Cutting into a well person is definitely something you don’t do. There was even an episode of Mash dedicated to it where Hawkeye removed a general's appendix because Hawkeye believed he shouldn’t be a commander. He was chastised by his fellow surgeons for it. People die from infected wounds every day and I’ve seen my share. It isn’t pretty.

What would have happened if Sobel had developed a bad infection?

Performing an unnecessary incision on anyone is inexcusable. (That is assault. It was then, it is now.) In the 1970's advanced practice medics and corpsman followed RNs/MDs and worked in ERs to gain experience. Today, many military personnel work at civilian hospital (DC General) for this reason. We performed tracheotomies on goats. You cannot tell me that there was no opportunity for these men to gain such experience in military, civilian, or vet hospitals/clinics. I am sure many private practice MDs and vets at that time would have loved a little help. And there were always butchers around. (You NEVER inject water into anyone as it causes hemolysis of the RBC if you should hit a vein. That would have been NSS-normal saline solution for correct osmolarity.) Question: Where were ARMY MDs that ran surgeries? That was their responsibility.

I notice sobel is wearing a B6 in the photo and not the B3 depicted in the Television series ! The B6 jacket makes far more sense as it isn't as bulky as the B3 . One would be sweating buckets running around England in a B3 !

The mustache I can see, the fake operation I can't. But then again, _different times, different troops._ I served in _SUBPAC_ in the 80s. At that time the big thing for _corpsman_ was losing your shot record. It was a major event when that happened, and if caught, the corpsman was busted out. So they made sure to make it look like the sailor lost his records himself. The real trick was not establishing a pattern. That would have been bad.

Eye opening and necessary.

If anything, Sobel deserves the utmost respect for wanting to march with his men in his groggy state.

Nothing wrong with practical jokes. I thought convincing Sobel to cut the farmer's wire fence was hilarious. But this practical joke was out of line. His men clearly despised him.

Good coverage Burma was hell itself.

Not ethical in the least.

He also took part in a double lynching in 1933.

I see no issue with this

What a horrible thing to do to someone no matter how much you dislike him or think it is hilarious. What if the “patients” had a severe allergy to the drug used to knock them out? Imagine if the men had gone into a coma instead. 🤦🏻‍♂️ This isn’t like using a permanent marker to draw on a sleeping colleague or some similar schoolboy prank.

Hey, that generation pranked hard.

Harmless prank. Remember That was pre-UCMJ and men were tough back then. Especially in that community!!!!. Even when I was in it was common for pranks like that to be played out. I had something like that done to me, no one was safe😂. It’s hard in today’s society to articulate that behavior as at the end of the day, it was a tension release act. Good leaders knew when to say “that’s enough”.

Maybe it was a real doc that gave the anesthesia. They did say they brought them to a field hospital. These men were preparing to die. I’m pretty sure they had some messed up humor

As someone with a mustache, I am outraged at the real crime!

Keep putting history correct ! Well done.

Awful.

There's gotta be a huge amount of missing context to this story, there's just so many unanswered questions, so bizarre

The government will always violate your Immortal God Given Rights.

We pulled pranks and mild hazing, no violence of any kind. This was going a bit far. Laxative in the coffee? Maybe Full on drugging and faking a surgery is to far

I would have been PISSED to find out that a lowly medic even created a cut with a scalpel on me, let alone used sodium pentothal without permission. I would arranged a visit from the ether bunny on that medic for damn sure. That said, they were mentally prepared for the worst in that war, and were likely willing to go through just about any training that might help them.

I think I heard some rumor of this event at another time. I just don't recall where. Interestingly enough, there is a MASH episode where Hawkeye takes out the appendix of an officer to get him off the line. BJ objects strenuously and does not assist in the "prank." Of course, we will never know the whole story here and it is at least possible that the tale grew over the years. It is surprising that Sobel didn't report the incident and that makes me wonder how much of this is apocryphal and how much is true.

There wasn't enough injuries in training, broken bones and such to get a bit of medical attention?

That would be way over the line toe if it's the case.

This doesn't pass my sniff test as a retired MD. There is no reason for a combat medic to inject an anesthetic in the field, this would not have been SOP. They gave morphine and moved on. Thank goodness they did not use "water", (as opposed to sterile saline) which could have caused serious damage. The performance of an incision without medical necessity is assault. I do understand the medics need for realistic training under battlefield conditions; today it is routinely done. But it was a different time back then.

Yeah with a prank that harsh there should be a blow off party with him as the guest of honor. That is the only way a prank like that could be considered even remotely in good taste.

As they .......continually!...told me, if you can't take a joke, you shouldn't have joined up! If I'd have been Sobel, I would have A). laughed it off and B). see the M.O. for a check up/confirmation, but would have kept it in-house.

Men back then were not candy asses like they are today. I am not even that old. But serving on a Destroyer in the late 80s, we would have laughed about this.

My name is Tim Monahan, I was a Hospital Corpsman 3rd class stationed at the Naval Hospital Philadelphia and was assigned a special duty along with two other Corpsman to take care of Louis Puller Jr. He included me in his book but remembered my name as Mc Monical. I remember the day they awarded him the VCC, I covered his interest body with a bath towel so they would have something to pin it to. I got my 1A card and was reassigned before he was discharged from the hospital, but his memory has stayed and will stay with with me.RIP

Considering how strict Sobel was and how Sink embarrassed a few soldiers for showing up late to camp once I wonder if this happened or a story that was just exaggerated. If these men did do this than they should have been drummed out of the service because that is way over the line.

Better than getting fragged...

That's Aggravated Assault. We're talking Leavenworth here.

You would have to look at it through the eyes of soldiers of that era. The modern perception is completely different.

Fact is stranger than fiction!

My dad served in Korea, WW2 and Vietnam .

I think the standard of pranks for 1940s guys that were being trained to be the most aggressive and fearsome killers to walk the earth is going to be a lot different than what would be acceptable now.I certainly wouldn't want that done to me, but I would be interested to know what the other men of the 506th thought of it.

By Strayer's account, it sounds like he allowed the medics to practice "real doctoring" with a severely wounded simulation. Perhaps he was OK with the anesthetic to simulate incapacitated casualties but I doubt he before the fact approved of the shaving and the surface incision because that was both assaulting officers and pointless as a training exercise.

Hazing back in the day was quite acceptable, I believe it.

Everyone learned something from this incident: Colonel Sink - Col. Strayer has questionable judgement Lt. Col. Strayer - If you don’t put left and right lateral limits on your soldiers you may be surprised by what they do. Lt Sobel - With comrades like your CO & Docs… who needs the krauts! Docs - When given permission by a high ranking officer… let’s see how much we can get away with!

What they did is obviously immoral, also it violates the hippocratic oath, and as medics they should hold to it.

Starting to look as though Sobel wasn't as bad a BoB makes him out to be,

I don't think it ever happened.....I think it was a rumor repeated....an exaggerated joke said by a man in a jovial mood.

Appalling