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Line of Duty: Yes
LINE OF YES ☀☀☀☀☀
Manuscript discovered after 75 Years
Virginia Irvine Blocker, M.D. This book originated in 1945 from my acquaintance with a group of young combat patients from the plastic surgery service of the Wakeman General Hospital. As I listened to them swapping yarns of their combat days, comparing notes, and bragging on their outfits, I began to see the war not as headlines in the newspapers but as Peter's war, Harry's war, and Hewett's war. To the soldier, the war is not an abstraction made up of military tactics and campaigns; it is a way of living strictly regimented and subordinated to a particular "line of duty" laid down for him. But within the bounds of regimentation I could see that these young men had found great adventure. The boys were enthusiastic about the idea, and they were eager to have a permanent record of both their combat and their hospital experiences. As one said, "We ought to put down everything we did in the war so that we'll have something to show our grandchildren, so the book grew to be a sampling of case histories from a variety of personalities, branches of the service, theaters of operation, and types of injuries sustained. Both officers and enlisted men were two lieutenants from the air corps; a captain in the armored infantry; a lieutenant in the First Special Services Forces; a medical officer; and from the infantry, a paratrooper, a rifleman and a member of an antitank-gun crew. It was by accident and not by design that I chose from the patients six men who had been given the Silver Star for "bravery above and beyond the call of duty.” No matter how great their physical hardships, how terrible their experiences, how severe their deformities, these particular boys all came out with sound minds and high morale. I recorded the stories in the boys' own words exactly as they told them to me without any changes or additions for literary effect. These boys have been my friends, and this is their book.
Created and designed by Gordon Blocker Publishing V1-1-24-2021
Manuscript discovered after 75 Years
Virginia Irvine Blocker, M.D. This book originated in 1945 from my acquaintance with a group of young combat patients from the plastic surgery service of the Wakeman General Hospital. As I listened to them swapping yarns of their combat days, comparing notes, and bragging on their outfits, I began to see the war not as headlines in the newspapers but as Peter's war, Harry's war, and Hewett's war. To the soldier, the war is not an abstraction made up of military tactics and campaigns; it is a way of living strictly regimented and subordinated to a particular "line of duty" laid down for him. But within the bounds of regimentation I could see that these young men had found great adventure. The boys were enthusiastic about the idea, and they were eager to have a permanent record of both their combat and their hospital experiences. As one said, "We ought to put down everything we did in the war so that we'll have something to show our grandchildren, so the book grew to be a sampling of case histories from a variety of personalities, branches of the service, theaters of operation, and types of injuries sustained. Both officers and enlisted men were two lieutenants from the air corps; a captain in the armored infantry; a lieutenant in the First Special Services Forces; a medical officer; and from the infantry, a paratrooper, a rifleman and a member of an antitank-gun crew. It was by accident and not by design that I chose from the patients six men who had been given the Silver Star for "bravery above and beyond the call of duty.” No matter how great their physical hardships, how terrible their experiences, how severe their deformities, these particular boys all came out with sound minds and high morale. I recorded the stories in the boys' own words exactly as they told them to me without any changes or additions for literary effect. These boys have been my friends, and this is their book.
Created and designed by Gordon Blocker Publishing V1-1-24-2021
406 pages, Paperback
Published January 7, 2021
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