Uniform, US Female, Fatigue, Vietnam
Uniform of Marian Thompson, Army Medical Corps Specialist. A= Jacket, B=Shirt, C= Pants, D=Hat, E=Cap with visor. Black colonel's insignia.
A graduate of Sargent College in Boston and heeding the call on the radio, "Uncle Same Needs You," Marian was commissioned as 2nd Lt. Sept. 1953 in the Women's Medical Specialist Corps and reported to Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, TX. She spent 6 months training in physical therapy. From Nov. 1954- Dec. 1955 she was assigned to Brooke Army Medical Hospital where she was promoted to 1st Lt. She was stationed at Ft. Jackson, SC from January 1956- May 1957 Chief of Physical Therapy at the base hospital. She was reassigned to Walter Reed Medical Center, Washington, DC from June 1957 - July 1959 to provide PT and motivation to injured vets. Spent a tour of duty from August 1959 - September 1961 at Camp Zama, Japan in the base hospital as the ONLY physical therapist in country for the U.S. Army! She befriended the Japanese and taught them PT so their own program would grow. She returned to the US in November 1961 and served at the Valley Forge General Hospital, Valley Forge, PA. In April 1963 she was stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO as chief of a PT clinic. She was promoted to Major and was selected to do her Master's Degree at New York University. After she completed that, she was stationed at Letterman Army Medical Center, San Francisco, CA from Sept. 1966 - Dec. 1968 as Assistant Chief. During her stay there she was promoted to Lt. Col. In Jan.
1969 she was stationed to the 3rd Field Hospital in Vietnam. She was assigned as Consultant in Physical Therapy to the Vietnam Theater and traveled the country attending to PT personnel in various medical sections. She returned to the US in Feb. 1970 and was stationed at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center, Denver, CO as Assistant Chief and later Chief of PT. In June 1974 she was promoted to Colonel and officially retired as the Vietnam conflict was over and all officers with 20 years or more of service were released from duty. She returned to Avon later that year to her childhood home, Cold Spring Farm in West Avon, where her parents appreciated an extra hand. She never went back to teaching.
Military service from 1953-1974
(Taken from a copy of her own diary provided by her sister, Gladys August)A graduate of Sargent College in Boston and heeding the call on the radio, "Uncle Same Needs You," Marian was commissioned as 2nd Lt. Sept. 1953 in the Women's Medical Specialist Corps and reported to Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, TX. She spent 6 months training in physical therapy. From Nov. 1954- Dec. 1955 she was assigned to Brooke Army Medical Hospital where she was promoted to 1st Lt. She was stationed at Ft. Jackson, SC from January 1956- May 1957 Chief of Physical Therapy at the base hospital. She was reassigned to Walter Reed Medical Center, Washington, DC from June 1957 - July 1959 to provide PT and motivation to injured vets. Spent a tour of duty from August 1959 - September 1961 at Camp Zama, Japan in the base hospital as the ONLY physical therapist in country for the U.S. Army! She befriended the Japanese and taught them PT so their own program would grow. She returned to the US in November 1961 and served at the Valley Forge General Hospital, Valley Forge, PA. In April 1963 she was stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO as chief of a PT clinic. She was promoted to Major and was selected to do her Master's Degree at New York University. After she completed that, she was stationed at Letterman Army Medical Center, San Francisco, CA from Sept. 1966 - Dec. 1968 as Assistant Chief. During her stay there she was promoted to Lt. Col. In Jan.
1969 she was stationed to the 3rd Field Hospital in Vietnam. She was assigned as Consultant in Physical Therapy to the Vietnam Theater and traveled the country attending to PT personnel in various medical sections. She returned to the US in Feb. 1970 and was stationed at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center, Denver, CO as Assistant Chief and later Chief of PT. In June 1974 she was promoted to Colonel and officially retired as the Vietnam conflict was over and all officers with 20 years or more of service were released from duty. She returned to Avon later that year to her childhood home, Cold Spring Farm in West Avon, where her parents appreciated an extra hand. She never went back to teaching.
2003.185 A-E