128th Evacuation Hospital

Field Hospitals were part of the initial assault for Operation Husky. To shorten the line of evacuation of the wounded, the now semi-mobile hospital unit was reorganized to the 400-bed evacuation hospital landing in Licata, Sicily July 22, 1943.

The frontlines rapid advancement caused hospital units to leapfrog to new locations throughout the campaign. Malaria cases started outnumbering battle wounded. Nurses lines tents with mosquito netting but also succumbed to the illness among other staff of the unit.

October 2, 1943 came a heavy storm that leveled or tore every tent in the hospital within minutes. Equipment was damaged with 195 patients on the words. The staff worked hard to move the hospital to buildings in a nearby town, Alcamo.

The 128th treated 21,305 casualties. The most experienced hospital unit in the war left Sicily November 8, 1943 (1-year Anniversary into combat) to Tortworth Castle in England to recoup, train inexperienced units, and to plan for Operation Overlord, the invasion of France.