Olden Times #648 Dr. Thomas M Deas, M.D. 24 August 2002 There are two of my Medics that I want to write about today. The first is a Man who has passed away a couple or three years ago with Cancer of the Stomach. His name was Wayne Slagel. Back in late l944, we were on Morotai and my First Sgt. Max M. Wainwright came into the dispensary and told me, "Major, there is a Corporal from a Medical Supply Dump who wants to get into a Combat Medical Detachment, and wants to see you about it." Well, I figured that he must want to transfer awful bad to want to get out of a "cushy" rear echelon job that was safe to one of hard work and fraught with danger, so I went out to where he was to see him. He told me this story about having a brother in the Marines and they had been in Combat and that he didn't want to come home to have his brother "crow" over this "soft" job and he wanted to get into an outfit that would get into combat. Well, I looked at him and he looked quite sincere, but I was overloaded with extra non coms in my Detachment. I was also under strength, so---------I told him the situation and that he would have to come in as a Private. He readily agreed and I started the transfer that day. He was with us the next day and I put him down in 3rd Battalion. He had already been trained to care for casualties, so he didn't need any training. After that I kind of forgot about him, more or less and we were later shipped to the Philippines. From all accounts he conducted himself very well because he received a Bronze Star for Valor and was promoted to T/5 Rank. Well, the War was over before long and I left the outfit. Meanwhile he was awarded the Combat Medical Badge. After the War when we started having Reunions, I was able to get in touch with "Doc" Slagel in TAYLORVILLE, Illinois, and he made two or three Reunions. I found that he stayed in the Philippines in some branch of the Service. Started a "Helping Hand Service," collecting books here and yon for a Library there. The Library was named after him. Later he was assigned as an Instructor at MFSS, Carlisle, PA and by then was a Sergeant First Class. During the Korean War he served as a Medic in the 27th Inf. Regt. (the Wolfhounds) in several difficult battles including the one at "Heartbreak Ridge." He was awarded his second Bronze Star for Valor and his second Combat Medical Badge. In l963 he retired from the Army and stayed in Korea working on Rodent Control Programs with the U.S. and Korea. In l967 he volunteered for active duty and was assigned to his old Unit (the Wolfhounds) as the NCOIC of a Battalion Aid Station in Vietnam. Here he was wounded trying to treat an injured soldier in combat and was awarded the Purple Heart. He also was awarded two Bronze Stars for Valor. During his career he is ONE of TWO Known RECIPIENTS of the THIRD Combat Medical Badge. Besides this he earned Bronze Star "V" with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal ,Good Conduct Medal, 6th award, Army of Occupation Medal WWII, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Arrowhead and 2 Stars, WWII Victory Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service and Campaign Medals, Philippine Liberation Medal, National Defense Medal. His Medical Detachment (124th Infantry) was also awarded the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and The United States Presidential Unit Citation (in the Philippines}. SFC Wayne Slagel died in l999. The U.S. Army Medical Corps saw fit to honor him in a ceremony with his Family by naming a Building (Dining Facility) The SFC Wayne E. Slagel Dining Facility, Building 1377, in the Medical Area near Brooks General Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. He was one of MY Boys!!!!! Then there was Pfc Freus Brittingham! - a 19 year old youngster from Independence, Missouri. In very early 1945, on the Island of Morotai, I was informed that we had 120 new recruits assigned to the Regiment. The Colonel [Starr] called me, telling me that I had first choice of 20 of these new men. Did I want to pick them out? I replied in the affirmative and asked to see their files. I got all the files the next day and my lst Sgt Max Wainwright and my office Sgt, T/3 Clarence McClain, took those files and picked out the 20 with the Highest IQ! Pfc Brittingham was one of those selected to be Medics. When we received those men into our Unit, we scattered them out among the depleted Battalion Medical Sections. Brittingham was assigned to the First Battalion. All of these new Medics received training from their Medical Cohorts as to how to care for the wounded. We had figured that, because these men were the most intelligent of their group, they would learn easily. We went into the Philippines a couple of months later and these new Medics did an excellent job in their care and evacuation of those who were wounded. Within two weeks I was getting recommendations for decorations for many of these men. It so happened that one of the first, a recommendation for the Silver Star for extraordinary valor in caring for and evacuating a wounded Soldier in the face of heavy enemy rifle and machine gun fire, was for Pfc Freus Brittingham. It was recommended by the Platoon C.O. of the Unit to which Brittingham was assigned. Within another week was another recommendation by the Sergeant of his Platoon and Pfc. Freus Brittingham was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor. So, within a couple of weeks Pfc Freus Brittingham was awarded two Medals for Valor in Military Action in the Philippines. The war was over within a couple or three months. Pfc Brittingham also was awarded the Combat Medical Badge, the Asiatic Pacific Ribbon with two stars, the Philippine Liberation Medal with one star. The other Ribbons I don't know. I am sure he had American Defense and Good Conduct, but he also has The Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and The United States Presidential Unit Citation. It was because of soldiers like him and SFC Slagel in the first of this article that our Detachment was awarded these Presidential Unit Citations. Well, after the WWII Brittingham went to California and studied Pharmacy under the GI Bill and lived out there for many years. When he retired, he moved to San Antonio to be near his son. We started having Reunions and I looked for Brittingham for 50 years and couldn't find him. But My Grandson fell in love with a little San Antonio girl and was visiting when she told him she wanted him to meet her "surrogate" grandfather, who lived across the street. Well, they went over for a visit and she introduced my grandson, Brian Deas. Brittingham sat up and said, "Did you say Deas?" "Was he in WWII?" "Was he in The Pacific?" "Was he a Doctor?" and my Grandson answered, "Yes-Yes-Yes Yes!" and called me up. I had FOUND my long lost Medic. He came to a couple of Reunions and was planning to make last year when he had a stroke and he hasn't been in good enough health to come back.......but we keep up with him. He is a fine, likeable man!! We will meet this year in Starkville, Mississippi. Have about 14 who will be there, but we will miss Brit (that's what we all call him). Every one is now in his 80s and I feel the heavy hand of fate on our shoulders as we look forward to this October meeting. I have a very sad feeling. We started with 2 in l976, 5 in l977 and had as many as 30, plus wives, in l980.--------I have a hollow place in my stomach, bless their hearts, and I am the OLD MAN!!!!! I am wondering where we will meet next year and HOW MANY will be able to be there.......Time takes its toll. Course, I plan on being there for several more years, as long as my daughter, Peggy, will drive me! Bless her heart, she has as much pleasure and enjoyment as I do, maybe more!! This year we plan to come back through New Orleans and see the D-Day WWII Museum, especially the Pacific Part! ----------------------------------------------------------------- Thomas M. Deas, M.D. Transcribed by Paul M. Webber on 25 August 2002 Home Page: http://home.pcisys.net/~pwebber/31_id/rtw.htm