Earl Jones

Earl wrote this in response to a message about Duane Shaw, describing Duane's gratitude to a nurse who comforted him one Christmas eve as he lay wounded, his arms bruised and painfully swollen by veins collapsed in reaction to the IV needles that had to be repeatedly inserted in them.

God Garland, that was beautiful. I have been in the situation that the author, Duane Shaw, writes about. Fortunately, it wasn't during Christmas. I enjoyed my Christmas with Bob Hope and Joey Heatherton, in 1965, at 1st Division base camp in Dian, (pronounced Zee-Ahn). I was even recovered enough from an AK-47 wound in my leg, to dance with Joey Heatherton, but my most recent wounds, by grenade shrapnel, left both hands and lower arms in heavy bandages, so I didn't have the pleasure of holding her close, like a couple of my buddies did. I had just got out of 1st Med's care and was returned to light duty the week before. The Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force constantly pick at, downgrade, and harass each other in friendly competition, but none of us who have been under their care will EVER allow any of the nursing staff, of ANY military medical facility, to have a single word said against them with out challenging the speaker. Those few, severely overworked, extremely underpaid and underappreciated (by their own staff), ladies were truly angels, sent from God himself. Many of the guys in my ward didn't make it, but it had nothing to do with ANY lack on the part of the nurses and doctors. The doctors cursed, and the nurses cried for their lack of ability to save a man, and then returned to duty to try and do better with the next man. To this very day, I thank God for each and every one of them who were there for my buddies and me. Without them, I sincerely believe I would have never come home alive. God may answer some prayers with the word "NO," but even then, he lends a hand, in one form or another. I have seen it with my own eyes.

Earl