Air Base Declared Ready to Receive War’s Wounded

At this military installation near San Bernardino on Tuesday, 150 tightly spaced, neatly made beds covered a gymnasium floor. Each was equipped with a reading light and a neatly folded robe and pajama set.

With the medical staff on hand, the base commander declared Norton ready to receive casualties from the Persian Gulf War.

Although officials said they have been given no date for the beginning of a ground war, Col. Rodney Anzai, director of base medical services, said he had received instructions from Military Airlift Command headquarters at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., to get ready.

Norton has been designated the central receiving point for military wounded ultimately destined for hospitals in 12 Western states.

Anzai and base commander Col. Gary Underwood said plans call for casualties to be flown home to six such staging facilities across the country after they have been treated and their conditions stabilized at military hospitals in the Middle East or Europe.

Those flown to Norton will receive quick medical evaluations and then will be transferred, usually within 24 hours, to a military or Veterans Administration hospital.

Officially, families will not be able to visit the wounded at Norton, said chief nurse Col. Susan Yingling. However, Underwood said, family members arriving at Norton would not be turned away.

Casualties destined for nearby hospitals, such as the one at March Air Force Base or the VA hospital in Loma Linda, could be moved there within two hours of arrival here. Those who must be sent farther could remain at Norton for as long as a day or two.

Anzai said he does not expect all 150 beds to be used at once, although the hospital could quickly be expanded if necessary.