Thursday, July 21, 2005

James Doohan Dies

I am sure every geek in America knows that James Doohan, Scotty from Star Trek died. What I didn't know was that he was a war hero. Doohan, who was in the Canadian army, came ashore on Juno Beach on D-Day and was severley wounded. He was shot multiple times in the arm and leg (and lost a finger) and was only saved because the bullet that would have hit him in the chest hit his silver cigarette holder. This is one of the few reported times that cigarette smoking actually saved someone's life. Doohan had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Having watched my father deteriorate from the disease, Doohan's passing so quickly after being diagnosed was probably a mercy.

1 comment:

Jeffrey Goble said...

Geeks of the world, unite!
Amen. I read yesterday that his unit actually came ashore on a beach that was mined for tanks, the foot troops managed to cross it without setting them off. . . a lucky day, indeed, for us all.
A wee bit o' scotch for ya, James Doohan!