USS BRYANT (DD-665) History of the USS Bryant (DD-665) 1943 - 1945 by Dr. Jackson Lee Allgood, Jr., MD Edited by Larry Mitchell Colonel USMC (Ret.) Published by the USS Bryant Association 1 USS BRYANT (DD-665) 2 USS BRYANT (DD-665) History of the USS Bryant (DD - 665) Introduction announcer — “Washington, D.C.: The Up to this time (August 18, 1944), I President has announced that Japanese planes have not kept a diary, although it was have attacked the American Fleet at Pearl suggested to me by Elizabeth and others in the Harbor.” The excitement, and the results of family. It is against Naval Regulations to keep that dastardly event, are history and common diaries, and there are several reasons for this knowledge. fact. The primary one is, I believe, that such My future, as a soon-to-be M.D., was would be of value to the enemy should it fall fairly definitely cut out for me from that into its hands. If one should have to abandon moment. It gradually developed for all ship, the average person would take his diary medical students that our immediate future with his other personal effects if the would be either the Army or the Navy. opportunity arose. That is about the only way I still had about two months to decide such a document could become available to where I would intern. Clyde, Cliff, Dunc, and the enemy. I spent hours discussing all possibilities. Three I do not consider this a diary. It is of us decided to apply for Navy internships. rather a recording of many things that have Clyde did not feel that he could do so because happened to me since I joined the Navy. In of his poor vision. We agreed that many top- addition to telling about these things, I expect flight civilian doctors were in Naval Reserve, to include my ideas on a few subjects. I do not and that we could get excellent training in any think anything I write, or could write, would one of many new Naval Hospitals, perhaps be of much value to the enemy. Compared better personal training than could be had in with the hundreds of documents aboard this civilian hospitals during the strain and ship, and the many mechanical devices, this overload of war. The three of us went to writing is as unimportant as the average letter. Charleston, S.C., for three days, and each of Nor would I ever take this “over the side” us succeeded in passing the rather thorough with me. It is not that valuable to me. It could physical and professional examinations which well be written five years from now. My the Navy required. reasons for writing at this time are two: (1) Shortly following graduation our many day-to-day happenings are fresh in my orders arrived. Duncan was to report to mind, and (2) I have quite a lot of spare time Brooklyn Naval Hospital, and Cliff and I to at the present for doing just this. the U.S. Naval Hospital, Jacksonville, Florida. Augusta, Georgia (After his internship, Duncan went to the On Sunday afternoon, December 7, Marine Corps and was stationed on a Pacific 1941, I was lounging in the home of the Island most of the time.) Arnolds on Wrightsboro Road, August, where Jacksonville I was living during my last year in medical Cliff and I reported together to the school. My roommates were Clyde Collins, hospital in Jacksonville on July 13, 1942. We son of a North Georgia Methodist minister were in civilian clothes and had each been whom my father knows well, Clifford C. sworn in as Lieutenant (JG)’s two days before. Chappell, Jr., of Cordele, and Duncan B. The day we arrived we bought uniforms, McRae of McRae, Georgia. Dunc was reading donned them, and put away our civvies for the and listening to a musical program. There was a station break, and the excited voice of an (Continued on page 4) 3 USS BRYANT (DD-665) (Continued from page 3) everything.” This proved to be more or less duration. true in a minor sort of way. The commanding officer of the There were about 30 medical officers hospital was Captain L.L. Pratt, a fine looking on the staff. The interns examined and wrote man of sixty and a thorough gentleman, a up all new patients which averaged about five good doctor, too, I was told. Because his job or ten daily per man. This was a never ending was administrative, I never observed his drudgery, the paperwork of the Navy, and one medical abilities in practice. never catches up. Each of us had from sixty to There were six of us interns — Judge a hundred patients at a time. The ward Fuller, Tennessee; M.J. Rogers, Texas; medical officer, in most cases a lieutenant Barney Blumberg, Louisiana; and Fred commander, was the boss, but he usually let Burdette of S.C., were the other four. Fuller the interns do most of the treatment. has since been killed when his ship rammed The doctors over us were reserves another ship at night in the Atlantic. As it from Miami, Jacksonville, Atlanta, and other turned out, we were a congenial group, and in cities. Many of them were excellent short order we assumed our place of specialists. Each of us spent a number of questionable importance on the staff. months on surgery, medicine, eye, ear, nose, The first six months we lived in the and throat, and the other services, so that each BOQ (Bachelor Officers Quarters) which was was under the older men at one time or within walking distance of the hospital, another. They were wonderful fellows, and we nurses’ home, and the officers’ club. Since the became good friends of most of them. They base was about ten miles from town, it were very helpful in teaching, and they let us followed that most of our time would be spent do a lot ourselves. Each of us did eight or ten at one of those places. appendectomies and numerous minor Burdette and Blumberg married within operations. On medicine we followed all a few months of our meeting, each marrying a treatments carefully and were allowed to order girl from “back home.” Fuller had been x-rays and laboratory work as we wished. This married several years and had a little girl. was good training. Cliff fell in love with a Navy nurse, Mary The older men spent quite a lot of time Woituck, of Illinois, and they were married in writing medical surveys, which are medico- November. It was natural, then, that Roge and legal documents by which men are discharged I should spend much time together, and we from the service for disability. They were ultimately rented an apartment in town and rather clever in getting us to learn how to lived together there our last five months. write these surveys “because we need to know Our work was fairly hard, interesting, in the future” — and soon we were writing and the hours were good. We were on duty them, too. from eight to five daily and until noon on My most interesting, probably because Sunday. About one night in four or five we it was the busiest, time in Jax was the two and were on duty at the hospital as medical officer a half months I lived at St. Vincents Hospital of the day. doing obstetrics and gynecology. At one time We did all the dirty work. As I didn’t leave the hospital for nearly three Blumberg once said, “A JG in the medical weeks, but most of the time Roge was corps is one below whom the buck cannot be working with me, and we alternated nights passed.” We had heard early that the formula off. for success in the Navy was “shoot the bull, My good friend Commander Richards pass the buck, and make three copies of (Continued on page 5) 4 USS BRYANT (DD-665) (Continued from page 4) addition, I was medical officer of the Seven of Jax was our boss. He made ward rounds Seas, a converted schooner which was with me each morning to check what I was anchored several miles out and was used as a doing and to see the patients. Frequently he signal ship. This sounds like a big job, but operated in the mornings, and Roge or I or there were times when I had very little to do. both assisted him. While there, Roge and I The convoys came through irregularly. each delivered over 50 babies, treated Sometimes there were only two or three ships hundreds of women and children for in, at others there were 30 or 40. These ships everything from measles to cancer, and as would signal that they wanted a doctor, or usual did all the paperwork. But we enjoyed it would fly the flag William, which meant the thoroughly. same thing, and I would go out to them in a Nothing unusual happened during the small, fast 30-foot boat. This was all new and year except that I had pneumonia in October strange to me, and I enjoyed it immensely at and was in the hospital two weeks, after which first. I was on ships of all nations — British, I went to Elberton on ten days leave. French, Dutch, Scandinavian, Greek, Cuban, Jacksonville was fun. Roge and I had and many others. I treated colds, venereal quite a time with the nurses there. There were diseases, injuries, and anything that came 90-odd girls at the hospital at all times, and we along.