8.04.2008
Red Alert 4 Alzheimer's-Victim James Doohan's Astral Funeral
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James Doohan, "Scotty" of Star Trek fame was well-known as a character actor and also as a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.
Lesser known was his heroics on D-Day in 1944, when he landed on Juno Beach, as a member of the Royal Canadian Artillery. Crossing a mine field, he and his unit were targeted by German MG-42 machine guns. He was hit six or seven times - four bullets to the leg, the middle finger of his right hand was shot off, and a bullet struck his chest. His life was saved when it hit a silver cigarette case which had been given to him by his brother.
Both Doohan and former astronaut Gordon Cooper's ashes were destined for earth orbit aboard the aborted Space-X launch that ran into a technical glitch on Saturday, according to Boing Boing.
Labels: alzheimers, artillery, canadian, cooper, doohan, mg42, space-x
