Comments on: At least 50 percent of ambulance services nationwide were being provided by morticians https://www.isegoria.net/2026/07/at-least-50-percent-of-ambulance-services-nationwide-were-being-provided-by-morticians/ From the ancient Greek for equality in freedom of speech; an eclectic mix of thoughts, large and small Sun, 19 Jul 2026 00:59:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 By: Bob Sykes https://www.isegoria.net/2026/07/at-least-50-percent-of-ambulance-services-nationwide-were-being-provided-by-morticians/comment-page-1/#comment-3762604 Bob Sykes Sun, 19 Jul 2026 00:59:15 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=54525#comment-3762604 One of the reasons for the existence of EMT’s was the inability of medics and corpsmen from the Vietnam War to get work as nurses in hospitals and clinics. Nurses and their professional associations adamantly opposed formal recognition of the emergency skills of the men who had served in the war. Eventually EMT’s were added to fire departments as a way of letting the men use their skills, much to the benefit of everyone.

The nurses’ resistance to recognizing these men was especially churlish and selfish, but that sordid episode is nowadays forgotten.

There were a surprisingly large number of people who despised the returning veterans, so the nurses’ resistance was part of a larger unsavory reaction to the war, blaming the vets for getting drafted and actually serving.

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