Meeting a REAL hero ping!
Thanks for posting, 60Gunner. What happened to this gentleman?
Blurry very blurry.Thanks for posting gunner.
I just finished reading a book called, “Bomber Pilot” by Philip Ardery, where he gives a first-hand description of that raid and others from North Africa and also raids over Germany from England. Very good book.
My dad was a side gunner flying first out of Tunisia then Italy. Not on the Ploesti raid though.
That's all we ever want.
Thanks for posting. From the sounds of your history, you probably have lots of stories from your own experiences and those told to you by hero patients. God Bless You in all you do and please write more.
A few years ago, I was asked to drive a busload of about 30 VFW members to the start of a parade. As they got off the bus dressed in old uniforms and VFW hats holding shiny M1’s, they all thanked me for driving them 3 miles in a stupid bus. I told them that I couldn’t accept their thanks cause I owe them far more.
Ping to a great patriotic post by a master story teller.
If you haven’t had the privilege yet of reading 60gunner’s ER stories, you’re in for a treat.
God bless you for serving a hero. We need them now more than ever.
Another great story! Thanks! My kids tease me because I have so many old friends, but I love to listen to them and their stories.
Have you thought any more about doing your book? You really should. You’re in a position to capture these stories and memories, and you obviously have a great rapport with your patients.
I get teased alot about my overwhelming curiosity—if I was a cat I’d have long been dead! How else can you find out anything?! I hear the neatest stories because I am curious, and I enjoy listening to people.
Will you add me to your ping list, please? Thanks!
A great article for a great American, one of many. Thanks!
I enjoyed your story. People like you are also heroes for serving other people in such a caring way.
Many of my patients (VA Hospital) are WWII Vets. I find common traits among them. Those that endured some of the most horrific battles and also performed acts of great courage and honor are the most humble and gracious men you meet in the hospital. Although they may not personally know the Vet sitting next to them in a waiting room they treat each other like brothers. They do no brag about what they did and will commonly act like it was nothing.
One of my patients was a Bataan Death March survivor. I asked permission from him to ask him questions about the march and imprisonment. He graciously gave me permission. I asked him what was the difference in those that survived and those that did not. His answer was, “when you gave up you died.” I also asked him what keep him going. He said that, “that each day he lived was the only way he had of defying the Japanese.” One of his meds was changed and he went to the pharmacy to get it filled. I closed the door to the clinic and shut it down and went to the pharmacy and filled it myself and brought it to him. I said to him that he should not have to wait for anything as he has waited long enough. He graciously thanked me and shook my hand.
I am humbled by these old men. They were and are giants among men. We owe our freedom to these great men and we owe them our respect and help. They saved us.
bump
I assume the hero died, since there's no mention of him receiving treatment, though "his body was filing him fast". Too bad his reminiscing with you was cut short by an idiot with a self-inflicted medical emergency.
I don't like the priorities of our medical care system. Young irresponsible kids are "partying" and/or gangbanging their lives away, emboldened by well-placed confidence that if their dangerous and worthless activities veer off in a life-threatening direction, trained professionals will drop everything -- including elderly dying heroes -- to save them. In the long run, I think this ends up promoting a culture which kills a lot more of these young people than it saves.
Anybody who survived Ploesti AND the rest of WWII had angels flying wing...
Looks like “the golden hour” has more than one meaning.
Ask 1,000 high school seniors what the word “Ploesti” brings to mind. Maybe one or two might know. Most will think it’s the newest band or dance crew on MTV.
Those raids were long, and far, and fraught with danger. Yet men like your patient willingly climbed into what could be a flying coffin with ten other men to make the trip, not knowing if they would return to their bunk that night.
Ploesti was almost 64 years ago, so your patient had to be at least 84-85.
This is the generation that saved a world.
I hope the same can be said of us someday.
I have met a lot of Vets, but there is one that stands out, his name is Jim.
I don’t know his full story, but this I do know. He was an Army Ranger in Vietnam. His squad was on patrol one day and came across an enemy machine gun pit, a firefight started, most of his squad didn’t make it. Jim had to be Medivaced out. The Dr. removed 7 rounds from the machine gun, and patched him up and sent him home.
A few years later Jim was in a bad car accident, and broke his back and neck in 3 places, luckily there was only minor nerve damage. Jim started working for the VA about that time. A couple of years later Jim had a Heart Attack, and again the Drs. patched him up. But Jim had to go part-time.
Finally Jim just couldn’t work anymore from all the pain he was in. He applied for a Medical Retirement, he was denied because he had to many sick leave hours. He was told they could put him on extended sick leave until he had used up his hours. He said that would cause his co-workers to be short-handed, and Jim just couldn’t do that to his co-workers. Jim decided the best thing to do was resign, he did and left over 1500 hours of sick leave unused.
About 2 years after that Jim developed Lung Cancer, he fought it hard, but only lasted about 6 months.
I went to the funeral, they passed out little leaflets with Jim accomplishments, while I knew he had 1 Purple Heart, I didn’t know about the 2 others he had, or the fact he had been awarded 2 Bronze Stars, 1 with “V” devise, and 1 Sliver Star.
He is probably the most decorated man I ever met, and didn’t even know it.
When you visit a VA Hospital the man delivering the trays to the Patients just may be a bigger Hero than you think.
Jim’s job at the VA was delivering Trays to the patients, they don’t make ‘em like Jim anymore.