The Vietnam War
The most major change from the Korean War to the Vietnam War was the use of helicopters to transport the wounded directly to hospitals. In the past it had taken hours to get a majorly injured soldier to a medical center during the Vietnam War a soldier could receive medical attention in less than an hour (The Vietnam Center and Archive). Out of the soldiers transported to the hospital 98 percent survived (The Vietnam Center and Archive).
The number of soldiers killed has decreased as medicine has become more effective. The fear of dying in battle has greatly decreased from the era of World War One. Soldiers might expect injury but death seems a farther fetched idea since the number of soldiers killed remained so low. As a soldier it is easy to imagine that fighting is a lot easier when the expectation for death is a lot lower.
One issue with the helicopter efficiency was the number of injured poring into the hospital. Nurse, Theresa Morel Hudler, became a member of the evacuation crew due to the limited number of stay. She explained, "It was not common for nurses to fly evacuation runs, and I had never been in a helicopter before, but there was no one else free to go" (Military Nurses in Vietnam). The number of patients pouring into military hospitals left very little room for thought. Doctors had seconds to decide who would be treated first and what type of treatment they would receive. Most hospitals were understaffed and often nurses had to work 48 hour shifts (The Vietnam Center and Archive). This inefficiency made it difficult for the medical personnel working their hearts out to save as many people as possible.
The number of soldiers killed has decreased as medicine has become more effective. The fear of dying in battle has greatly decreased from the era of World War One. Soldiers might expect injury but death seems a farther fetched idea since the number of soldiers killed remained so low. As a soldier it is easy to imagine that fighting is a lot easier when the expectation for death is a lot lower.
One issue with the helicopter efficiency was the number of injured poring into the hospital. Nurse, Theresa Morel Hudler, became a member of the evacuation crew due to the limited number of stay. She explained, "It was not common for nurses to fly evacuation runs, and I had never been in a helicopter before, but there was no one else free to go" (Military Nurses in Vietnam). The number of patients pouring into military hospitals left very little room for thought. Doctors had seconds to decide who would be treated first and what type of treatment they would receive. Most hospitals were understaffed and often nurses had to work 48 hour shifts (The Vietnam Center and Archive). This inefficiency made it difficult for the medical personnel working their hearts out to save as many people as possible.