Where by reason of law or otherwise we have been unable adequately to provide for the veterans either in personnel or material Colonel Forbes has ever stood by to give us hearty cooperation and assistance. I am also indebted to General Sawyer, the Chief Coordinator of the Hospitalization Board for encouragement and advice whenever asked of him.
In reciting the activities of the Navy in providing hospital care for veterans, I trust it has become apparent that I have the honor to represent an organization, equipped to aid the Veterans’ Bureau in fulfilling the pledges of our government to its veterans, disabled in the Great War, and manned by a personnel actuated in all ranks by an earnest desire to contribute in the discharge of our obligations.”
GENERAL SAWYER: “I do not know exactly what impression you get from this information that is given out here by the heads of these great departments, but to me it seems that here is a spirit, a whole-souled determination to put everything at the command of the Government at your service to help you, that we may help the World War Veteran to the best that can be given. The recitation of these things by this Admiral and this Major General shows how much really comes through a closer affiliation,—how much we get that is worth the while from a better understanding; and that is what we really believe we have in this new Board of Hospitalization.
We have with us this morning the man who has been personally responsible for the largest number of these patients; in fact, he is responsible for more of these patients than all of the rest of the departments together; and if you do not know him, I should like to introduce to you a man whom I have found, by close contact and personal observation during the months I have been in Washington, to be a man who is giving everything within him to make of the Public Health Service of the United States of America the best Public Health Service in the world and to give to the World War veteran the best hospitalisation service that can be rendered.
I have pleasure in introducing to you Surgeon General Hugh S. Cumming, of the United States Public Health Service, who will speak on the subject of “The Service Rendered World War Veterans by the Public Health Service.”