By 4 p.m., Commander McGonagle's wounds were giving him a great
deal of pain and he was suffering from loss of blood. The ship's doctor
had seen him on the bridge, but had made no effort to get him below to a
battle dressing station. "The Commanding Officer at that time was like a
rock upon which the rest of the men supported themselves," the doctor told
the court. "To know that he was on the bridge grievously wounded, yet
having the conn and helm and through the night calling every change of
course, was the thing that told the men 'we're going to live.' When I went
to the bridge and saw this, I should say that I knew that I could only insult
this man by suggesting that he be taken below for treatment of his wounds.
I didn't even suggest it."
Ensign Lucas told the court, "It would have taken ten men the doctor's
size to even begin to get him off the bridge."
"He was in great pain," Ensign Lucas testified, "there were several
times when he was still walking around, but it was obvious that he was in
great pain. He had lost a considerable amount of blood. At several times
he felt dizzy. He would not leave, but if he started to get dizzy he would
turn to me, or if Mr. Bennett or Mr. Painter were there, he would say this
is what course we're on, what speed to make. He would give instructions."
At about 4 p.m. he lay on the deck while others applied a tourniquet
to his thigh. At other times, when he felt faint, he lay on the deck of the
bridge wing with his leg propped high, and continued to conn the ship, some-
times by watching her wake.
Lieutenant Richard F. Kiepfer, MC, USN, of Brooklyn, New York, the
ship's medical officer, performed one major operation and gave emergency
treatment to wounded men as best he could. He manned the main battle
dressing station, together with one hospital corpsman, while the other corps-
man operated a secondary battle dressing station in the forward part of the
ship. Both stations were flooded with seriously injured men, and for a time
there was little opportunity to do more than give first aid. Bleeding was
stopped, men were given morphine for pain and treated for shock. Lung
wounds were treated to ease breathing. The most seriously wounded men
were transferred to the aircraft carrier AMERICA the following day. By that
time the doctor and his two corpsmen had been on their feet, giving emergency
treatment, for 28 hours. "Any time we needed one volunteer, we 'd get ten,”
he testified. "If anything had to be done ... there were hands everywhere.
When we asked for two pints of blood for transfusion, we had people on the
adjoining tables who were saying, 'If you need some, I have this type.'
These were people already wounded."
