Any nurses here ?

[senior chef]

I have been re-watching "Band of Brothers" a HBO mini series about the 101st airborne during WW2.
Every bit of it is a true story.
In one episode, a soldier, Pvt Albert Blithe, was shot in the neck by a German sniper. He survived from late June 1944 until 1948.
But, I'm curious to know how a soldier could survive until 1948 and then die from his wound?

 

[PamfromTx]

On December 10, 1967, while on active duty in Germany, Blithe felt nauseated when he returned from a weekend at Bastogne, Belgium, where he had taken part in the ceremonies commemorating the Battle of the Bulge. On December 11, 1967, Blithe was taken to the emergency room at Wiesbaden Hospital, Germany, where he was admitted with a diagnosis of a perforated ulcer. He died in the intensive care unit on December 17 after surgery, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full honors.

Albert Blithe is mistakenly claimed to have never recovered from his wounds, and to have died in 1948, during the final scene credits of episode 3 of Band of Brothers.

 

[fuzzybuddy]

I don't know Pvt. Blythe, but to hopefully answer your question. A neck wound could affect his breathing.. After a while, he would most probably develop some kind of pneumonia. He may have had several bouts of pneumonia. Back in the 1940s, they didn't have the array of antibiotics as we do now. Eventually, he would succumb to the disease.

 

[senior chef]

On December 10, 1967, while on active duty in Germany, Blithe felt nauseated when he returned from a weekend at Bastogne, Belgium, where he had taken part in the ceremonies commemorating the Battle of the Bulge. On December 11, 1967, Blithe was taken to the emergency room at Wiesbaden Hospital, Germany, where he was admitted with a diagnosis of a perforated ulcer. He died in the intensive care unit on December 17 after surgery, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full honors.

Albert Blithe is mistakenly claimed to have never recovered from his wounds, and to have died in 1948, during the final scene credits of episode 3 of Band of Brothers.

Thank you very much. Rather surprising that the film makers got Blithe's death wrong.