Soon, up to 300 amputees were attending the practices. Single and even double amputees tried out for the teams, with Gerace doing the actual selection. It was now the summer of 1948 and the teams were no longer primarily comprised of hospitalized veterans, but of men who had finished their rehabilitation and were back in the community. For instance, Gale Beccue, a former Ranger (Army, not Texas) and leg amputee, was working in Hoboken and tracked the group down after reading a newspaper article about them.It's a detailed story, one that I'd never heard, and he tells it well. The team spirit on display was no big deal - anyone who's been on a rec league ball team has seen the same. But the spirit of men back from war with terrible wounds - the spirit that made them literally stand up to their challenges - that spirit is most uncommon.
Highly, highly recommended.
1 comment:
One hellva story is right! :-)
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