#VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran John Victor Hash

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran John Victor Hash, who deployed multiple times for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

While in the Army, John Victor Hash served in the in Afghanistan, as a part of the 10th Mountain Division, 3^rd Brigade Combat Team. His task was to establish one of the first semi-permanent hospitals in Afghanistan.

Many soldiers succumbed to their injuries because they were unable to travel to full hospitals away from the war zones. This created a need for a small intensive care unit to provide immediate care. Hash worked with various engineering and medical equipment to set up the unit. Some of his tasks included figuring out how to move two-ton magnetic resonance imaging machines without the help of any other equipment. Hash also needed to create a safe environment to perform operations because canvas tents did not provide the necessary protection to treat the injured. He created a makeshift hospital by welding vans together. Aside from building the semi-permanent hospital, he also went on patrols and performed overwatch.

In Iraq, Hash noted that there was more open space than the urban environment in Afghanistan. This is where he experienced his first improvised explosive device attack. Fortunately, the explosive did not go off completely and Hash escaped safely.

He went on to work with the Army Test and Evaluation Command, where he worked on three missions to improve medical readiness assessment tools. Unfortunately, later in his service, another IED blast injured Hash, and he received neck fusion surgery.

After medically retiring from the Army, Hash volunteered with the nonprofit Operation Comfort to support wounded Veterans. He volunteered from 2012 to 2014 and became a full-time employee in 2014. His job is to reach out to Veterans struggling from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Thank you for your service!

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Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.

Contributors

Editor: Caroline Pellegrini

Fact checker: Brett Raffish

Graphic artist: Alyssa Morford