From Doc Ellis
I served, consecutively (and erratically), in the USArmy Air Force (1942-45), the USArmy (1946-50) and the USAir Force (1950-65) and retired then as a master sergeant...but in ALL that time, I never saw a day of combat and that includes my three years during World War II, two of those years overseas in the ETO.
12 troopers behind each guy IN combat at "the front”
Never once was I in a place while it was being attacked in any manner, shape or form by "the enemy." They used to say there were at least 12 troopers behind each guy IN combat at "the front". I figure I was always one step ahead of the Home Front and 11 steps BEHIND the Battle Front.
Doc Ellis
Smoking
From Doc Ellis
Twenty-two years ago, when this particular grandson of ours was only 6 years old, I used to have him with me EVERY Saturday...we'd go everywhere in my tired but perky little old Red VW Bug...movies, recreation areas, parks...everywhere. And always, in the car, he'd say, "Pompa (that's what he called me back then), please don't smoke in the car...you're getting smoke in my mouth." Well, at least I did finally listen to the kid and stopped puffin' the pipe IN the car. But I didn't quit smoking, a habit I'd acquired when I was only 10 years old…
To make a short story long, one day his Dad, our son, phoned with a lot of agony in his voice and said, dad, mom, get down to the Community Hospital right away...Jimmy's got cancer...of the jaw.
When the whole family was gathered around the gurney as the nurses prepared to roll him up to surgery, I started to back away...Jimmy turned to me and asked, "Pompa, where YOU going?" I told him I was just going outside to have a smoke and wait for him to come out of that operating room. "Please don't smoke anymore," he asked. I told him "You come out of the operation okay, kid, and I'll NEVER smoke again".
A little over 8 hours later, he came out of there and was rolled down to recovery. I almost fell on the floor with emotion, and as I gathered back my strength, I took my pipe out of my pocket and snapped it in two...and haven't smoked again then, now or ever.
Even though the doctors had assured me his oral tumor wasn't from residual smoke, I never forgot that simple request from my grandson, "Pompa, please don't smoke in the car, you're getting smoke in my mouth"...so when he asked me not to smoke anymore it was easy to "Cold Turkey".
Know what, I still have that pipe, the bowl is one piece, the stem another...it's a constant reminder of how you can show someone you love how much they mean to YOU...'cause he let me know how much I meant to him.
In a way, I believe he saved my life 'cause I'm almost 80 now and he's 28 and we're both fine...
I GUESS THIS IS APPROPOS OF NOTHING...but your e-mail kind reminded me again...DOC ELLIS
Published in U S Legacies Magazine November 2004
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