Myself at Daily Ambulance Maintenance Task | Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs
We had 16 daily tasks to do, one every day, in order to keep our ambulances in good working order.
One day, while I was waiting for Dr. Saleman to finish his clinic in a tiny village, I did what I thought was cleaning the distributor. When I put it all back together, the engine wouldn’t start. There we were in a tiny mud village on the edge of the Syrian-Iraqi Desert, about 100 miles from any auto mechanic; and our only vehicle wouldn’t start! We couldn’t leave the vehicle there unattended.
Dr. Saleman correctly diagnosed that I had inadvertently got some dirt between the breaker points. He asked if I had some fine sandpaper to clean the points properly. I didn’t. Ever-resourceful, he requested some from the older Arab men. (He knew that they all kept sandpaper to clean their guns.) This worked, and we got home before dark. I learned a lesson!
(Photo was taken by C. P. Edwards.)
Location: Selemiye, Syria.
Series 1: Photographs, 1943-2004 Subseries 1A: Middle East, ca. 2002-2004 Folder 1: Photographs (Digital Files, ME 1-31a, ME 1-31b), ca. 2002-2004Ambulances
American Field Service (American Ambulance Field Service)
Cobb, John C. (John Candler), II, 1919-2016
World War, 1939-1945