“..one tough dude...”
He was one VERY LUCKY dude.
And yeah, he was a hardass. A good man, though.
Got a picture of him in the hospital stateside; lying on a gurney all bandaged up and in a body cast, a pretty young nurse from Georgia holding his hand. And he’s got a giant stogie sticking out of his face, laying there all f*** up and grinning.
That nurse became my Aunt Jackie (Jacqueline). It’s a frigging Hollywood love story from the 40s.
Good story!