Purple Hearts and Evil Surgeons
Yesterday, I talked about my dad’s Purple Hearts and the shrapnel in his eye. Someone asked me to explain what happened with his eye, so here I go.
After the bomb exploded, leaving shrapnel in his leg and eye, they transferred Dad to a field hospital. They attended to his immediate needs and set him up in a large tent with numerous other injured soldiers. With Dad’s eye being affected, they had wrapped his head and face in gauze so that he couldn’t see.
Two young surgeons met with him and explained they needed to remove the injured eye. I think Dad was about 22: young, scared, and naive. He accepted this was his fate. Dad had tremendous faith in God and never showed fear or anxiety to us as kids, so I don’t really know how he was handling this.
The next morning, a young doctor was making his rounds. He came to my dad’s bed, picked up his chart hanging from the end of his bed, read the name, and said, “Billy Hoffman? The Billy Hoffman from Lincolnton, North Carolina?”
“Yes,” my dad answered.
The doctor introduced himself, and Dad immediately knew who he was: a classmate from his hometown. What a small world. The doctor sat on the edge of the bed and listened to
Dad’s story, including that surgery to remove his eye, was arranged for the next day. The doctor told Dad to hold on tight as he would discuss this with the surgeons.
Walking down the makeshift corridor, he overheard the surgeons discussing Dad’s case. They said this would be a great practice for them and would give them a great experience when returning to the States. Dad’s friend was appalled and confronted the surgeons. As the doctor learned more, he concluded that eye removal was unnecessary! Imagine! Deciding to remove someone’s eye for practice’s sake. It’s so unethical.
I mentioned yesterday that Dad’s eye was fine all the rest of the days of his life, and he never wore glasses. Dad didn’t do much reading in his late 80s, so who knows if he would have needed reading glasses. But he lived to 90 and enjoyed seeing the world around him with two eyes.
I hope you have fond memories of your dad and have tales to share with family and friends. There is nothing better than a good dad. Unfortunately, Dad died eleven days before I started working at Louis Page in 2011. He would have taken great delight in perusing the website and the catalog, dreaming of ways to use our fencing products. I’m sure he would have found a way to incorporate a fence in his yard. I would have jumped at the chance to watch him dig those fence post holes.
It’s the end of April, and it's time to plan your fence. Many of our fence contractors install backyard fences this time of year to keep dogs and children safe. Our Yard Guard has been a favorite for many decades. I received a lovely email with pictures from a satisfied customer who installed this last Spring and is looking to expand her project. Why not join suit?
Warm regards,
Debbie Page
CEO, Louis E. Page Inc–Woman-owned business and Family-owned since 1893. (True! That’s 131 years owned and run by our family)