LB Once Had a U.S. Navy Hospital

 I was born in the original Long Beach Naval Hospital located on 7th Street in 1950. Actually, I was one of the last babies born there before the U.S. Navy left and turned over the hospital to the Veterans Administration.

Having a Naval Hospital was very important to a city and the politicians fought Washington when the naval hospital was closed. The City’s Public Health Officer, Dr. Litwack, told Congress that the closure was causing “an unsolvable problem to Long Beach” because it reduced the number of available hospital beds in the city that was home to tens of thousands of military families.

Congress did not appropriate money for a new hospital until 1960 and provided $9 million to build a 500-bed facility on land sold to the Navy by the city which was located at Carson and the San Gabriel River. The site of the hospital was first proposed to be where El Dorado Park West (2800 Studebaker) is located; but later changed to property owned by the Long Beach Water Department.

Interestingly enough, local physicians protested the opening of a 500-bed facility because they argued Long Beach did not need that many hospital beds.

The U.S. Naval Hospital was designed by Hugh Davies and Hugh Gibbs and opened in 1967 during the height of the Vietnam conflict.

Thousands of injured military were treated at the Long Beach Naval Hospital. I met one of them over coffee, thanks to former councilmember and now 5th District resident, Jerry Shultz. (Jerry has done so much work on behalf of veterans and is the “founder” of the Veterans Parade in North Long Beach.) Jerry brought him to talk with me because of my work on Rosie the Riveter Park and the LB Hometown Heroes banner project.

Jerry introduced me to John Doherty, a very successful trial attorney, who served as a Marine Corpsman in his early 20s. John was severely injured and almost died before he was transferred to the Long Beach Naval Hospital.

As I listened, John told the story of how he was injured and of his life-long gratitude to the doctors and nurses who treated his wounds and tried to heal his soul. He told me that every time he drives by the Towne Center, where the Naval Hospital stood until 1993, that he gives a “wave” and says “thanks.”

He then said he was concerned there are no plaques or memorials at the Towne Center to let people know what was there before movie theaters, restaurants and retail businesses. This is a man on a mission. A good mission.

The city owns the Towne Center property and Vestar manages and operates the Towne Center. There are plenty of places a kiosk could be installed that visually told the story of the hospital, its purpose and mission, stories of those who were patients and its decommissioning.

I followed up by introducing Mr. Doherty to local public artist, Terry Braunstein, and to Julie Bartollotto, executive director of the Historical Society of Long Beach, who are all figuring out how to make this happen.

 If you would like to help a decorated Vietnam veteran make his dream come true, please contact Jerry Shultz at jlshultz64@gmail.com or John Doherty at johndoherty@dohertycatlow.com. By the way don’t forget to thank them for their service to our country.

gerrie@beachcomber.news