Sgt Grit,
Most Marines today haven't seen the Dental drill used by the Dentist's working the Islands during World War II, and the Dentist's working the Korean War specially during the beginning of the War. The Dentist's drill was pump actuated by the Dentist while he ground on your teeth as can be seen in the picture. My first Dentist after I retired had been an Army Dentist, he told me about getting out of Dental College and going in the Army, then he was set up with several other Dentists and they worked from dawn to dusk on Soldiers going overseas, getting experience. Then he was supplied with a Jeep and trailer and a driver. He landed at Normandy on "D" plus 5, then followed units of his Division across France and Germany. He would go to the unit selected by Hdqtrs. set up his pump actuated Dental Drill and go to work. He told me how good he got with the pump machine, nothing like a powered Dental drill but it worked good.
When I went to the Dentist and saw him working on a Marine, I went back to my unit and waited until the power units were working in the rear areas. I never had a bad Naval Doctor or Dentist. I heard all kinds of horror stories during and after my career, always wondering why a Naval Doctor. As an example in Vietnam, a Marine was hit by a M80 grenade and it was inside his body, the danger of it exploding is always there, but he went ahead and operated, removing the grenade and transferring it to a EOD man behind him who was advising.
I saw a Dentist who was working on a Korean Vet that had been hit in the jaw with a .45 bullet that had come from a Chinese Soldier. The Dentist had to remove what teeth he could so they could operate and bring his face back into semblance. I treasure my memories of the Naval Doctors, Dentist and Corpsmen I served with, mostly remembering when I ingested radiation and the Naval Doctor told me they had no training for this, but gave me his idea of what he thought best I do. I did as he told me, within days my white blood count went down, my hair stopped falling out and my finger nails went smooth. Woman Dentists you say… what a treat that would be.
GySgt. F. L. Rousseau, USMC Retired.