  I have been occupied all day and have had only a few minutes on deck.  There are two patients in the hospital with colds and sore throats. I put them in the hospital to prevent spread of the infection.  The ship is rolling just a little and creaking some.  The sky is still cloudy.  I met a soldier on board who was a patient in my ward at NOPE Sta. Hosp. when I was there.

10-24-42

4 PM  I was kept busy with minor ailments till about 10:30 pm last night. 

Today I was busy from 8 AM till 3 PM.  I now have six patients in the hospital.  The weather has been clear and the sea calm but even so I have been troubled by a considerable number of seasick soldiers.

I am supposed to complete the immunization of the soldiers aboard but the port surgeon must have forgotten to supply me with a medical clearance which supplies the information as to what soldiers need immunization.  I guess I will have to dig thru all the service records and find out for myself.

I keep wondering about you and junior and wish I knew the results of the coming out party, if it has occurred.

10-25

11 AM  Spent the evening reading a 1938 April edition of Readers Digest and seeing various sick soldiers.

Admitted two new patients to hospital today and discharged two.  There is some diarrhea aboard. I hope it doesn't spread.

Very few seasick patients today.The weather is fine and the sea calm.  I saw two porpoise today, the first I have seen on this trip.  No sharks or flying fish yet.

It is a good thing that the only woman aboard is hard of hearing.  The topics of conversation and the language used by many of the men are disgusting.

10-25

11:50 PM  Spent the evening with several other officers going thru the service records of 1300 men to find out what immunizations were needed.  I'll skin that port surgeon for not giving me a medical clearance on this trip.  Will probably start shooting the vaccines to the men tomorrow.

I saw a shark and some flying fish this afternoon.  The shark was about six feet long. 

I wish I knew about Junior and you.   The ship's radiomen publish a news bulletin daily from newscasts that they pick up during the day.

10-26-42

Started immunization today with ship's crew.  We have been joined by several other ships.  I was told by one of the ship's officers that we are off the tip of Florida.  This is certainly a slow convoy.

I am having a little trouble with diarrhea patients and have two cases admitted to the hospital.  Last night I had to get up twice to see crew members who had decided they were sick.

The weather has been beautiful and the sunrise this morning was worth getting up to see.  There certainly is a lot of water around these parts.

I wish this convoy were faster. I am eager to get back to the States so that I can get some news from home.Today I was furnished with a life suit. It is a rubber suit with gloves and boots incorporated in one piece. There is a rubber hood attached to cover the head.  It has a built-in life preserver and has a flashlight, whistle and a wicked looking knife attached.  It would take about five minutes to put it on and all that is exposed is the face.

10-27-42

11 AM - 13 patients in hospital, 46 on sick call this morning.  Diarrhea cases appear to be improved.

I watched the moon rise last night and the sunrise this morning.  Not much else to do after work is cleared up.  I think that we are somewhere east of Cuba.  The convoy is crawling along without any trouble yet.  We are seeing more flying fish each day.  So far the fish have not been more than four or five inches long.  Some of them will skim over the water for as much as fifty yards.  A great pelican flew over the ship last night for more than an hour.  Water is being conserved and we are not allowed to use fresh water for baths.  Salt water seems to leave one sticky.

I spent a couple of hours on deck this evening.   It gets dark rapidly after the sun sets.  Heat lightening was playing all along the horizon on the port side.  Just after dark we passed a dark shape in the water which floated within thirty feet of the ship.  From its size and shape it could have been a whale or a small ship overturned.  We didn't play any lights on this object but the ship ahead did and evidently decided it was harmless.

We passed a lighthouse on our port side this evening.  Earlier today we saw the tops of some mountains in the distance to starboard.  These mountains were probably in Cuba.

I made a mess of pulling a tooth tonight.  Broke the crown off, which will give some dentist a good job.

10-28-42

All day we could see mountains of Cuba on our starboard side.  I didn't see them except at noon.   I worked pretty steadily today from 8 AM to 4 PM, holding sick call, caring for patients in the hospital and immunizing soldiers.  I saw 44 soldiers on sick call today and admitted three to the hospital.  I suppose that I inoculated about 150 soldiers today.

I suppose you and Junior have had or about to have your party now.  I am certainly anxious to learn the outcome.

We are putting into a marine station in Cuba tomorrow to pick up fresh water and will probably join another convoy.  I hope this other convoy is faster than the present one.

About ten percent of the soldiers on board have been in the army more than three months.  The rest of the men have been from two to three weeks.  It is hard to understand why such green men should be shipped to Panama.

There are three Chaplains aboard who are acting as recreation officers.  They organize song fests and amateur shows in the evening and distribute books and games during the day.  There is very little free space suitable for entertainment as all but one small lobby on C deck is crowded with bunks for sleeping.

10-29-42

This morning when I woke we were traveling within a mile of land.  The coast was barren and rugged with fairly high hills just back of a narrow beach.  All morning we traveled this coast with no signs of any inhabitants and just afternoon entered a harbour surrounded by hills.  There are a couple of dozen ships at anchor in this place which is a naval base.  Shortly before entering the harbour one of the planes dropped a smoke pot near us and the subchasers dropped several ashcans in the sea. The naval gunnery officer told us at lunch that there had been reports of a sub in the neighborhood for several days.

This is a nice looking place where we are anchored. Well protected from wind and sea.  I wouldn't care to stay here very long as there is no town near.

I had a patient pull a fake faint in the lobby of the C deck last night at 1:30 AM and then after being admitted to the hospital pretended he wanted to commit suicide by fastening his belt around his neck.  Any more tricks from that bird and I'll put him in a cage.

10-30-42

We are still in this harbour.  It is called Guantanamo Bay.  It is at the southeastern end of Cuba.  We have been anchored all day and no one has had shore leave.  I did get permission to visit the other troop ship in the harbour to use the microscope which was aboard.  I have none and am up against it when it comes to any laboratory work.  I had a suspected malaria case in the hospital and had to go a half mile down the bay to use a mike and prove my diagnosis.  It rained hard last night and today.  While I was traveling from one ship to the other I was caught in a downpour.  As it was an open boat I was thoroughly wet by the time I got back to the ship.

I learned today that it is going to cost $1.50 per day to eat on the ship.  This is 50% higher than the mess hall at the station hospital though the ship and the hospital buys supplies from the same source.

10-31-42

Well today is the day according to our figuring when you should be having Junior.  I hope he is here by now and everything is all right.

We left the harbour this afternoon at about two o'clock.  We are in a new convoy but it doesn't seem to be any faster than the last.  There is a nice breeze and the ship is rolling a little.  My hospital and dispensary are still busy and we are still inoculating the soldiers. 

I gave the officers a lecture today on methods of control and prevention of diarrhea.  Immediately afterward I had to run for the Jonny.  I would certainly be in for some razzing if they knew.

We are told that this is the dangerous part of our trip but no one appears to be worried.  We are blacked out and all are careful to observe rules of safety laid down by the ship's master who was torpedoed about two months ago.  He is a competent and careful man.  Our convoy is well protected by subchasers.

I released five patients from