Dr. J.A. Mendelson - WWI ... DSC / WWII ... China (Stilwell's Doctor, Treated Doolittle Raiders)

[illegitimi non carborundum]

A medal group I thought I'd share in order to preserve the legacy of this amazing man and to hopefully answer some unanswered questions.  (The whereabouts of his DSC is at the top of that list of questions.)

 

Research: Joseph Aaron Mendelson

Born: January 6, 1891

New York City

 

Medical School - Temple University, Medical College, June 1915

 

WWI:

• 1917 - Commissioned and detailed to Army Medical School
• Detailed British Army.
• Assigned to Northern Command.
• Stationed at Military Hospital, Ripon, Yorkshire. (Surgery)
• Earned a British War Medal.  Confirmed in medal index card in British Archives.  
• Recalled by A.E.F and assigned Based Hospital, St. Nazaire, Communicable Disease Service.
• Transferred at own request to Combat Zone.
• Attached 102nd Sanitary Train.
• Transferred to Surgeon, 2nd Battalion, 305th Infantry, 77th Divsion.
• Fought Defensive Sector, Vesle, Aisne-Marne and Argonne.
• Awarded Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart.
• DSC citation (one of earliest DSCs for 77th Division):
• CITATION:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Medical Corps) Joseph A. Mendelson, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 305th Infantry Regiment (Attached), 77th Division, A.E.F., near Ville Savoye, France, 15 - 16 August 1918. During a heavy enemy bombardment with gas and high explosive shells, Lieutenant Mendelson worked for more than three hours, picking up wounded and gassed men and securing their evacuation, being forced to remove his gas mask in order to accomplish this work. Though he was almost exhausted from fatigue, he then proceeded to the aid station of another battalion and assisted in treating hundreds of men. Though he was himself suffering from the effects of gas, he refused to go to the hospital upon the completion of this work, as all the other medical officers had been evacuated.

 

1923-24 - Surgeon, 7th U.S. Cavalry, Post Surgeon, Camp Furlong, Columbus, New Mexico.  Disposed of Medical Property remaining after Pershing’s Punitive Expedition in Mexico.  Consultant to Border Service.  Arrested epidemic of Diphtheria in Palomas, Mexico on  request for aid by Mexican officials.

 

1929-1932 - 15th U.S. Infantry, Tientsin, China.  Urologist, Eye, Ear, Nose Throat Service.  Laboratory Service.  Physician to American School.  Sanitary Survey of North China, G-2 Reports 1931.

 

1931- Observer Sino-Japanese hostilities Shanghai, China.  Prepared Scarlet Fever toxoid during emergency and immunized military and civilian personnel.  First medical officer to complete courses in spoken Chinese and Chinese Medical terminology.  Was offered detail to reorganize medical department of Chinese Army.  Was recommended for detail at Chinese Language School in Peking.  Elected life member Royal Asiatic Society.

 

1934-1937 - Retired.  Returned to Tientsin, China.  Licensed by China National and Tientsin Municipal Governments to practice medicine and surgery in China.  Consultant to American Consulate.  Elected Fellow, American College of Physicians.  Elected President, Tientsin Medical Society.

 

1937 - Fled China as Japan invaded.  Returned to Washington DC to serve as medical officer of the United States Soldier’s Home.

 

WWII -

• Detailed as Medical Member of the U.S. Military Mission to China (later became CBI Theatre).  Headed by Gen. Magruder (later helped found CIA).
• Head of Medical Team, AMMISCA.  Team consisted of Mendelson, a surgeon (Grindlay) and two technicians.  
• Job was to provide medical support to the mission, help set up equipment and conduct laboratory work.
• Stationed in Chungking.
• Arrived October 12, 1941 in Chungking on flight from Hong Kong.
• Each member of AMMISCA was paired with a their equivalent in the Chinese government.  Mendelson was paired with Dr. Robert Lim, Chinese Surgeon General and head of the Red Cross.
• Inactivity at the mission caused flagging morale.  Mendelson claimed, “There is such an interesting problem here that I fail to see  why the “can’t take it” fellows do not find something constructive to do.”  (He was busy gathering Chinese medical texts.)
• Mendelson lived in a house in Chungking with Dr. Grindlay and Major Frank Merrill (Merrill’s Mauraders) among other officers.  He jerry-rigged a water system to bring it into the house from the Chialing River.
• November 28th - Submitted report to Magruder about state of Chinese medical service and suggestions for improvement.  
• Had an argument with Major Aldrich that led to a meeting with Magruder where he agreed to support Magruder and Magruder two days later sent a letter to Washington about situation in Chungking, hoping for clarification of their mission.
• Stilwell arrived March 4, 1942.  Magruder reassigned to Division of General Affairs (with no real authority).
• Colonel Robert L. Williams took over all medical operations, relegating Mendelson to Station Surgeon, Chungking.
• Williams would soon move on to  New Dehli (Stilwell’s rear-echelon HQ), leaving Mendelson alone at Foward-Echelon HQ, Chungking.
• Mendelson was noted for his “facility for being in hot-water”.
• Served as personal physician for General Stilwell in Chungking.  Treated him with sugar for jaundice in the form of hard candies left behind by a Japanese officer. (Mentioned many times in "The Stilwell Papers".)
• A neighbor, coworker and friend of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek and Madame Chiang.
• “Next to my wife, I admire Madame Chiang more than any woman I have ever seen.”  “She has a charming personality, a keen and penetrating mind, unlimited courage and is a shrewd judge of human nature.”
• He traveled by plane, auto, jeep and sampan, surveying and mapping medical facilities available and developing new equipment and methods of distributing American medical supplies.
• Doctor Mendelson was Instrumental in rescuing the survivor of Lt. Gen. James Doolittle's air attack on Japan. . . He sent aid to them through Dr. P. Z. King.  Later he attended them personally in Chungking. Among high profile patients was Ted Lawson, author of "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo."  (Mentioned in book, not by name).
• Developed Mobile 2-bed hospitals for Chinese Army (precursor of MASH units).  This was manned by himself and Major Grindlay.  The traveling hospital, which also is widely used now in the Eastern war theaters, is fully equipped for major operations and contains its own power and heating apparatus, lighting system, mechanical refrigerator and water and food supplies.  
• Developed system to parachute drop medical supplies (like plasma, syringes, sulfanilamides (anti-bacterial) and dressings)  in milk cans.
• Organized medical supplies for Chinese New 6th Army in Burma and for Americans working on the Burma Road.  Set up 8 medical stations on the Burma Road.

• Awarded Chinese Order of the Cloud and Banner, 6th Class

 

1943 - Head of Military Science, University of Pittsburgh.  Sent cigars to General Stilwell (see letter below).

 

1948 - Retirement: Superintendent, Dayton (OH) State Hospital

 

Hobbies:

Ancient Chinese Medicine.

Collection of Drugs and Manuscripts from China.

(Donated to U of Pittsburgh (48 ancient Chinese medical texts)

(Donated to Army Medical School and Library.)

(Donated to the Smithsonian (edged weapons of Asia)

 

Wife: Published book, “An Improved Method of Learning Chinese”

 

Daughter: Col. Janice Mendelson, Medical Corps.  The first female surgeon in the Medical Corps.  Bronze Star, Vietnam.

 

Mendelson died in 1986.  He had two children.  A son Donald that died in the early 70s without children.  His daughter never married and had no children.  She died in 2016 in Texas.  She is buried in the same cemetery as her father (Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery).  He had come to live with her in his final years.

 

The last 2 medals pictured are a badge for the "Military Surgeons of the United States" and the Washington DC WWI medal (where he was living at the time.)

 

An interesting recent development is that Mendelson is among the 202 Black, Latino, Jewish, Native American and Asian servicemen from WWI currently under review by an act of Congress to determine if they were wrongly denied the Medal of Honor in WWI.

 

https://gsr.park.edu/service_members/joseph-aaron-mendelson-md/

 

His DSC is missing as you can see.  I have found a reference which states he was awarded DSC number 7645 (but that 7853 was "always with the group").  Here: http://dscdatabase.com/page/405

His Find a Grave entry includes a photo of the back of his DSC and PH.  I have contacted the person who uploaded it but have not heard back.  The cross in the picture is unnamed.  It appears to be numbered but I can't make it out.  The number appears to be lower right arm?  (Weren't WWI DSCs lower left?)  Here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3034749/joseph-aaron-mendelson

 

Assuming I can't locate "his" DSC, I'd like add one to complete the group.  I've thought about finding an untraceable WWI example or maybe just a French made example from WWI.  Thoughts?

 

 

 

 

[67Rally]

Incredible history and a fantastic group! I hope you can locate the DSC!

[scottplen]

Incredible group !

[illegitimi non carborundum]

Thanks very much.  The group has been a treasure trove of research.  Many many articles from newspapers (NYC, Pittsburgh, Dayton, etc.) 

 

I am assuming when his daughter died in 2016 his items must have been sold off.  By whom I'm not sure, there seems to have been no living family members. 

 

The letter from Stillwell is not with me sadly, its from an online auction.  

 

I've been in contact with the Robb Center in MO which is doing the Valor Review Project.  They haven't gotten to the M's yet but when they do I am hoping to help them out with their efforts.  Here is a link to a Washington DC local news report about the project from this past memorial day that mentions Mendelson.

https://wjla.com/features/7news-salutes/project-aims-to-posthumously-award-medals-of-honor-to-jewish-and-non-white-servicemembers

 

Another question I have is about the Army Commendation Medal.  Any chance a citation exists somewhere?

 

 

 

 

[dhcoleterracina]

There is a sub section in medals here called reuniting broken medal groups, you should post this there as well. 

 

DSC's can have numbers on both sides depending on the manufacturer. The Purple Heart looks to have been the original issue and looks correct except someone re-ribboned it. (I'm more of a purist and prefer things be left alone). 

 

For the moment, you could temporarily add a French DSC which would probably be less than a DSC from the unknown range. The original might show one day. Good luck. 

[aerialbridge]

That's a heckuva group and entrance as a new medal collector member.  Welcome!-  and what do you do for an encore?   Seriously,  great research and post more.

Excellent handle.  I've been using the Latin and English translation for 45 years.

[illegitimi non carborundum]

I was initially attracted to the group because of the 77th Division connection.  His WW2 service has proved even more interesting.  I do love a group with a foreign medal or two and the Chinese Order of the Cloud and Banner is fantastic looking.  

 

Normally I don't post my collection but I was struck by his story and thought it needed to be shared so his legacy would continue.  

 

The "latin" motto of my handle was Joe Stilwell's personal motto: "Don't let the bastards grind you down".

 

I chuckle at the letter from Stilwell.  Today your doctor giving you a box of cigars might not be taken so well. I'm sure the "tough" reference must refer to some inside joke.  

 

Below is a picture of Mendelson (right) with two Chinese officials.  It is from a ABMAC Bulletin (American Bureau of Medical Aid to China - part of United China Relief) from 1942.

 

I wonder if they upgrade his DSC to a MOH, if they will give it to me? 😀

[aerialbridge]

48 minutes ago, illegitimi non carborundum said:

 

I wonder if they upgrade his DSC to a MOH, if they will give it to me? 😀

 

 That seems right to me, if there's no family around, the caretaker should get it.   😁   Hope to see more of your collection.  Consider this a virtual museum. 

[illegitimi non carborundum]

A better view of the PH naming.

[illegitimi non carborundum]

A few of the newspaper pieces about him.