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Hal Shaffer is aware of first-hand concerning the sacrifices and struggling that warfare can deliver.
Now the 74-year-old Decrease Burrell man is sharing his story about serving and being wounded through the Vietnam Conflict as a part of a documentary collection being produced by John Bailey titled, “Obligation, Braveness, Honor — Southwestern Pennsylvania Goes to Conflict.”
The 30-minute documentary about Shaffer is certainly one of 64 that chronicle the experiences of native army veterans that Bailey, an Arnold native, has created.
About 50 individuals turned out for the premiere of the documentary on Saturday afternoon on the Allegheny-Kiski Valley Heritage Museum in Tarentum.
Bailey stated Shaffer’s harrowing story about being gravely injured by a grenade set off by a visit wire whereas on patrol and the in depth medical remedy he required in its aftermath “is probably the most outstanding of all of them.”
“My father served in World Conflict II, so I had an understanding about what troopers face,” Bailey stated. “However spending time with Hal and the opposite veterans for this undertaking has given me a a lot higher appreciation for the sacrifices and hardships they endured. Hal’s story is definitely one that may keep in my head.”
Dennis Ames, 73, of Erie, stated he served briefly with Shaffer in Vietnam earlier than he was injured. The pair remained mates after being discharged from the Marine Corps.
“The phrase got here all the way down to us that Hal was killed in fight,” Ames stated. “So it was a fairly large shock once I discovered that he had survived.
“Seeing this video makes me really feel a little bit responsible about all of the issues he’s gone via,” Ames stated. “I spent a yr over there and by no means had any issues. However he has suffered quite a bit.”
Shaffer was hit by shrapnel and grime from the grenade blast, which blew off the tip of his nostril, tore out his left eye, broken a part of his decrease bowel and severed a vein in his left leg.
He underwent a number of surgical procedures earlier than being discharged from the army and categorized as totally disabled.
He was adorned with a Purple Coronary heart.
In 2006, Shaffer suffered the primary of 4 coronary heart assaults and was identified with Sort 2 diabetes.
He additionally has been handled for prostrate, lymphoma, lung and thyroid cancers, which he believes are the results of his publicity to Agent Orange, a tactical herbicide used to clear vegetation through the Vietnam Conflict.
He stated the grueling radiation and chemotherapy therapies “are virtually as dangerous and typically worse” than the situation they’re getting used to deal with.
Medical doctors have informed Shaffer there’s nothing extra they will do for him and despatched him house from the hospital beneath hospice care.
Shaffer’s grandson, Drew Campbell, 22, of Decrease Burrell, stated he has heard lots of the tales included within the documentary earlier than “however I didn’t know all particulars.”
“I used to be conscious that my grandfather was wounded in Vietnam, however I actually had no concept concerning the extent of his accidents,” Campbell stated. “I all the time knew he was a reasonably robust man. However I didn’t notice how robust he actually is till listening to about what he needed to undergo.”
Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Overview employees author. You’ll be able to contact Tony at 724-772-6368, tlarussa@triblive.com or through Twitter .
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