eMonitor Issue No. 60| Winter 2021

AMEDD MUSEUM FOUNDATION MONITOR

Message from the Chairman of the Board Dear Members and Friends of the AMEDD Museum,

Welcome to the Winter 2021 edition of your Monitor. Thank you for your continued loyalty and generous contributions. We are now past one calendar year of “The Year of Covid” It has not been easy for anyone. Special thanks to all who have made an effort to connect with aging AMEDD brothers and sisters who have been isolated from family and friends. Congratulations to our Museum Director, George Wunderlich, and his dedicated staff for earning American Alliance of Museums accreditation in October. Of over 35,000 museums in the U.S only 1,060 have achieved accreditation. Our AMEDD Museum is in good company. Of special note was the value attached to the work to broaden the Museum’s appeal beyond our military audience. Read the President’s update to understand the importance of our effort to continue telling the AMEDD story to Army Medics, and to spark the creative minds of children who may one day become future members of the AMEDD. Speaking of the AMEDD story, turn the page to read a little about the life and experiences of Corporal Maurice Zolkower, WWII Army Medic, centenarian, and storyteller extraordinaire. Congratulations and Happy 100th Birthday to CPL Zolkower. On a sadder note, we must say farewell to Command Sergeant Major (Ret) James Hardin who passed away in December. CSM Hardin contributed his time and talent to the AMEDD Museum for years and he was a larger than life encouraging figure for thousands of Army Medics in training during their tours of the Museum. Farewell also to Colonel (Ret) David G. McLeod, MC, renowned mentor and pioneer in Urologic Oncology who also passed away recently. To generations of Army Urologists, Dr. McLeod was best known as a visionary leader and staunch advocate of translational research whose many published articles and academic contributions greatly advanced the reputation of Army Medicine. Finally, farewell to BG (Ret) William Putty, who passed away in December 2020 after a courageous battle against complications of COVID-19. BG Putty served 32 years in the US Army and Texas National Guard. He was a good friend, longtime supporter of the Army and National Guard, member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation, and generous benefactor of the Museum. He volunteered numerous hours and was especially dedicated to the refurbishment of the Enlisted Fountain that graces the Museum courtyard. He will be missed. Farewell old friends. Rest in Peace. Finally, a note from our Director about the recent weather emergency: "I am happy to report that the Museum came through the recent winter storms without loss or damage! The staff prepared the Museum the Friday before and was in the building throughout the storm. The boilers and one air handler went down, but we had emergency heating units to deploy and nothing got out of hand. A 24/7 vigil was kept until all danger had passed. The 502nd rebuilt our boiler last Tuesday and stayed on the job until 0230 to get it done! They were outstanding in their dedication to keep us mission ready. While the post was closed, the Museum remained mission ready. I am thrilled to report that on Monday we were open and ready to receive students." We are truly blessed to have such a devoted team supporting our museum - including you! Thank you for your continuing support of our Foundation and the Museum, which makes all of this possible. You are the heart of the AMEDD spirit. - - BG (Ret) Daniel F. Perugini - Chairman of the Board

American Alliance of Museums Awards Accreditation

The American Alliance of Museums reaccredited the U.S. Army Medical Department Museum in October 2020. Of the over 35,000 museums in the US, only 1,060 are accredited! In San Antonio, there are only three other accredited museums - the Witte, the McNay, and the San Antonio Museum of Art.  The reaccreditation involved multiple visits from inspectors over the last four years as well as a rigorous review of the Museum’s policies, strategic plans, and internal operations. Director George C. Wunderlich and his talented and hard-working staff overcame numerous challenges to include policy and material needs, as well as issues of infrastructure and staffing. From the beginning and throughout the reaccreditation process, your Foundation played a key role. The Foundation invested funds to buy construction materials to improve displays and invested time and experience in helping the staff update policies and strategic plans. Members of the Executive Committee met with the Accreditation Inspectors to discuss the Foundation’s relationship, support, and vision for the future of the Museum.  Along the way, the Commission found much to admire. The inspectors particularly valued the Museum’s work to “broaden the museum’s appeal beyond the military audience and engage community resources and leaders in planning.” Accredited museums undergo periodic reaccreditation reviews. The museum’s review will be due November 1, 2029. Congratulations to the George and AMEDD Museum staff! And thanks to all the supporters of the AMEDD Museum Foundation. The AMEDD Museum is truly a Museum we can be proud of and your support was critical in making this reaccreditation happen.

A New Exhibit: What Does It Really Take?

I want to help everyone understand just what the museum staff does when it comes to a simple exhibit upgrade. To do that I want to pick a very easy, and straightforward mission. Move the 1952 WC 54 ambulance from out in the pergola to the Korean War Gallery. Simple, unless you are a museum.   ~ D-29 Set the move date from the pergola to the Museum workshop. Lock down a towing contract. ~ D-17 Meet with the tow truck contractor to ensure that the truck can raise the ambulance to loading dock level. Perform a dry run. ~ D-15 Wash the ambulance top and bottom. Inspect for wasps, mice, and other vermin. Treat for vermin as required. The museum must be protected from any possible infestation. ~ D-12 Check tire pressures, remove jack stands, inspect for vermin again

~ D-8 Prepare the move to the loading dock. Once loaded, immediately set up an air-tight plastic chamber around the ambulance for 24 hour fumigation. ~ D-7 Purge the air chamber of all fumigation fumes and vent them to the outside. Check for airtight seal and then pump in compressed C02 until the entire chamber is filled. Monitor the Co2 level with a remote gas meter for 2 hours to make sure that the level is over 95%. Leave for 24 hours. ~ D-4 Purge the C02 and take down the air chamber plastic. Cut open the doors which were welded shut in 1992.

UPDATE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

The AMEDD Museum is currently undergoing a major change in its organizational structure. You may be aware that for many years the Museum has been under the control of it’s primary customer, US Army Medical Command or the AMEDD Center and School (now called the US Army Medical Center of Excellence, or MEDCoE). As of November 2021, all Army museums, to include ours, will become part of the Army Museum Enterprise, which was established in 2016 and is under the Center for Military History, physically located at Ft McNair and organizationally located within Training and Doctrine Command. Last October, members of the Foundation’s Executive Committee attended an on-line symposium hosted by the Army Museum Enterprise. The symposium lasted most of a day and had over 120 attendees from nonprofit organizations, like the Foundation, that support Army museums around the country. Topics included the Center for Military History’s annual plan, structure and vision, and an introduction and quick overview from each of the non-profits attending. In my capacity as President of the AMEDD Foundation, I presented the Foundation’s mission and vision, facts about the Foundation, and the Capital Campaign. Some of the Army Museum Enterprise’s stated priorities include reducing artifact duplication, conversion of some museums to “heritage displays” by replacing artifacts with reproductions to lower costs, moving artifacts to remaining Army museums that can best tell the Army story, consolidating underperforming museums to allow maximum support, and re-designating museums that are inaccessible to the public into training support facilities. - continued on page 4

AN INSIDER'S VIEW FROM OUR DIRECTOR

Even something this simple has required 4 employees, one intern, one contractor and two soldiers to safely perform. It is a labor of love, and all of us are proud to be involved in this new exhibit which is tied directly to the new MEDCoE Expeditionary Medical Curriculum. Now you know what it takes for a vehicle move. D-Day is the day the ambulance is placed in the gallery -- George Wunderlich, Director ~ D-2 Clean the interior – twice. Wax the exterior to stop surface rust and return the paint to a less oxidized look. ~ D-DAY Place the ambulance on 4 independent dollies and push it to the gallery doors. Remove the dollies, remove one section of the gallery walls to allow for clearance, push the ambulance in place. Clean tires marks from the flooring.

~ D+1 Clean finger and hand prints from the exterior, replace the temporary wall and re-hang Korean War panels that were removed. Set up new stanchions, and measure the area around the ambulance to assure compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ~ D+7 Pull the dome lights out of the ambulance and replace with LED lamps to replicate the original incandescent bulbs. Install a 12 volt transformer under the ambulance and install a hidden switch. Test lighting, measure the light output, and place amber filters to make the dome lights match the original color of the 6 volt 1952 lights. ~ D+8 make a new reproduction bezel for the rear dome light and paint it to match the interior ambulance color. Place an original stretcher in the ambulance and test the switch and the transformed for heat with a laser thermometer.

OTHER NEWS

Celebrating An Icon From Our Past- Corporal Zolkower

The Foundation was recently honored to present Corporal Maurice Zolkower with a Combat Medic statue on the occasion of his hundredth birthday, February 6, 2021.  Known as Murray, CPL Zolkower was born in New York City, graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1938, and was in his first year of pharmacy school at Columbia University when the princely sum of $15/month enticed him into joining the New York National Guard, B Co, 114th Infantry. To his surprise, the 44th was federalized not long afterwards, and he was sent to Camp Dix for a year to train as an infantryman. A year later he was discharged per his contract, and was in a restaurant having an English muffin and coffee when he heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1943, with 18 months left in his pharmacy program, Murray was again called up for service. He convinced the Army it would be better to train him in a medical field instead of the infantry, and was sent to Camp Barkley in Texas and on to Fitzsimmons Army Hospital, CO, emerging as a chairside dental technician before being shipped to Bath, England. Six weeks after D-Day, Murray landed on Omaha Beach as a part of the 7th Convalescent Hospital. His unit supported the push to St Lo and then occupied a fixed hospital facility in Étampes, France. This cushy circumstance did not last long before Murray was volun-told to serve as a combat medic in a halftrack with six riflemen and a machine gunner with the 14th Armored Division. After that he supported a Maxillofacial team with the 45th Armored Division. On April 29, Murry was sent with company B, 179th Infantry to liberate Dachau. Within a month, the war ended. He served briefly in the army of occupation, then was sent home to Camp Barkley for discharge in December 1945. After the war, Murray returned to New York, was married in 1946 and finished his Pharmacy degree in 1948. He worked as a pharmacist in New York and Florida, retiring in 1984. Murray currently serves as Commander for the Paul Surenky Post 409 Jewish War Veterans of USA, in Clearwater, Florida. He said that he thinks about the war years all the time. His brother Phillip also served in the European theater, and his grandparents died at the hands of the Nazis. The 45th Infantry Division earned a presidential citation and had 20,000 casualties. - - Our thanks Murray's daughter, Francine Wolf, and to the University of Florida Samuel Proctor Oral History Program and the Library of Congress WW II Veterans Oral History Project for information in this article

UPDATED FROM OUR PRESIDENT- CONTINUED

Here at Ft Sam Houston, the Army Museum Enterprise is planning to reduce the AMEDD Museum’s budget by a third. Museum staff will serve on committees to support nationwide Army Museum Enterprise programs in addition to the existing educational programs provided to MEDCoE. In addition, George Wunderlich will be the Director of the Fort Sam Houston Museum, located in the quadrangle, as well as our AMEDD Museum. The Memorandum of Agreement between MEDCoE and CMH is still under review. As George and his staff work hard to move the AMEDD Museum ahead, the Foundation will be working with the Army to support and advocate for them and assist where we can to ensure a world class museum for our AMEDD soldier and civilians. -- Herb Coley, AMEDD Museum Foundation President

IN REMEMBERANCE OF CSM (RET) HARDIN

Command Sergeant Major (Ret) James Hardin passed away this past December. CSM Hardin was an active member of the Foundation, and spent many of his retirement years giving tours, working on the executive board, and raising money to fund and expand the museum. CSM Hardin was born on July 7, 1933 in Muskogee, Oklahoma and attended high school and community college there. He began his Army career as a veterinary food inspector in 1954 and had military assignments all over the globe. CSM Hardin was the 5th Command Sergeant Major of Health Services Command, where he instituted the NCO and Soldier of the Year program, and his last assignment was that of Command Sergeant Major of Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston. After retiring from the Army, CSM Hardin spent 15 years working for the City of San Antonio as a Health Facilities Coordinator. He was known for his Army career and dedication to the AMEDD Museum, but there were many other parts too. I did not know him as long as some people, but I had the great opportunity to speak with him on many occasions and to interview him as well. Although proud of his almost 35 years of Army service, he was more than a resume. He valued education and his family, and they were a large part of his life. Like all great NCOs he made sure things were completed. Here are a few of his interesting experiences and stories: He traveled extensively through much of Europe, but also went to Thailand, Korea, Hawaii, Panama, and Vietnam. Some locations were better than others. Traveling to his first duty station in Germany by ship, he mentioned the tight quarters and seasick bunkmates for the 10 day voyage. KP duty rounded out his “free time” for the trip. For an assignment to Australia he was told that if the Australian meat production system to supply American Military Forces was successful he would receive a promotion. If the program was not established and successful he was told “don’t come back, LBJ can be very unforgiving”. Hardin received the promotion to Master Sergeant. Hardin had been a good baseball player in his youth and also served as bat boy to the Muskogee Reds, a local minor league team. There were also other sports, sort of... Upon learning that he would be playing golf for a work related function, he hurriedly bought a set of golf clubs from the local thrift store. He said he tried his best for the event, but then never played golf again. CSM Hardin readily met thousands of people. Some of the notable names include: Omar Bradley, Cy Young, Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, and Albert Speer. Famous or not, I think it was his openness and willingness to work with people that brought him success. - - Mr Andy Watson, AMEDD Regimental Historian My reminiscence of CSM Hardin was he always seem larger than life, always laughing and smiling. We talked a lot about a lot of things and I enjoyed those times. When he was there

when the troops came to the museum, they loved him! He interacted with them and gave them a lot of encouragement. I considered him a wonderful friend and his death is a sad loss for the Army Medical Department. Rest in Peace my friend. - - COL (Ret) Beverly Greenlee-Davis

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN DONORS

The following individuals donated to the AMEDD Museum Foundation Capital Campaign during October - December 2020

The following individuals donated to the AMEDD Museum Foundation

Donate Today!

Visit the AMEDD Gift Shop Did you forget to stop by the gift shop before leaving the museum? No need to worry! You can check out the AMEDD's Gift Shop website.

Visit the Gift Shop

Would you like to receive eNews?

If you text JoineNews to 42828, you will be asked to supply your email address and will begin receiving it immediately. If you forward this email to a friend, then they can click on the photo to join the mailing list. You may also send your email (hopefully enclosed with your capital campaign donation!) to AMEDD Museum Foundation, PO Box 8294, San Antonio, TX 78208.

New subscribers will be digital unless there are special circumstances. We hope that you will become emissaries of our mission by forwarding your digital version of the Monitor to anyone you think might be interested.

AMEDD Medical Museum Foundation | (210) 226-0265 | ameddmuseumfoundation.org

Remember to share the eNews with your friends!

‌ ‌ ‌

‌