I received none.Īnd, when the moment arrived, which it did upon visiting the hospital in Hawaii after the Pearl Harbour bombing, I showed those men my state. Those around me, supporting actors on my stage, assisted greatly. I lead because I was a good man for the job. No one gave me any allowances for my weakness. The people saw me as the man I wanted them to see: a leader with integrity who served to my best abilities. I was free to be the man I was destined to be, not pitied, not underestimated because I became lame. I wish to speak at this time as you write about freedom because you may think: “How could he embrace freedom from the confines of a wheelchair?” (The similarity with Lincoln’s words come back to me.) It molded me into the character I became. I had survived this event and it changed me. There is freedom in reaching the lowest of lows not just in the highest of highs. The irony is that I became stronger as a result of having to put my ego aside. I did not want to appear less strong and solid. Imagine, no pictures ever taken, no hint of my infirmity. Those closest to me became my legs, my foot soldiers. I was, as a result, unencumbered by the prejudice that disabled people live with daily, as their infirmities are on display for the public. As a result, most people of the general population that is, never knew I spent the 2nd half of my life in a wheelchair. It says much about the times that both the press and the photographers allowed me my private suffering. Each morning, each night, the simple tasks become Everests to overcome. Now, I see my infirmity as one of the greatest blessings of my life. I became very angry and belligerent before I became kind and compassionate. My legs stopped working from one day ( a family swim ) to the next. Suddenly, with an abruptness that wiped away my haughty superiority, I was without movement. At the young age of 32, I lost the use of my legs.
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