Don't believe anything

[canetoad]

My Dad had a scar running from his hairline, down the middle of his brow and petering out along the side of his nose. Back in those days it was a jagged white line, turning red when the sun hit it. I used to run my finger down its jags, small little fingers.

When I was old enough to put a question together, I asked him, 'What happened to your head?'

'Och,' he said, 'That happened during the war. I was at the bottom of a valley, alone. Three hundred germans surrounded me, then they charged. I had to fight them all off with my bayonet.'

'Then, when they were all dead, Hitler came running down with his bayonet pointed at me, but I got him first.'

You know, I could just picture Dad, young, lean and dark haired, lithely dispatching the enemy right and left. I'd seen his khaki uniform, his medal, his colours. It was a grand sight for a six year old. I still know his enlistment number in the Royal Engineers off by heart: 22994071.

A year or two later, I had learned basic arithmetic, shortly afterwards I had a passing understanding of the chronology of the War. 'You didn't really kill Hitler Dad, did you?'

'You were born in 1932 so you were too young to be in the war. Your demob papers say 18 months National Service ending in 1952. So, you CAN'T have killed Hitler.'

He smiled, admitted the medal was for playing basketball in the occupation force, the scar was from falling asleep behind the wheel of a jeep, and told me how smart I was to have worked that out for myself.

[cynatnite]

1. Your dad sounds really cool :) n/t

[canetoad]

2. He had his faults

but he was a gentle, thoughful man.

[Gonzo Gardener]

3. This story reminds me of 'Big Fish'... a film with Ewan McGregor.

It's on a short list of my favorite movies.

[canetoad]

4. Yeah, but

this wasn't a movie. It was real.

[Broken_Hero]

5. Ha, good OP....:)

Reminds me of my father...he was in Vietnam (64-65), and he has a big scar in the middle of his stomach...he told me he got it from killing fifty of the enemy, but one of them got lucky and shot him.

When I was a senior in high school, my mother finally told me the truth...he shot himself on accident, while cleaning his pistol while on guard duty.....:)

[canetoad]

6. LOl I guess Dads like their stories

[Broken_Hero]

7. I always joked with him, that he

did it on purpose to get out...he never answered that question...


:tinfoilhat:

[canetoad]

8. What do YOU think? nt

[Broken_Hero]

9. I don't think so

he wasn't stationed in Vietnam, he was a medic stationed in Okinawa, so he didn't see...well, live combat, but he did see...well, the consequences of that combat...I don't think he did, I just joked with him a lot about it...:D