Later in life, Jimmy would joke that “Smoking had saved his life.”
Saved my father’s life in Vietnam. Was a Flight Engineer on a C-123. Seated at his station, he tried to light his cigar. He dropped his lighter and bent over to pick it up. Suddenly he heard a loud explosion. He looked up and where his panel was and his head would have been if he didn’t drop his lighter was a big hole from enemy ground fire. He fixed the wires so the landing gear would come down. They landed safely and he was later awarded a DFC. He wasn’t impressed as he said he was just doing his job. Because of that he always maintained that smoking saved his life.
Got called to a medevac base in the IZ in 2005. Seems the IT guy that was support there was “no longer available”. Went in to where his office was and there was a card table and folding chair in the middle of the room with a laptop on it. Noticed keyboard keys on the floor. Got closer and the laptop, table and chair were all perforated. Between the table and chair was a mortar impact hole in the tile floor. I asked what happened. Was told the IT guy went out to take a smoke break and a round came in. Would have probably hit him on the head if he’d been there. He came in, took a look, went upstairs, packed his bags and was out on the next flight from BIAP.
I figure he’ll never stop smoking. “If I didn’t smoke I’d already be dead”.
There is a flying c-123 located in beaver falls,pa. It is stationed at the air heritage Museum. I got a personal tour of the plane last year.