patients in all hospitals. Local purchase of the sauce for each hospital was approved and was in the process of being procured at the end of 1968. During the year units of the Medical Brigade served a total of approximately 4,000,000 rations. Of these 1,700,000 were patient rations. Modified diets comprised approximately 9% of patients' rations. The starring guide utilized by Headquarters, USARV for the hiring of local Vietnamese National (LVN) personnel as mess attendants in the field ration messes in RVN presented a hardship to hospitals. The formula, allowing one LVN for the first 40 persons served and one employee for each 40 thereafter, was applied theater wide to messes without regard to the vastly different functions of hospital feeding. Several of the evacuation and field hospital messes were serving 650 - 700 rations per day including up to 200 bed patients with a total or 38 - 40 authorized military and civilian personnel. Other than the use of compartmented trays in lieu of China, the type of service, the menus ("A" rations) and the food service equipment were not markedly different from that found at the CONUS hospitals which would be staffed at least 100% higher. Recommendations, justification and job descriptions to obtain an increased author­ization for local national employees for food service to patients of the wards were submitted and action was pending at the end of the reporting period. Transporting and service of food to the ward bed patients continued to be a problem for food service personnel in RVN. Bulk food carts presently in the medical supply system were a satisfactory food transporting system only for those hospitals having covered ramps and cement walkways to wards. In the MUST units, the bulk food cart could not be rolled into wards due to the two high sills located at the entrance ways. Additionally, these hospitals were usually placed on terrain where hard surface walkways were unavail­able which also eliminated the use of mobile food carts. Since the introduction of the "A Ration" into the supply system in Vietnam on 8 September 1968, a new problem was experienced due to the lack of sufficient space on the bulk food cart for hot and cold food for bed patients. Nursing Services The mission of the Brigade Chief Nurse was to advise the brigade commander on all aspects of the nursing service program within the command; coordinate overall nursing