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The Vietnam War – Ann Benson Rudolph – Supporting one another on the 93rd Evac team

We have been learning about Ann (Benson) Rudolph, who graduated from St. Olaf College’s nursing program in 1964 and began a two-year Army service obligation with her Officer Basic Course and working at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She married in July 1965 before receiving Vietnam deployment orders with the 93rd Evacuation Hospital (93rd Evac). The unit arrived by ship on Oct. 31, 1965. Ann began working with post-operation patients in a surgical ward and later as assistant head nurse of a medical ward. Ann enjoyed her work relations with the physicians and ...

Full circle crappies

In the bright sunshine of midday, I couldn’t resist the flip of a long-tailed slumpbuster streamer off the dock in between raking the beach and my next set of cabin chores. The size six fly was a beefy offering for the schooling bluegills and was sure to keep the smaller panfish off while enticing a strike from the bigger bulls of nine inches at the top end of the spectrum I had been connecting with in the clear shallows. Stripping the green sinking line off the reel almost down to the backing, I wound up a cast that dropped the fly just below the red canopy of the neighbor’s boat, ...

Numbers, numbers!

I wonder if we fully realize the importance of numbers in our lives. When were you born? How old are you? How much money do you have in your bank account? How far is it to wherever? What time is it? I think you get the idea that numbers surround and guide us. A few days ago, I was asked to review some bottles of wine for a friend. Now please know that person doesn’t have beaucoup bottles of wine, but, rather it was an opportunity to talk about a number of Italian wines and one from France. The viewing included a number of varieties, and there was one variety I had never tasted. ...

Enjoying some Duluth delights

The city of Duluth demands only the best. It wasn’t good enough for the town to be located on a Great Lake; it also insisted on being on the shores of the one named Superior. Striving for the best has enabled Duluth to hold their biennial Festival of Sail. My wife and I are enchanted by the romance and adventure of old-fashioned sailing ships, so we motored to Duluth to swash some buckle. The tall sailboats looked like prickly caterpillars when they were moored with their sails stowed. But when they were on the harbor under full sail, they were butterflies, floating gracefully and ...

Crazy Days: Annual tradition for Marshall area residents

Every year in late July on a Thursday Marshall gets a little crazy. The city hosts an annual Crazy Days celebration, a day filled with bargains at local businesses. It begins bright and early at 7 a.m. and continues until late afternoon. We had a good Crazy Days this year. The weather was perfect. It wasn’t raining. It wasn’t too hot. It was perfect for getting people out for shopping. Crazy Days warms my heart. It’s a day that gives business owners a connection with many shoppers. They’re right in the middle of the action. The owners talk to customers. They ring up ...

The Vietnam War – Ann Benson Rudolph – Nursing at the 93rd Evacuation Hospital

We have been learning about Ann (Benson) Rudolph, who graduated from St. Olaf College’s nursing program in 1964. She began a two-year Army service obligation, completing her Nursing Officer Basic Course and working at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She married in July 1965 before receiving reassignment and Vietnam deployment orders with the 93rd Evacuation Hospital (93rd Evac). The unit arrived by troopship in Vietnam on Oct. 31, 1965, and was operational in December. The main portions of the hospital consisted of four-plexes of large Quonset huts built in an ...