Remember, too, that not all combat deaths occur in the midst of a battle. Sometimes they take decades to reveal themselves. Two of the men in my life--my brother, Staff Sgt. Jack M. Kerner, USMC, and my husband, Lt. Col. Floyd A. Schriber, USAF--were career soldiers. Both saw combat in wartime and both suffered injuries during their wars that manifested themselves many years later. Jack was a witness on a ship offshore at the explosion of the first hydrogen bomb on Enewetok Atoll in 1952. He was exposed to intense radiation poisoning and suffered multiple cancers. His death was declared "combat-related" some fifty years later. Floyd was on the ground on Vietnam near the Ho Chi Minh Trail in 1969 and experienced almost daily contact with Agent Orange as US planes sprayed the area to clear out the foliage. That exposure caused progressive deterioration of his heart muscle. His death was declared "combat-related" forty-five years later. So as you remember those who died in battle on this Memorial Day, please don't hesitate to thank the living veterans you know. They may be suffering long-term injuries that are not apparent to those around them.
Remember, too, that not all combat deaths occur in the midst of a battle. Sometimes they take decades to reveal themselves. Two of the men in my life--my brother, Staff Sgt. Jack M. Kerner, USMC, and my husband, Lt. Col. Floyd A. Schriber, USAF--were career soldiers. Both saw combat in wartime and both suffered injuries during their wars that manifested themselves many years later.
ReplyDeleteJack was a witness on a ship offshore at the explosion of the first hydrogen bomb on Enewetok Atoll in 1952. He was exposed to intense radiation poisoning and suffered multiple cancers. His death was declared "combat-related" some fifty years later.
Floyd was on the ground on Vietnam near the Ho Chi Minh Trail in 1969 and experienced almost daily contact with Agent Orange as US planes sprayed the area to clear out the foliage. That exposure caused progressive deterioration of his heart muscle. His death was declared "combat-related" forty-five years later.
So as you remember those who died in battle on this Memorial Day, please don't hesitate to thank the living veterans you know. They may be suffering long-term injuries that are not apparent to those around them.