The navigator and bombardier crawl under the flight deck through a small tunnel covered with thin aircraft plywood to the forward part of the plane. They complete their checks, carrying their parachutes with them, and go to the waist positions for takeoff. The bombardier says that our bombload is 10 500-pound bombs. We are light. The engineer checks his slip stick for weight and balance, to verify where the crew should be placed for takeoff. Normally, the navigator and bombardier would be on the upper flight deck for takeoff, but not today. The radar set and its operator will occupy the whole left side of the flight deck directly behind the pilot. The viewing tube of the set is a large cathode-ray tube, resembling an early television set.
By now, the flight engineer has completed his weight and balance calculations and has verified them with the aircraft commander. My checkouts are complete, as well. I leave the plane to make a last-minute pit stop, consult with the armorer and get three empty fuse cans, which I stow alongside my seat. I see the double-green flares are in the sky, signaling us to start our engines. The pilot leans out of his window and yells, "Clear left!" The co-pilot does the same for his side and yells, "Clear right!" The flight engineer verifies that fire guards (ground crewmen) are in place, and the pilot says, "Start No. 3!" I hear the thud of the inertia starter and the whine begins; the co-pilot holds the button to the "energize" position and the whine increases to a high-pitched scream. The co-pilot adjusts the magnetos, yells, "Contact!" and the propeller blades begin to move slowly. The engine backfires, belches smoke and fire, then the blades turn into a blur with a yellow ring around the outside.
The procedure is repeated until all the propellers are turning. The ground crew removes the wheel chocks, and after some more checking, a blast of the engines gets us moving. We assume our place in line, lurching and waddling along like some prehistoric, noisy, fire-belching dragon. The brakes hiss and squeal like an old, worn-out Mack truck in need of a brake job. The noise level in the cockpit is so high that we find it necessary to use the intercom for all communications. We finally reach the run-up area, angle away from the plane astern of us and perform the engine checks.
When we are finally ready to leave the ground, we go through the usual takeoff procedures. Once we're airborne, the wheels are retracted, and we verify that all wheels are up and locked and their doors are closed. We are soon at 2,000 feet and climbing at the rate of 200 feet per minute. I remember my flight instructor telling me that the engines should not be worked more than necessary in order to reduce the chance of engine failure. This point in the mission, outside of actual combat, is one of the most dangerous. Many planes are climbing to formation altitude, and when we enter clouds at about 10,000 feet, we cannot see the aircraft around us. I know there have been incidents where two planes have collided, and I am relieved when we are above the clouds. We reach 20,000 feet, the assigned formation assembly altitude, and move into our position. All the gunners move to their positions and check their weapons.
Flying a B-24 is not particularly difficult, but formation flying is a whole different story. The plane is a bear to handle, and depending on its position in the formation, either the pilot or co-pilot must look across the cockpit to monitor the ship off the wing. You fly with one hand on the throttles and the other hand on the wheel. About a 20- or 30-minute stretch is all the average pilot can stand. The aircraft is equipped with what is called a formation stick. The pilot engages the autopilot and then uses his left hand to move the short control stick -- the same as moving the joystick in a single-engine fighter. Pilots say this takes a lot of burden from formation flying. It is a great device as long as the C-1 autopilot operates correctly.
"Navigator to crew, Dutch coast coming up." We skirt the German-held island of Helgoland because it is heavily fortified with anti-aircraft batteries. I see some telltale black bursts off our wing, and one of the waist gunners sings out, "Two planes have taken hits." I wonder why our lead crews don't give that darned island more leeway.
"Right waist gunner to pilot, one Liberator is in trouble." We count three parachutes; there goes the plane -- it has fallen into a spin. We are at 26,000 feet, so I calculate 1 1/2 minutes to eternity for the remainder of the crew on the doomed plane. Once a plane has fallen into a spin, escape is just about impossible for the crew in the forward part of the plane. Imagine yourself trying to crawl up a vertical wall that is spinning around -- that is what the crew is trying to do. Our tail gunner advises that the plane has crashed into the North Sea. A sight like that is not exactly a morale booster.
The nose gunner calls for an oxygen check. All the crew members respond in sequence, indicating that everyone is OK. We are flying in a cloudless sky and will be approaching our target from the north. Clouds are beginning to build ahead of our formation. The weather officer appears to have been right. Our Mickey operator will earn his keep today if we have to deal with clouds. I glance over and notice that his eyes are glued to his screen, monitoring our progress.
After our brush with anti-aircraft batteries on Helgoland, the mission has settled down to almost a milk run, with very little enemy opposition. The second cup of coffee that I enjoyed for breakfast has made me glad to have my fuse cans next to me. I glance up and see the pilot climbing out of his seat. Directly behind his seat is the relief tube, and he uses it. The tube drains along the bottom of the aircraft, and at our speed of 180 mph, creates a spray that freezes all over the ball turret. Forgetting that we had a ball gunner today, the pilot neglected to call the waist gunners and tell them to wind up the ball turret. As a result, I get a call from one very angry ball-turret gunner wanting to know who was pissing in his face. It is all I can do to keep from laughing. A glance at the free air temperature gauge indicates minus 40 degrees. Who says this is a glamour service?
The ground is now completely obscured by cloud cover, but we are flying in brilliant sunshine above the clouds. The weather officer was right. It is a plus for us that we've had no fighter opposition. Jerry is grounded due to bad weather. It is now 10 a.m. -- two hours to the target.
"Upper turret to pilot, B-24 off our left wing just feathered No. 1 engine. He is dropping back and losing altitude." The tail gunner calls and says the plane has just jettisoned its bombs. A few moments later, the tail gunner calls, "He just feathered No. 4 engine; he is changing course." Then we hear, "Pilot to crew, the B-24 that lost Nos. 1 and 4 engines is going to Sweden." The Swedes and the Swiss will let Allied planes land if they are having mechanical trouble and cannot make it to their home base. The plane and the crew will be interned for the duration of the war. Not a bad choice -- better than going down into the North Sea. I understand that Sweden is the land of blondes. The thought crosses my mind that maybe there was nothing wrong with that plane, maybe the crew decided that they had had enough. This is not the first time that the Army Air Forces has had planes leave formation for an unknown destination. If the crewmen decide among themselves that they have had enough, or even if the pilots make such a decision, it is not a difficult job to fake mechanical trouble or sabotage the plane and enter a neutral country.
There is a great deal of boredom in flying combat, almost a lull before the storm. Then the navigator calls out to the pilot, "Thirty minutes to target." I look out my window -- complete cloud cover. Just a sea of white below us. Without the Mickey operator along today, we would have to scrub the mission because of inability to see the target. The bombardier and radar operator are engaged in a discussion about the target. I'm on my assigned radio frequency, a direct contact with the base. However, I only listen; I do not acknowledge any radio contact. I'm in my own little world as we drone along.
"Radar to pilot, I have identified the target. We are about 10 minutes out."
"Pilot to radio, get ready to open bomb doors."
"Radio to pilot, how about flak suits?"
"Pilot to radio, never mind the suits."
I descend to the lower flight deck next to the bomb-bay door lever and crouch next to the bomb doors. The call comes over the intercom, "Open bomb doors," and I press the lever. The four big doors roll up the sides of the plane like the lids of roll-top desks. All I can see below are clouds. The radar operator is in direct contact with the bombardier; I hear his voice as the radar operator gives instructions to the bombardier. The bombardier is making cruise corrections -- flying the plane with his control. The radar operator stays steady and clear on his directions. I hear him say, "Steady now," and his next words are "Bombs away!" I feel the plane lurch upward, then I verify all bombs have been dropped and reach for the door lever.
"Tail to pilot, flak directly astern of the plane." We are diving and turning away from the target; the flak stays with us. The German gunners are good. They know our action after bombs away and have compensated for it. With the next flak burst, it feels like something has lifted the tail of the plane. The next burst is a loud "Ka-blam!" The left wing goes up to about a 45-degree angle, and the pilot corrects to bring the wing level.
"Waist to pilot, No. 2 engine smoking bad." "Top turret to pilot, what's our oil pressure on No. 2?" "Co-pilot to engineer, oil pressure is a little low." "Engineer to pilot, we've been hit in the oil system on No. 2 engine. Continue to operate the engine, monitor the oil pressure. When the pressure begins to fluctuate, feather the engine." The smoke from the engine comes from a leak that is hitting the exhaust collector ring. "Engineer to co-pilot, does the engine check out OK otherwise?" "Co-pilot to engineer, manifold pressure is down about 10 psi, rpm is down about 400." "Engineer to pilot, my advice to you if it means anything is to continue to run the engine as I suggested; the decision is yours." "Pilot to co-pilot, feather No. 2 engine. Give me a little more boost on the other three engines. We'll see if we can stay with the group." "Pilot to crew, damage reports." "Tail to pilot, the whole top is gone from my turret." "Left waist to pilot, left vertical stabilizer is damaged extensively, additional holes in fuselage." "Top turret, no further damage visible up here." "Engineer to pilot, no further oil smoke from No. 2 engine." "Radio to pilot, several large holes in the bomb bays, holes in the lower flight deck." "Pilot to navigator, any further damage?" "Navigator to pilot, no damage up here."
Despite the battle damage, the aircraft is performing OK. We are pulling a lot more power from the remaining engines and maintaining our position in the formation. The whole formation is beginning to descend to lower altitudes. I can see that the cloud cover is just below our plane now. The fact that the formation is losing altitude as a group enables us to keep up easier. "Engineer to pilot, fabric is tearing on left rudder; how is rudder control?" "Pilot to engineer, no loss of rudder control that I can feel." The formation is spreading out before entering the cloud cover. That stuff looks like pea soup. Once we enter the clouds, the pilot and co-pilot are on the gauges, maintaining a constant rate of descent until we get out of the thick clouds. Everyone stays alert. I have left my position and am standing between the pilot and co-pilot, to provide another pair of eyes watching for aircraft. We finally break out of the cloud cover and I see the French landscape. We are at 14,000 feet and still descending. The three remaining engines are running well -- a fine compliment to Pratt & Whitney engineering.
I realize that I'm cold, even though my heat control is at "maximum." I guess my electrically heated suit has failed. "Radio to co-pilot, is your heated suit working?" "Co-pilot to radio, negative, I'm froze." "Top turret to radio, I have no heat either." I'm silent for a moment. "Radio to engineer, does the generator on No. 2 engine supply current to our suits?" "Engineer to radio, you are right -- loss of No. 2 engine means loss of electrical power to some positions on the flight deck."
I go back to the liaison position on the intercom and continue to monitor my assigned frequency. In some ways, this is the loneliest job on the crew most of the time. You are completely unaware of intercom chatter. When anyone wants me, he must turn the control on the intercom box to "call" in order to override anything that I'm listening to. The altimeter indicates 12,000 feet, and I remove my helmet and oxygen gear, don my cap and headphones, snap a throat microphone around my neck, plug in my gear and continue to monitor the assigned frequency.
The free air temperature gauge indicates minus 16 degrees. It is now 3 p.m., three hours since we left the target. The lack of heat is beginning to affect me -- I'm darned near frozen. All I can think about is, "How can I do my duties for another two hours?" A glance out the window reveals the beautiful French landscape. We continue to descend at a gradual rate, still free of any enemy opposition. I'm daydreaming when I get a call from the pilot, requesting a weather report. We are over the Normandy coast. I break radio silence to ask for the base weather report. I change frequencies, snap on the transmitter and ask Old Buckenham Tower for the weather. After I answer questions about the challenge of the day and colors of the day, I receive the report -- which, as usual, is terrible. Visibility is down, with light blowing snow. I copy the report and forward it to the aircraft commander, then change back to my assigned frequency and continue my boring assignment.
Soon we are down to 4,000 feet and over the English Channel. The background static in my headphones is broken up by a loud, clear distress signal. I'm alert to the message -- a CHIPP call sent twice, followed by a loud, steady signal. A Boeing B-17 radioman has locked in his key. I forward the message to Air Sea Rescue, then give the downed plane's position to our navigator, who plots a course to the position given. Our B-24 banks away to a new course, and in a few minutes we spot the downed plane's crew getting into rubber rafts. We continue to circle for about 15 minutes, until we spot the Air Sea Rescue boat. When the boat arrives, we set a course for England. I feel good about our part in the rescue because, after all, we are flying a battle-damaged B-24 with only three fans turning.
In about 30 minutes we spot the English coast. Our base, Old Buckenham, is the first field in from the Channel. The rest of our group has already landed. We enter the pattern and start the normal prelanding checklists. We will come in with a little higher approach speed, due to one dead engine. The co-pilot makes contact on the 274N command set: "Flame Leap, this is Army 217 requesting landing instructions, over." "Army 217, this is Flame Leap, you are cleared to land." I hear the high-pitched whine of hydraulics as the landing gear comes down and is verified as locked; the flaps are coming down, too. I leave my position, start the APU, reach over the bomb doors and switch on the auxiliary hydraulic pump. Now I can see the end of the runway. The throttles come back, the gear touches, and we bounce once and touch again, but the nose wheel is still off the runway. Finally, the nose wheel is down, and the pilot gets on the binders hard. The Liberator slows down, and after one more hard brake application we slow enough to enter the taxiway.
The top hatch opens. The engineer is standing on the seat back of the radar operator's chair with his head and shoulders out of the hatch. He is in contact with the pilot by intercom. The ends of other wings are about 65 feet away. It is easy to misjudge the distance between our wingtips and those of other aircraft. We are following a jeep with a sign on the back that reads "Follow Me" to our hardstand. We obey the crew chief's signals that tell us where to park. The plane shudders as the three remaining fans come to a stop. The pilot and co-pilot complete their checklists, and the wheels are chocked by the ground crew.
The free air temperature is 20 degrees, but six hours with no heat is really a long time. I gather my gear into my flight bag while the pilot completes the required form and slides it into its metal container.
Additional Sources: 216.22.196.152
tinpan.fortunecity.com
www.wpafb.af.mil
www.liberatorcrew.com
www.brooksart.com
www.worldwar2pilots.com
www.military.cz
www.the467tharchive.org
On This Day In History
Birthdates which occurred on June 23:
1160 Johannes de Matha, French saint/founder (Trinitarians)
1763 Josephine Martinique, empress of France
1875 Carl Milles Uppsala Sweden, fountain sculptor (Wedding of Rivers)
1876 Irvin S Cobb Ky, writer/humorist (Old Judge Priest)
1884 Werner Krauss, Germany, actor (Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Joyless Street)
1887 John Finley Williamson Canton Ohio, conductor (Westminster Choir)
1894 Alfred Kinsey entomologist/sexologist (Kinsey Report)
1894 Duke of Windsor [King Edward VIII of England] (briefly in 1936)
1902 Dr Howard T Engstrom Boston, a designer of Univac computer
1904 Willie Mae "Mother" Smith, gospel singer/evangelist folk artist
1911 David Ogilvy advertising whiz (Ogilvy & Mathers)
1912 Alan Turing mathematician pioneer in computer theory (Turing Machine) (cracked the Enigma code in World War II)
1913 William P Rogers US secretary of state (1969-73)
1925 Art Modell, owner (Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Modells Stores)
1927 Bob Fosse Chicago Ill, choreographer/director (Cabaret, Damn Yankees)
1929 June Carter Cash Maces Spring Va, country singer (Johnny Cash Show)
1930 Donn F Eisele Columbus Ohio, Col USAF/astronaut (Apollo 7)
1933 Bert Convy game show host (Win, Lose or Draw)
1940 Wilma Rudolph US, 100m/200m sprinter (Olympic-gold-1960)
1948 Clarence Thomas, Savannah Ga, 108th US Supreme Court Justice (1991- )
1970 Tasmanianred ushered into the world to the sound of bells pealing and the huzzahs of 10's of thousands of telemarketers.
"What most persons consider as virtue, after the age of 40 is simply a loss of energy."
Deaths which occurred on June 23:
1137 Adalbert I, archbishop of Mainz (1111-1137), dies
1817 Otto Carl Erdmann Kospoth, composer, dies at 63
1916 Victor Chapman, US legionaire/WW I pilot, killed
1945 Lt Gen Ushijima, Japanese commander, commits suicide at Okinawa
1972 Elton Britt country singer (Sat Night Jamboree), dies at 54
1973 Fay Holden actress (Mother-Andy Hardy films), dies at 77
1980 Sanjay Gandhi, Indian politician, dies
1995 Jonas Salk, biologist (Polio vaccine), dies of heart failure
1996 Andreas George Papandreou, PM of Greece (1981-89, 93-96), dies at 76
1997 "Wino" Willie Forkner, biker (Wild One), dies of heart attack at 77
1997 Betty Shabazz, widow of Malcolm X, suffering from burns, dies at 63
1998 Maureen O’Sullivan, film actress dies (Jane-Tarzan movies, Marion Drew-Bonzo Goes to College, Norma-Hannah and Her Sisters)
2001 Yvonne Dionne, one of three remaining Dionne quintuplets, died at age 67
GWOT Casualties
Iraq
24-Jun-2003 7 | US: 1 | UK: 6 | Other: 0
US Specialist Cedric Lamont Lennon Baghdad Non-hostile - not reported
UK Lance Corporal Thomas Richard Keys Majar al-Kabir Hostile - hostile fire
UK Sergeant Simon A. Hamilton-Jewell Majar al-Kabir Hostile - hostile fire
UK Corporal Russell Aston Majar al-Kabir Hostile - hostile fire
UK Corporal Paul Graham Long Majar al-Kabir Hostile - hostile fire
UK Corporal Simon Miller Majar al-Kabir Hostile - hostile fire
UK Lance Corporal Benjamin John M. Hyde Majar al-Kabir Hostile - hostile fire
Afghanistan
A Good Day
http://icasualties.org/oif/ Data research by Pat Kneisler
Designed and maintained by Michael White
On this day...
0930 World's oldest parliament, the Iceland Parliament, established (Althing)
1295 Pope Boniface VIII enters Rome
1298 Duke Albrecht von Habsburg chosen Roman Catholic German king
1683 William Penn signs friendship treaty with Lenni Lenape indians in Pennsylvania; only treaty "not sworn to, nor broken"
1757 Robert Clive defeats Indians at Plassey, wins control of Bengal
1760 Battle of Landshut, Silesia
1775 1st regatta held on Thames, England
1776 Final draft of Declaration of Independence submitted to US Congress
1784 1st US balloon flight (13 year old Edward Warren)
1810 John Jacob Astor organizes Pacific Fur Co (Astoria, Oregon)
1836 Congress approves the Deposit Act, which contained a provision for turning over surplus federal revenue to the states
1845 The congress of the Republic of Texas votes to accept annexation by the US after 10 years as an independent republic
1848 Bloody insurrection of workers in Paris
1860 Congress establishes the Government Printing Office
1860 US Secret Service created
1863 Tullahoma campaign, TN
1863 Confederate forces overwhelmed a Union garrison at the Battle of Brasher City in Louisiana
1865 At Fort Towson, Gen Stand Watie surrenders last sizeable army
1868 Christopher Latham Sholes patents "Type-writer"
1884 Chinese Army defeats the French at Bacle, Indochina
1903 M Wolf discovers asteroid #512 Taurinensis
1915 Yanks get record 16 walks & 3 wild pitches beat A's Bruno Hass, 15-0
1924 V Albitzkij discovers asteroid #1022 Olympiada
1925 Landslides create 3-mile long "Slide Lake" (Gros Ventre Wyoming)
1930 Chicago Cubs beat Philadelphia Phillies 21-8
1938 Civil Aeronautics Authority (US) established
1938 Marineland opens in Florida-1st aquarium
1939 Bronko Nagurski beats Lou Thesz in Houston, to become wrestling champ
1943 RAF discovers Werner von Brauns V1/V2-base in Peenemunde
1945 Last organized Japanese defiance broken (Tarakan)
1944 4 tornadoes strike Appalachia, killing 153
1944 Thomas Mann becomes a US citizen
1947 Truman's veto of Taft-Hartley Act overridden by congress
1949 1st 12 women graduate from Harvard Medical School
1950 Yanks & Tigers hit record 11 HRs, Tigers win 10-9
1951 British diplomats Guy Burgess & Donald Maclean flee to USSR (SHOCK)
1951 Most expensive US hailstorm ($1.5M crop damage & $14M property-Kansas)
1952 US Air Force bombs power plants on Yalu River, Korea
1954 122ø F, Overton, Nevada (state record)
1955 Walt Disney's "Lady & the Tramp" released
1956 Gamal Abdel Nasser "elected" president of Egypt
1961 Cubs Ernie Banks ends his 717 consecutive-games-played streak
1961 USAF Maj Robert M White takes X-15 to 32,830 m
1963 Julius Boros wins golf's US Open
1963 NY Mets Jimmy Piersall, hits his 100th HR, he circles bases backwards
1964 Gen Maxwell Taylor appointed US ambassador in South Vietnam
1967 Jim Ryun sets mile record of 3 min, 51.1 sec (Bakersfield, CA)
1967 US Senate censures Thomas J Dodd (D-Ct) for misusing campaign funds
1969 Joe Frazier beats Jerry Quarry for the heavyweight boxing title
1969 Warren E Burger sworn in as Supreme Court Chief Justice
1970 Charles Rangel defeats Adam Clayton Powell in Democratic primary (Meet the new boss, same as the old boss)
1970 Rocker Chubby Checker arrest for marijuana pocession
1972 Nixon & Haldeman agree to use CIA to cover up Watergate
1972 Pres Nixon signs act barring sex discrimination in college sports
1976 CCN Tower in Toronto, tallest free-standing structure (555 m) opens
1979 The Charlie Daniels Band releases "Devil Went Down to Georgia"
1981 33-inning game ends, Pawtucket 3, Rochester 2
1981 Amanda Maccaro becomes 1st American to win Russian Ballet Competition
1981 NYC mayor Koch turns down a $7,500 offer to perform comedy
1982 -117ø F; All time low at the South Pole
1982 Himmy, of Australia, weighs in at domestic cat record 20.7 kg (45 lb)
1983 US Supreme Court ruled Congress could not veto presidential decisions
1985 Bomb destroys Air India Boeing 747 in air near Ireland, 329 die
1986 Tip O'Neill refuses to let Reagan address House
1987 W Landgraf discovers asteroid #3683 Baumann
1988 Yank manager Billy Martin's 5th term ends, Lou Pinella named manager
1990 A rally to save Alien Nation from cancellation held at Statue of Liberty
1990 TV Guide selects Arsenio Hall as TV personality of the year (Who?)
1992 Mafia boss John Gotti, who was nicknamed the "Teflon Don" after escaping unscathed from several trials during the 1980s, was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty on fourteen accounts of conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering.
1993 Lorena Gallo Bobbitt amputates husband's John Wayne Bobbitt's...equipment
1994 A U.N.-approved French intervention force crossed into civil war-torn Rwanda.
2002 Two major Arizona wildfires merged and by the next day had consumed 330,000 acres and moved close to the town of Show Low (population 8,000) that had been evacuated. (Here we go again)
2003 Former Vermont Gov. Howard "the duck" Dean announced that he's running for president
2004 In Iraq Polish forces purchased 17 rockets for a Soviet-era launcher and two mortar rounds containing the nerve agent cyclosarin for an undisclosed sum.
Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"
Denmark : Midsummer Eve
Finland, Latvia, Scandinavia : Midsummer Eve/St John's Eve
Luxembourg : Official birthday of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Ireland : Day of Cuchulaine
National Sheriff's Week (Day 4)
National Pink Day
Males only : Protect Your Manhood Day
Triumph Over Adversity Day
Ragweed Control Month
Religious Observances
RC, Ang : Vigil (eve) of St John the Baptist
RC : Feast of St Audrey (St Ethelreda), virgin
RC : Commemoration of St Joseph Cafassio, Italian priest
Religious History
1415 Bohemian reformer and martyr Jan Hus wrote in a letter: 'It is difficult to...esteem it all joy in various temptations. It is easy to talk about...but difficult to fulfill it.'
1683 English Quaker William Penn signed his famous treaty with the Indians of Pennsylvania. Voltaire once remarked that it was the only treaty never sworn to, and never broken.
1738 Birth of Samuel Medley, English Baptist clergyman and author of the hymn, 'O Could I Speak the Matchless Worth.'
1775 Anglican hymnwriter John Newton wrote in a letter: 'True religion is not a science of the head so much as an inward and heartfelt perception.... Here the learned have no real advantage over the ignorant.'
1967 Paul VI issued the encyclical 'Sacerdotalis Caelibatus,' reaffirming the Catholic Church's requirement of celibacy with the priesthood.
Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.
Man Wakes Up With Bullet In Tongue
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There's a good reason Wendell Coleman woke up with a splitting headache: he had been shot.
Police in Jacksonville report Coleman walked 12 blocks to a hospital the other day after waking up with a very bad headache. His lip was swollen, he appeared to have powder burns and he had trouble speaking.
Doctors found a bullet in Coleman's tongue. He told police a woman stuck a gun barrel in his mouth during an argument late the night before. Coleman said he heard a gun go off, but then went home and went to sleep not realizing he had been shot.
Police said they are looking for a suspect, but besides the bullet, don't have much to go on.
Thought for the day :
"The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more."
When a professional musician nicknamed "Happy" became a Christian, he quit playing in nightclubs and offered his services to a rescue mission. Some time later, he received a phone call from a club manager who wanted to hire him to do a show that would have brought in a lot of money. But Happy turned down the offer, telling the manager that he would be playing at the mission. Happy said, "He congratulated me. That surprised me. Here was a man who wanted me to play for him and he was congratulating me for refusing his offer." The manager respected Happy's decision.