War heroes
War heroes
It is an appropriate time of year to talk about war and the heroes from any time who have given so much for what we cherish most freedom. They say you never miss it until you lose it. Most of us have it even though we moan all the time of being trapped, it is not like the real suffering from those who have fought in a war.
One of my customers from way back when I was only a teenager, was a real old soldier. He must have been in his nineties. He always smiled and never grumbled at anything. He had leaks in his roof, no heating and the hot water was on a hit and miss basis. He had never got married and had no family at all alive. He also only had one leg. Being a nosey chap but being genuinely interested as I always have been with the elderly, I asked what had happened.
In the first world war he had gone out from the trenches to rescue a friend of his. He managed to bring him back to the relative safety of his trench only to find that it had been over run in his absence by the enemy. He carried his friend for nearly five miles to get to real safety what ever that was. He was shot in the leg en route but still he carried on. When he finally stopped he found out that his mate had died probably at the start of his amazing journey. For his valour in trying to save his mate our man was added the further blow of having to have his leg removed as a result of being shot and carrying the weight causing so much loss of blood.
I often think of him when I think I have had a bad day and compare whatever life throws and say was it as bad as his on that day? He was one of the happiest men that I have ever worked for and I didn’t get the feeling he would let anyone be sad for him he was just a positive person through and through and a very nice human being as well.
