Sunday, January 17 at 7:26pm - Jim

Dad had both CT scans (head to toe, and spinal injection one). He feels frustrated and helpless. Sipping a can of Coke, in a hospital bed, reminds him of when he was burned bad in Vietnam. He closed and opened his eyes and saw Colonel Brady and Sergeant Major in a flashback. The Colonel went away and talked to someone...

After that moment away, the Col. Came back & told dad exactly how long he would be at each medical facility, (Tonsanu AFB Vietnam, an Air Force Base in Japan overnight, then Army's 106 General Hospital in Japan with a burn unit, McGuire AFB, Fort Dix in NJ - where his fever was 106 & he almost died, finally Valley Forge where he stayed the longest)...

Anyhow after the Col. came back and talked to dad, he always had a cold can of Coke with a straw in it nearby, a cigarette, and his ashes tipped into an ashtray every few minutes. Dad was vivid and emotional in his flashback, and the we and the nurse just listened... as mom tipped the Coke for dad to get the straw. He cried while remembering the last time he felt this helpless. Then told us of calling in air support with Col Brady. Everyone said he was a hard ass and to stay away especially if you were an infantry officer. But Dad and he took to each other, and the Col took care of one of his best men, my dad.