Praise for Hospital on Wheels- World War II MASH
____________________________________
Hospital on Wheels by Leo Ours, Jr. is a compelling World War II story of national proportions.
It’s an inspiring, true story of the sacrifice and courage of his father, a World War II soldier
and those serving in a WW II MASH unit, the 662nd Medical Clearing Company. It eloquently depicts
the sacrifices and values of the “greatest generation” that left home to fight in Europe to
preserve the values and liberties we enjoy today. Hospital on Wheels is a moving portrait of a
company of men that landed on the Normandy beaches and traveled across France, Belgium and Germany
fighting to save the lives of those wounded in the war and those they liberated in the Nazi
concentration camps."
—Senator Bob Dole
Hospital On Wheels by Leo Ours Jr. is an important saga from a genuinely American
standpoint. It poignantly portrays the true story of the MASH entrenched
within our nation’s most defining moments. It is this generation’s character, courage
and determination, which changed the face of history, and brought about the emergence
of the United States as the world power it is today. Hospital On Wheels helps us
to remember the unprecedented contributions of these remarkable men and women.
—The
Honorable Joe Manchin III, Governor of West Virginia
“What a treasure Mr. Ours has given all of us. Through his elegant prose he brings
to life, Hospital on Wheels, the courageous story of a Mobile Medic during World
War II. This story of one of our “greatest generation” is at times humorous, at
times touching and always gripping. Mr. Ours also illustrates for future generations,
what life was like for a West Virginia family during this crucial turning point
in our State and Nation's history, reminding us that no matter how times change,
we must cling tight to the values and liberties held so high and protected so bravely
by Leo Ours Sr. and the many others who came before us.”
—Nick Rahall, United
States Congressman.
“Leo Ours Jr. has written a book that honors his father and mother and all the folks
of the “greatest generation.” Hospital on Wheels tells the sometimes funny, sometimes
gripping story of Ours’ father, a soldier in the 662nd Medical Clearing Company
during World War II. It follows Leo Ours Sr. from his boyhood home in Huntington,
W.Va., to D-Day on the French coast, across Europe to prison camps of Hitler's Germany
where millions were killed. It tells the story through the contents of a duffel
bag that belongs to the senior Ours. Hospital on Wheels is a story that all modern
Americans need to know, for it tells of a time when men and women sacrificed much,
including their lives, to preserve the American way of life.
—Dave Peyton, Journalist,
Huntington West Virginia “
“Hospital on Wheels” is best described in the introduction as the story of a duffel
bag and the man who carried it. In this case, the father of the author—a medical
technician who served with a medical clearing company following the allied army
from the sands of Normandy to war torn Europe.
The story was told by those who lived it and passed on to his family members during
one summer when the “old soldier” finally could talk about the things he always
said he didn't want to remember. This not wanting to remember the horrors of war
is a recurring theme when veterans are asked about what happened in the big war,
WW II. The story travels lightly across the battlefields of Europe only to shock
this reader with what they saw when the fighting had actually subsided.
Author, Leo E. Ours Jr., presents prewar life in West Virginia as uncomplicated
compared to the shrinking world of today. His father goes from the battles of high
school football onto college where he woos his wife to be. His bonding with pals
is uncomplicated and real. It is an atmosphere without guile or deception. Without
guile or deception definitely was not the climate his company would experience,
while following the army through land once occupied by the enemy.
Oh, what a price one might pay for a moment of ease. The medical involvement is
not discussed in detail but that would have been beyond my understanding anyway.
The adventures that the author’s father and fellow soldiers experienced held my
attention along with the ingenuity employed when there was the possibility of a
big battle.
—James Hunt, Veterans of Foreign Wars 1064 920 Seventh Avenue, Huntington,
WV 25701 RAH999@aol.com
Hospital on Wheels:
World War II MASH
By Leo E Ours, Jr.
Author, Leo E. Ours, Jr. /hospitalonwheels@earthink.net