One Pensacola High School graduate in the Class of 1943 was Cary Carlson Ward. He enlisted in the US Navy on his 17th birthday of March 23, 1942 and became a Pharmacist Mate (called Hospital Corpsman now). Assigned to the 3rd Marine Division he was sent to Guadalcanal in 1943 and later to the battles of Bougainville and Guam. One of the most debilitating medical condition in the South Pacific they had to contend with was malaria, even more so than Japanese bullets. Malaria had been such a constant threat that at times doctors were refusing to excuse troops from front line duty with temperatures less than 104 degrees. To combat this epidemic, the Marines were being supplied with a synthetic drug invented by a German researcher called “Atabrine.” But the Marines refused to take the medicine because it had a very bitter taste and tended to turn their skin yellow. Even worse, there was also a rumor that abounded through the ranks that it caused “impotency,” a condition that made any red blooded American male prefer death instead. However, it had no such effect, but it did tend to cause headaches, nausea, and vomiting but at the same time it was very effective when used properly. The Marine’s refusal to take the medication reached such epidemic proportions that medics had to eventually stand at the head of the mess hall line and hand them out to each Marine where they could personally watch them swallow the hated medication.
Thus, began the “hide and seek” game played out twice a week between the Cary Ward and the disgruntled Marines. As the Marines passed through the chow line the Cary greeted them graciously with their dose of Atabrine that was placed in their mouth. No one could pass down the line until the he was assured that each Marine had swallowed their assigned dose. Soon the Marines became quite proficient at holding the evil medicine under their tongues and spitting it out as soon as they were out of sight. Even with the added precautions the grounds around the mess tent were soon scattered with the little “yellow devils” spit from the mouths of those resourceful Marines who managed to slip them through the corpsmen’s tight security net.
Finally, Cary Ward and some of the other corpsmen came up with a fiendish, foolproof way to solve the problem. They would take the Atabrine and dissolve it in a big cauldron of water. Once again, a corpsman was stationed at the head of the chow line and before anyone could proceed he had to swallow a dose. The Marines couldn't stop eating forever, and after a swig of the hated stuff their taste buds went numb, which in turn made everything else taste wretched.
Navy Corpsman Inspecting Marines for Malaria Meds Guadalcanal 1942
Cary Carlson Ward, US Navy Corpsman, 3rd Marine Division, 12th Marine Regiment
WWII, Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam 1942-1945, Pensacola High Class of 1943