Show Most of Bad Badly I Hit Men Feel No PainI Pain I At Time Says Wounded Reporter Editors Editor's note no Richard kit noted War war correspondent 1 who was gravely wounded on the Fifth army front In It Italy ly on November 22 tells of his a a veteran of Guadalcanal North Africa Sicily and ond Italy has returned to the United States Stas By Richard NEW V YORK Jan 25 INS INS INS- The first shell of f the barrage hit me and me-and and then when c consciousness came back and I knew I had been badly wounded I 1 came to realize something I 1 had long suspected That there was absolutely no sensation sensation sensation sen sen- of ot pain in such a situation It was like a movie without sound Often I had Thad seen badly wounded men in It Italy ly and in the Pacific Pacific- and it had struck me that their eyes had been filmed over overby by some barrier to the contortions contortions' of pain That barrier was shock the fortunate fortunate fortunate for for- mercy of ot the wounded sol sol- I dier Now I 1 knew that shock had dimmed my perceptions ns just as I I had seen other men cut off from pain by shock But though all my senses were wele dull dulled cd I knew that I must catchup catch catchup catchup up with Colonel Yarborough Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieu Lieu- tenant Colonel William P. P Y Yarborough Yarborough Yar Yar- r- r borough of Staunton Va if 1 I wanted to get off that mountain that night Colonel Y Yarborough and Captain Captain Captain Cap Cap- tain Frank of New Bedford Bedford Bedford Bed Bed- ford Mass had gone a little ahead of at me on our way back from the top of the mountain I 1 had stopped off ort for a few minutes to round up a successful days day's notes Then I got hit Tough Task Getting a 3 a. a wounded man off oft the h hard rd rocky slope of ot Mount Corno Comb west of ot Venafro I knew would take a crew of eight to carry me medow down dow the virtually impassable s slope ope to the nearest jeep trail nearly a mile mUe away Blood ran warmly down my face but I half sat up and tried to shout shaul at two soldiers who were running at a crouch a few Jew feet away My own voice rattled faintly like a broken and I realized realized realized real real- that the wor words s didn't make sense Surprised I tried again and another another another an an- other time to make words I 1 had lost my power of speech I finally realized that my chances of getting off oft that night depended on my getting up and walking Blood still ran down my face and I knew I 1 was badly hit I saw my helmet lying on the ground a hole like Uke an open mouth in the front of it and another in inthe inthe inthe the side My gla glasses ses had been blown off oft but miraculously not broken I put on my helmet and glasses unsteadily with my left arm because my right arm had been knocked out of action It felt like a board against my side Good Souvenir Sou I stood up and began to stagger down the rocky trail I dropped my helmet and stopped to pick it up and thought it would be a good souvenir if I 1 survived survived probably probably that was the only extraneous thought I remember except that I felt my pockets to make sure J that I 1 had my notes My b being hit had been totally u unexpected 1 and would have surprised surprised sur sur- me mo if I had been capable of ot being surprised in my present shocked hocked condition After having watched an allay allday allday all all- day ay hand grenade battle between the ho Germans and the rangers on the he the ridge of Mount Corno Corno- I had thought hought that my job of reporting was over for tor the day I had shad started down from tram the peak along the rocky trail and had md estimated It would take me me about two and a half hours to negotiate the two mile trail trait down the he mountain Good Natured Thinking back over the time I 1 remember however that I was singularly unconcerned about my plight light I seemed vastly good natured na na- and nothing seem seemed d to disturb disturb disturb dis dis- me but me-but but the automatic force of ot self preservation seemed to be telling what to do Like a robot uns unsteady eady on his feet but under directional control con- con rol I stumbled over the rocks and fell automatically each time I I 1 heard the fuzzy sound of the i approach of a shell hell got back tomy tomy to tomy my feet teet and went ah ahead ad 4 i Time did not seem to be moving fast ast or slowly time seemed to tobe tobe toe be e in neutral gear but I knew that hat the distance I 1 walked was long ong Around a 8 bend of ot th the e trail tran I 1 saw aw Colonel Yarborough bending over a bleeding enlisted man who sat at on the ground With Colonel Colone Yarborough was Captain and I felt a surge of pleasure at seeIng them again like a dog waggIng wagging wagging wag wag- ging his tail at the sight of some familiar person person Then I knew that somehow I would be able to ge get down the mountain that night because I 1 had found Yarborough Fortunately for me Yarborough an and had stayed behind to care for one of ot their men whose arm had been blown off a few v minutes ago Questions Doctor More than a month later when I was recovering my power o of sp speech ech and the use of my right arm and a great hole in the side of my skull was healing I asked a doctor who was a patient in ina ina a bed next to mine the question which had occurred to me many times since I had come through the experience of being badly wounded The doctor said that he believed that hat almost st all ll of f the th men badly hit lit feel no no pain at the time That I think h is the he only worthwhile worthwhile worthwhile worth worth- while bit of Information gathered in that otherwise unproductive day of news gathering November 22 1943 |