When I started my research, I found three monthly returns for the General Hospital in Washington, D.C., for David Nemetzky. He had been admitted on May 4, 1905 and was discharged on July 24, 1905. At that time, he was assigned to the 99th Company of the Coast Artillery Corps. For years, I have always wondered why he was in the Hospital for so long, as well as the cause for the extended admission. Recently, I obtained copies of the Carded Medical Records from the National Archives (the National Archives have recently reopened and returned to full operations after having reduced and shuttered their operations over the past two years), and these cards reveal the story of his early days in the Army.
David Nemetzky enlisted in the Army on January 14, 1904 at New York City and was sent to Fort Slocum, New York. According to his enlistment, he was 5 feet 3.5 inches. He was 22 years and 8 months old (placing his birth in June of 1881 - his date of birth changes throughout his military service, but that's another story). He was assigned to Troop A of the 7th Cavalry and arrived at Camp George H. Thomas, Georgia (15 miles south of Chattanooga, Tennessee) on February 11, 1904. On March 1, 1904, he was kicked by a horse. The medical card states that he suffered a 'single fracture of the 9th right rib, middle third.' This is the next to lowest rib that is connected to the ribcage and is next to the liver. The fracture would have been on his right side. He was in the Camp hospital for 15 days and released back to duty.
Three days later, he was admitted back to the hospital for lumbago (lower back pain) and spent another 10 days in the hospital and three days in quarters before being released back to duty at the end of March. Thigs did not get better. On April 5, 1904, he fell from off his horse at drill, spraining his right wrist. He spent the the day in the hospital. He returned to the hospital again on the 13th for the same injury and was released again to duty two days later. It seems that by this time, he had enough of the Cavalry. He deserted on April 17, 1904.
He surrendered to local authorities on May 21, 1904 at New Orleans, Louisiana, and was turned over to the military authorities the next day. When I found his military record and the available monthly returns for his unit, I always wondered why he deserted. Having his medical records and knowing the injuries he had suffered at the beginning of his military career, I now see why he deserted. I'm not sure how he made his way to New Orleans (as this was 1904, and travel would have either been largely by train, horse or foot), but I imagine he made his way to New Orleans so that he could catch a boat back home to New York. I'm not sure what made him surrender to the local authorities...perhaps he was in pain and going back to the Army would be the best way to get taken care of. Perhaps he didn't have any money and no way of working or getting back home.
After his surrender, he was held in confinement at Jackson Barracks in Louisiana from May 22, 1904 to June 17, 1904, when he was sent back to Camp Thomas. Following his return to Camp Thomas, he continued to serve in the Cavalry. However, on July 16, 1904, he requested a transfer to the Coast Artillery Corps. (As a side note, Family Search has a carded index of correspondence from and regarding US Soldiers from 1891 through 1916, and there are several index cards referencing correspondence for David Nemetzky. I have recently requested copies of the actual correspondence from the National Archives. Once I receive the copies of the actual correspondence, I will update this post accordingly.) His reason for his requested transfer was 'for the good of the service.' His request was granted, and he was transferred to the Coast Artillery Corps.
He arrived at Fort Morgan, Alabama on September 14, 1904, and assigned to the 99th Company of the Coast Artillery Corps. Fort Morgan is located on the very end of Mobile Bay on the Gulf Coast. However, his initial injuries had not healed and now he starting to grow physically worse. On September 22, 1904, he was hospitalized and diagnosed with 'Anaemia and general debility' resulting from his initial injury which he sustained back in March. He was physically weak, and it was likely that internal injuries had either gone unnoticed or undiagnosed. Again, this was 1904, and medical technology was not as advanced as it is today. Internal injuries would have been difficult to detect and treat, and were oftentimes fatal. There were no CT scans or surgeries or treatments (that we now know of today) that would have diagnosed or relieved these injuries.
He remained hospitalized throughout the remainder of 1904 (late September through the end of the year) and into 1905. He was experiencing pain in the left and right hypochondriac and umbilical regions (liver, kidneys and intestines). By April of 1905, he had been hospitalized for seven months. In addition to his original maladies, he was also suffering from 'myalgia of muscles of left shoulder and arm and left leg,' likely due to extended bed rest. On April 24, 1905, the commanding officer of Fort Morgan issued a certificate of disability and recommended that he be transferred to the Army General Hospital in Washington, D.C. (now Walter Reed Medical Center). (Again, this is part of the correspondence record that I have requested and am waiting for from the National Archives).
On May 3, 1905, he was transferred to the Army General Hospital in Washington, D.C., arriving there on May 4, 1905. Upon arrival there, he was evaluated and diagnosed with neurasthenia. This is a diagnosis that included fatigue, headache, weakness, anxiety and depression (among other symptoms - this type of diagnosis covered a wide array of symptoms and maladies and has long since been retired from medical use). More than likely, it would have been internal injuries that he sustained that caused his extended pain and suffering. He remained at the Army General Hospital in Washington, D.C. until July 24, 1905, by which time he had recovered from his illnesses and was able to return to active duty with his unit (I don't know what types of treatment he would have received). He arrived back at Fort Morgan, Alabama two day later.
He served with the 99th Company of the Coast Artillery Corps until March 14, 1906, when he transferred to the Hospital Corps and was assigned to Fort Morgan, Alabama. He served with the Hospital Corps until his discharge on May 28, 1907. Even though his enlistment was for three years, it is likely that he served the extra 4.5 months to make up the time for his desertion and imprisonment. He reenlisted on June 3, 1907 and served until September 25, 1909. This time, he served with Company B, 12th Infantry (where he seems to have faired much better physically) until February 20, 1909, when he transferred back to the Hospital Corps.
Following his discharge on September 25, 1909, David Nemetzky didn't reenlist again until March 30, 1911. This time, he was assigned immediately to the Hospital Corps, and served in the Hospital Corps (later Medical Department) until his final discharge on January 27, 1931. I've often wondered why he transferred to the Hospital Corps early in his Army career. I believe that this experience he went through is a large reason why. He had experienced the alleviation of pain and suffering at the hands of doctors and other trained medical personnel and wanted to contribute. It is also possible he wanted to be part of the Hospital Corps so he could be watched over and taken care of in case anything else happened to him.
As a side note, the military personnel records from 1912 and earlier are housed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The military records from the end of 1912 and later are housed at St. Louis (I don't know why the dividing line for where these records are housed is 1912, but that's how it is). In 1973, a fire destroyed more than 80% of the Army Official Military Personnel Records from 1912 through 1959 that were housed at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, including those of David Nemetzky (the enlisted personnel records for Navy and Marines from that timeframe still exist). There are other records that still exist that can help piece together Army enlisted personnel records (including Monthly Rosters from the end of 1912 through 1939 - which are currently being indexed and published on Family Search; VA Master Index Cards - also on Family Search; Court Martial Records; Troopship Manifests - as found on Ancestry; and Final Payment Vouchers; all of which I have found) that have helped me put together David Nemetzky's Army record.
The records that exist in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., that I have found (and am hoping to obtain) are enlistment papers and rolls, description and assignment cards, carded hospital records (which is where much of this post comes from and are shared below), and correspondence. There are additional correspondence indexes from 1917 onward housed at the National Archives in Maryland, and I am hoping to receive these soon.
The VA Master Index Cards are index cards that identify whether there are claims files for veterans, primarily those who served during World War One. Some of these VA Claims Files are housed at St. Louis. However, many are housed elsewhere. I have finally located the VA Claims File for David Nemetzky (as well as those for my great-grandfathers who served in World War One). History Hub, a research website hosted by the National Archives, helped me locate these records, as well as verifying that these claims files still exist. Most contain claims for burial benefits, but I would imagine others, such as David Nemetzky's, contain pension information, as he served for a total of 25 years in the Army.
They explained to be that for many of the VA Claims Files, 'Even though these files are physically stored by the Federal Records Center program, because these files still belong to the VA, the VA is responsible for providing reference services for these records. You need to request the files from the VA under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The VA will then be responsible for locating records that are responsive to your request, and determining which information in the records is eligible for release under FOIA' and that I would have to contact the VA Baltimore Regional Office in Baltimore, Maryland. I have recently requested these claims files. I don't know when I will receive them, but I am hoping that I will receive them sometime this year.
Below are some of the carded medical records I have received from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The records I have received cover his time in the Cavalry (Feb-Sep 1904); Coast Artillery Corps (Sep 1904 - March 1906) and Infantry (Jun 1907 - Feb 1909). I have requested carded medical records from his time in the Hospital Corps (Mach 1906 - May 1907; Feb-Sept 1909 & April 1911 - Dec 1912) and hope to have those soon.
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