Press Release____________________________________
About the Book
It describes the travels of a duffel bag—and my father, a medical
technician, who carried the bag from the time it was issued in Ft Thomas Kentucky,
throughout World War II and their subsequent return home in 1945. It’s also a story
about the journey of the men from the 662nd Medical Clearing Company who cared for
the wounded of the US 1st and 3rd Armies, including the 81st and 101st Airborne
Divisions as they battled the Germans from the sands of Normandy and across Europe.
Recent Press Releases:
Encouraging Veterans to Share Their Perspective of History
Duffle Bag Opens Memories of D-Day
Advanced 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” 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.
Contacts: Author, Leo E. Ours, Jr. /hospitalonwheels@earthink.net