8076 Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH)

Activated Yokohama, 19 July 1950

General Order No. 162, dtd 19 July 1950, Headquarters, Eighth United States Army activated the unit as a 60 bed MASH.

Personnel including twelve (12) Nurses and eighty-nine (89) Enlisted Men were drawn from hospitals all over Japan. One (1) MSC and one (1) Warrant Officer transferred out of hospitals in Japan. Ten (10) Medical Officers and other MSC Officers were flown from the states.

Organization was assisted in equipping itself at 155th Station Hospital in Yokohama. Personnel original were assigned to 155th and thus from there to 8076th MASH, APO 707 which was later changed to APO 301.

Personnel for Unit D, 8076th MASH, began arriving at 155th on 17th and were processed and equipment issued through period of 19 July. On 19th of July equipment was loaded on trucks and pulled over to Pier 2, Yokohama for combat loading on Sgt. USNS, George D. Keathley for shipment to Korea. Following key assignments wore made this date.

Major Kryder E. Van Buskirk -- Commanding Officer
Captain George O'Day -- Chief Surgery & Ex.
Captain Elizabeth Johnson -- Chief Nurse
Lt Richard E. Eddleman -- Supply Officer
Lt Octavian Buta -- Detachment Commander

1 February l95l the hospital moved north to Chungju where it stayed for a month before moving to Wonju on 4 March.

It was at Wonju that U.N. troops took over a Chinese aid station when the Chinese retreated, and found approximately 79 of our own UN soldiers that had been held as POWs. The unit moved to Hongchon 5 April.

At this time the MASH was functioning as a truly Mobile Hospital and as a truly Surgical Hospital and as a result it was nevermore than ten miles and often as close as five miles behind the front, and as the fighting moved forward the MASH was right behind it.

At Hongsh'on in the latter part of April the Communists began their second counter offensive, and again the MASH had to "bug out", this time on 25 April which happened to be the 9th month anniversary of the MASH's arrival in Korea.

At that time the hospital was only eight miles behind the MLR and knowing that the Communists were advancing we had been quite anxious about it and when we would have to move, however we were assured by Army we would hold fast our positions on the evening of the 25th, and about 0100 of 26 April, Corps advised unit would have to "bug out". All personnel were assembled, the hospital taken down and patients evacuated. By 0730 the hospital was enroute to Chungju for the second time.