Dr. Reuben H. Hammon, Flight Surgeon
Dr. Reuben H. Hammon
The WW II Memoirs of Dr. Reuben Hammon, M.D.
This volume in the Wakeman Archives tells another unusual story of a W.W. II veteran in a non-combat but essential duty role. This is a detailed, first person account of Dr. Hammon’s experiences and another interesting read for anyone interested in W.W. II history.
Dr. Reuben H. Hammon (his wife and friends called him Huber) was born in 1908, completed medical school in 1933, and came to Waterville to enter practice with Dr. Waldo Suter in 1934. He married Thelma Luttenberger in 1936 and a daughter, Marian was born in 1938. When World War II broke out medical people were being drafted as essential personnel. Now Dr. Hammon had a love affair with airplanes since his first ride in a barnstorming open cockpit Jenny. He decided that if he had to serve he would like to be in a service branch where he cold fly, so he volunteered for the army air force in late 1942, hoping for duty as a flight surgeon. We must point out that “flight surgeon” is a military term for the medical doctor that cares for and certifies that pilots and flight crews are medically fit for duty.
He entered service as a First Lieutenant September 18, 1942 with a basic officer’s training school to learn military protocol at Morrison Field, Palm Beach, Florida. His very first day he talked a test pilot into taking him along on a test flight in a B24 four engine bomber. In November he went to Houlton Airfield in Maine where the temperature was 10 degrees above zero. Other schools followed, first Pennsylvania then in May to Randolph Field, Texas. His wife and child joined him while in Texas where he trained for flight surgeon duties. Several other stations followed and finally back to Maine for shipment overseas. September 9, 1943 he was flown via Gander Newfoundland, to Prestwick, Scotland, his first duty station. One of his added duties here was to investigate airplane crashes which usually meant flying to the crash site in some borrowed airplane and pilot. Dr. Hamon’s unit during his entire service was a non-combat transportation unit, moving planes and material from the United States to Europe, checking that all were fit for combat, then on to where needed. Early 1944 he was sent to St. Mawgan, England where he had his most traumatic experience. He and a few others were sent to investigate a B17 crash in Ireland. On the return flight they ran into dense fog and bad weather. The borrowed small plane and inexperienced pilot were not equipped for instrument only flight and they had to make a forced landing in a field on the English coast. All survived with minor injuries. Many other experiences followed. He flew on inspection missions to Casablanca and Naples, was promoted to Captain, was transferred to France (several stations) in early 1945. In December of 1944 he had been assigned to a flight of wounded soldiers from Paris to New York and was able to surprise his wife and Waterville friends, being home for Christmas. Back in Europe and after VE Day he was sent on an inspection trip to occupied Berlin. His last most pleasant duty was to fly back to the United States with another load of wounded in September 1945, this time to stay. He was discharged October 1, 1945 and returned to Waterville where he practiced medicine the rest of his long 43 year career. Dr. Reuben Hammon died July 11, 1982 and is buried in Waterville’s Highland Memory Gardens.