History Livers.....not Chicken Livers

Over the last seven years as an RN in the ICU and ER in a Veterans Hospital, I have came into contact with some interesting folks. I have met several folks that lived through and were a part of key moments in our nation's military history.

I had a lengthy conversation with one of the survivors of the Bataan Death March in the Philippines during WWII. He was a patient of mine in the ICU and he told me of what he went through. He had no family and seemed eager to get some of this event off of his chest.

I was glad I had the time to spend with this veteran. Some days just don't present a lot of time to just hang out and talk with my patients. However, this day was special, because this gentleman died the next day. We attempted to resuscitate him for nearly 40 minutes, but to no avail. I told the Dr., who called his time of death, who this man was and what he went through. The doctor was from India and saw little interest in the patient or in what I was telling him. I'm glad he was not the one who the patient tried to confide in and speak with.

I have also met a guy who drove a Higgins Boat onto the beaches of Normandy and a guy who helped to liberate Auschwitz. There is no way I could ever share every story that I here each day. Especially with the return of folks from Afghanistan and Iraq. Their stories are so fresh and vivid that it does become exhausting just listening to them. Some have truly had some horrific experiences.

A patient I met two days ago really made me look back at all the experiences that patients have shared with me. It involved a survivor of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis towards the end of WWII. It had just delivered the final components of the atom bomb to the Pacific Theater. It was torpedoed and sunk within 14 minutes. Over 850 men survived the sinking and drifted around in the Pacific Ocean for four days. They floated in rafts and clung to debris while sharks, dehydration, and the drinking of saltwater got the best of them. Only about 350 survivors where pulled from the water. Of these, 51 are still alive today and reunite each year.

Books and movies have been based on this incident, but this guy was as humble as he could be. He had a large scar on his calf and one of my fellow nurse asked him if it was a shark bite. He laughed and said yes, but soon fessed up and said that it resulted from a lawn mower accident from 40 years ago. He really captivated us with the way he could recall the event like it was yesterday. He was an intriguing fellow.

I still have yet to meet a WWII submarine veteran here at work. I would love to sit and talk with one for a couple of hours. But for now, I will be content just listening to the many ordeals and experiences that humans are exposed to in this not so peaceful world.