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All-In [48676]
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Easter story or war story?(Or bored story?)
Apr 10, 2020, 4:36 PM
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After being in Walter Reed Army Hospital from October 1970 to March 1971 with my left leg in traction, my doctor told me the bone had regenerated to the point that I should be able to finally try walking again soon. Another guy on my ward had a similar but not as serious injury and had gone home on leave in January only to return by ambulance after re-breaking his femur so I wasn't too confident that I was ready to give it a try. My doc was Jewish but I was able to make a deal with him that I would wait a bit longer to finally end my 6 months on my back. We agreed that I would arise from the bed on Easter Sunday.... and that's what I did a month later. ( but used crutches for several months afterwards.)
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Hall of Famer [22127]
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Re: Easter story or war story?(Or bored story?)
Apr 10, 2020, 4:40 PM
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Thanks for your service Clover. That was another Easter gift, two great things to remember.
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All-In [48676]
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Stay safe Joe - there is some good football ahead.***
Apr 10, 2020, 4:42 PM
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Legend [18407]
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Re: Easter story or war story?(Or bored story?)
Apr 10, 2020, 6:00 PM
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Said it before but can't be stated enough how much all of Tiger nation appreciate your service. Call it what you want, but one we needed to hear. Thank you for sharing. Stay safe.
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CU Medallion [53368]
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How did you break it?***
Apr 10, 2020, 6:47 PM
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All-In [48676]
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Rifle bullet entered back of leg above my knee and
Apr 10, 2020, 7:53 PM
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traveled up the bone exiting in the front of my leg just below the hip joint, shattering about 8 inches of the femur. The only thing it missed was my femoral artery in which event I would have bled out - I actually waited about 45 seconds before calling the medic because I thought he might not be able to help. Was after dark so we were all lying on the ground when the first shots were fired so that's how the bullet traveled from the knee to the hip areas. Darkest night ever on planet Earth - sort of a scary chopper ride, especially the way I had to get into it from the steep mountain side.
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Legend [18407]
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Re: Rifle bullet entered back of leg above my knee and
Apr 11, 2020, 8:51 AM
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Wow. What a story. Easter miracle for sure. I'd take a gander a doc or few have said how the fragments of the bullet or bone splinters didn't penetrate your artery is miraculous... As well as stopping just short of lodging in your hip joint. Which would have probably killed you as well. Thanks for sharing.
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All-In [48676]
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A second bullet passed through a small tree and then
Apr 11, 2020, 11:06 AM
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hit my left arm along with wood splinters. I still have part of the bullet under the skin in the bend of my elbow - it gets on top of a vein or artery a lot and makes the skin bulge out - easy to feel it- grosses out some people when I show them.
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CU Medallion [53368]
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OK. This is going to be good for a vinegar pie if we get to
Apr 13, 2020, 6:36 AM
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tailgate this fall!!
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All-In [48676]
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I would sit down and eat most any kind of pie until
Apr 13, 2020, 11:09 AM
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I get sick if it would guarantee that we get through this virus stuff and have a normal Fall. ( I do remember eating an entire pecan pie as a teen and was so sick afterwards that I couldn't even look at one for a couple of years.)
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All-TigerNet [10526]
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Re: Easter story or war story?(Or bored story?)
Apr 13, 2020, 11:26 AM
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Thanks Clover!
I was in the Naval Hospital in Guam for about a month in the summer of 1970 ...... not in nearly as bad a shape as you. I was on the floor with with about 10 other officers, all of 1st or 2nd Lts. Most of us were mobile enough that we didn't have any trouble getting around and one thing we took advantage of was the officer's mess which had great food ..... and a lot of it. One of our guys was a Recon platoon leader and a piece of shrapnel had severed a nerve in his jaw and one side of his face was numb. Watching him try and east soup was hilarious (even to him) as we all knew that the prognosis was that the nerve would eventually grow back and was temporary. Long story short, we all gained so much weight, that our doctor made us start running laps around the hospital to get in shape before he would release us to go back to Viet Nam.
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All-In [48676]
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A nerve in my arm was cut and
Apr 13, 2020, 8:07 PM
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I couldn’t lift my hand at the wrist or move my fingers in the direction to open them - could close my fist though- took about 5 months for that nerve to regenerate. Had a brace with rubber bands hooked to my fingers & hand so I could still use them until then.
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Hall of Famer [22257]
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I always feel like such a big fat wuss when I read stories like this.
Apr 13, 2020, 10:11 PM
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Working 3rd shift in a cotton mill with no A/C just doesn't cut it. Thanks for your service & sacrifice.
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All-In [48676]
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Don’t feel that way at all - before the Army
Apr 13, 2020, 10:41 PM
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I did swing shifts at a textile plant and the 3rd shift kicked my rear end - usually started feeling sick about 3:00 AM - wasn’t tough enough for that
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Varsity [229]
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Re: Easter story or war story?(Or bored story?)
Apr 14, 2020, 8:24 AM
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Clover, where you at ?
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All-In [48676]
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At home***
Apr 14, 2020, 12:30 PM
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Replies: 15
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