Jack Strickland is a retired AP writer who is active in the war against cancer. He, himself, is a survivor.
As a reporter he covered many of the major stories in Florida.
He lives in Gainesville where he is an advocate for cancer patients of all ages. Jack finds special joy in getting
sports stars and teams involved in the care young cancer victims. He claims that the athletes benefit from the involvement
as much as the patients. He says he managed to miss many tackles as a football player long ago, and learned that defeat can be
temporary and serve as the foundation for success.
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“Bouncing Betty” and a story of wounded Vietnam vet’s life-changing friendship
August 01, 2011Gainesville
Disabled veterans from the Vietnam war have had it rough. Too often, they fall through the cracks and do not get the help they need to survive. A few years ago I met such a veteran. He and his “Mistress - Bouncing Betty,” changed my life forever.
I met Bill on Christmas Eve. I was fresh out of the hospital following double knee replacement surgery. I was only able to walk a few steps with a walker. I was unable to travel and was stuck in Gainesville over the holidays. Family and friends delayed our holiday celebration until Christmas evening when all of us could come together. I lived near the University campus. All of my neighbors were college professors or students. Everyone “went home” for the holidays.
I was alone on Christmas Eve.
The neighborhood was like a ghost town. It seemed that I was the only living, breathing, soul in a radius of several blocks. Just before dark I took out my garbage. I stumbled upon a crippled older gentleman, who appeared to be homeless, as he was lingering around the dumpster. He introduced himself as “Bill” and wished me a merry Christmas.I suspected that he was rummaging through the garbage for food. I invited him to come in and join me for coffee and Christmas snacks.
This new friend used two walking canes to assist him in walking as he hobbled along with great difficulty. We shared a special bond. Both of us were crippled. There was a major difference in our disabilities. It separated us. I was in the recovery mode and grew stronger every day. I would walk normally, again, soon. Bill was locked in a downward spiral. He was rapidly losing his mobility as his condition deteriorated, daily. Before long, he would be unable to walk. I soon learned that he was terrified by the inevitable future he faced.
I was moved by Bill’s compassion and concern for me. He was in far worse physical shape than me, yet he seemed genuinely determined to lighten my load. He knew what I was enduring in my post-surgery efforts to learn to walk again. He had been there. He offered me one of his fine walking canes, assuring me that the Veterans Administration would give him another one. That’s how I learned that he was a disabled veteran.
I asked him about his service to our country. Soon, it became clear that Bill is War Hero. Over a pot of coffee, he captivated me with a vivid account of his experiences in Vietnam. I didn’t ask many more questions. It seemed inappropriate to pry into his painful military past. Throughout the evening he kept me hanging on his every word as he told me in detail about his battle experiences—the ones he was comfortable talking about. Some things were too painful for him to relate, as tears choked him up in mid sentence several times.
His military career ended abruptly during a battle with the Viet Cong when he met his “life-long mistress - “Bouncing Betty.” That is the name he and his fellow soldiers gave to the Viet Cong explosive that nearly killed him. “Bouncing Betty” is a spring-loaded land mine that, when triggered, bounces to waist high before exploding. It kills and maims with maximum efficiency.
An unknown soldier in his platoon triggered the land mine. Bill is the only survivor who made it home to tell about it. His legs were mangled. He feels lucky to be alive and does not curse fate for leaving him severely crippled. He calls “Bouncing Betty” his mistress. He says she is very loyal and true. She never leaves him. She always sleeps with him and frequently awakens him in the middle of the night when pain reminds him she is there.
She is with him every day with each wobbly, painful, step he takes. “Bouncing Betty” is a typical mistress who is jealous of other company and drives away women and friends. She dominates his every day.
Bill was a delight. Spending Christmas Eve with him was an inspirational Christmas present. Before we parted company we agreed to do it every year and make our coffee klatch an annual part of our Christmas celebration.
After saying goodbye, I stood outside and watched as he slowly made his way to the corner. He looked back, saw me, snapped to attention, popped a smart salute, and held it. I realized that a responding salute was required. I made a feeble effort to do it in proper military fashion. He laughed and waved his walking canes over his head.
He yelled, “Merry Christmas”, and hobbled into the darkness.
I didn’t know if I would ever see him again. I did not know how to find him.
He found me. The next time I was hospitalized, he showed up with an endless supply of coffee at my bedside. He taught my nurses how to brew coffee with a “kick”! He became an excellent care giver and has accompanied me, at every step of the way, in my years long battle against cancer. His most meaningful gift is the entertainment he always provide as he shares himself.
He has educated me, and all of us who now call him friend, on the ordeals faced by Vietnam veterans after they returned home. Bill’s medical care went lacking for a long time and he received very little support. He was frequently abused. He was homeless for years. It seems to me that it is no small miracle that he survived—the war in Southeast Asia and his life as a disabled Vietnam Veteran after returning home.
All that has changed. He is no longer homeless. He now has access to excellent medical care at the V.A. and Shands. He can no longer walk. But, he does not let that be a handicap or slow him down. He now has a motorized chair that he drives like a Dare Devil.
Some things never change. “Bouncing Betty” is still his constant companion. Bill says she is the loyal “mistress” who keeps on giving. I wonder if “Bouncing Betty” taught Bill loyalty and dedication. Something or someone did. Bill is indeed a true friend to all of us who are privileged to know him.