Smitty’s drawings and a cold shower
Smitty did not write home about his experience with the showers. (Unfortunately, I do not remember which island this story occurred on.)
He was coming back into camp after having a nice cold shower. He walked back with a towel wrapped around his middle and held it closed with his left hand. The jungle appeared quiet except for the buzzing of the insects whizzing around him.
He said, “You know how annoying just one mosquito can be when it’s hovering by your ears. This was like a swarm and I tried like hell to use my right hand to swat them away from my face. When I began to approach our tents there was not one man to be seen and I couldn’t imagine where they all went. As I got closer I could hear the G.I.s yelling and they were waving their arms as they crouched in their tents, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Besides, I was too preoccupied with swatting the bugs.
“When I got back to my tent complaining about how aggravating the bugs on the island were, I asked them what all the hooting and hollering was all about. All they kept doing was checking my skin and asking if I was alright.
Somebody yelled, ‘Those were no jungle bugs — that’s shrapnel!’ When they discovered that I had been hit, someone happily said that I could put in for a Purple Heart.”
After a good laugh between Dad and I, I asked if he ever put in for the medal. He laughed again and said that he was too embarrassed. “For one thing I felt stupid for not realizing what was going on and second, I didn’t want to be grouped into being one of those guys that put in for a Purple Heart every time they nicked themselves shaving. It would be like taking something away from the men who actually did get wounded and deserved the medal.”
Click on images to enlarge.
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Current News –
WWII Veteran Honors Gen. George PattonProving that patriotism cannot be measured by a person’s race or culture, World War II, Korea and Vietnam War veteran Robert Nobuo Izumi has lived nearly his entire life serving our country. Izumi, who is a Japanese-American, was forced into an internment camp with his family shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. In June 1944 he joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, an all Japanese-American unit. Read more about Izumi’s career and his visit to Luxembourg American Cemetery to honor Patton. |
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Louis Baron – Beechwood, OH; US Army, WWII
Thomas ‘Duke’ Davis – Huntsville, AL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th Airborne Division
Clarence Herbin – Pillager, MN; Merchant Marines / US Army, WWII
Jack Kurtzer – Bronx, NY; US Navy, WWII, USS Rogers, Sonarman
Olzy ‘O.M.’ Mabry – Great Falls, MT; US Navy, WWII
David Nicholls – Sydney, AUS; RA Navy # NX269979, Captain (Ret.)
Margaret Percival – San Diego, CA; US Navy WAVE, WWII, yeoman
Ernest Rose – Sheboygan, WI; US Army, WWII, ETO
William Schilperoort – Seattle, WA; US Navy, WWII, mine sweeper
William Shields – Toronto, CAN; RC Air Force, WWII, ETO, pilot
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Posted on January 26, 2017, in First-hand Accounts, SMITTY, Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 11th airborne, 1940's, Airborne, Army, family history, History, Military, Military History, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 109 Comments.
Reblogged this on quirkywritingcorner and commented:
I like Smittty.
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Smitty was a very unique individual. I’m very proud to call him my father and thrilled that you’ve grown to like him!
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Were any of your Dad’s cartoons published? Did he continue drawing after the war was over? These have all the qualities of a professional.
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Nothing was published except his letter “Jungle Juice” before I put them in here. Dad never felt anyone would be interested. I submitted his letter to Whistling Shade magazine when they put a call out for war stories of WWII. Smitty was creative in many ways over the years, from designing our back and front yards to remodeling in the house or drawing things out as plans or for me. He had just started getting back into actual drawing and did one painting just before he passed away. Thank you for your kind comment, Emily.
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Thanks for sharing them with us. I hope you will get them bound if that is possible. These are part of your Dad’s legacy and will become treasured heirlooms to your descendants.
The only way the younger generation will know what the war was like is if we leave to them real memories, the telling from people who lived it. That immediacy lives on more than reading books by scholars or taking a college course. T
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Being as I am the last of Smitty’s bloodline, I have made arrangements with the National World War II Museum in New Orleans to receive all I have collected upon my passing (or sooner if necessary).
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I have Big respect for the american and canadian soldiers protecting us.
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That is terrific! Despite technological advances, they still go through a lot and sacrifice so much for all of us.
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GP, And I was just thinking about YOU as this week for me to post approached! Thanks for that “Like” on my little principal’s story! I can really identify here from my Vietnam service! –That hot shower after a hard & hot day, if the water truck had delivered, & the mosquito netting &/or fan or you would be eaten alive trying to sleep!!! And a Purple Heart for shaving…..We had a guy trip on a wooded board walk on the sand going to get an M16 at the arms room during a rocket attack….Hurt his toe, just a little blood, & got a Purple Heart! The Smitty cartoons are priceless!! May you & all be well, GP!!!!!!!! Still going heavy of the old house here….now I’m taking down asbestos covering on the basement heating pipes & putting on new pipe wrap. Phil
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So glad you found it interesting and could relate. But take care with that asbestos!!
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Ha ha ha!
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Your Dad, hardcore.
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The inner strength of that generation is amazing.
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This one gave me a good laugh! He was one lucky dude!
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Yes he was, but he’d be most happy about giving you a laugh!! Thanks for the visit, Lady G.
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Aww…thanks for sharing your Dad with us GP 🙂
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My pleasure, Lady G. He was a wonderful person to be around. You no sooner met him and you felt like you were friends for years.
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I can tell what a wonderful person he was just by reading his letters 🙂
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Thank you.
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Enjoyed that story gp, I recall reading of many other such incidents of coolness under fire without knowing.
Those cartoons are real classics and show the great sense of camp humour.
Cheers.
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Thanks, Ian. When discussing war, it sure is good to put in a humorous one!
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Never mind the Purple Heart — he should have received a decoration for coolness while under fire!
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Dad would be laughing if he read that!! If only he had KNOWN he was under fire! haha
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‘Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise’!
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LOL, yes I suppose that’s about saying it all.
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Reblogged this on Musings of a Penpusher and commented:
Cartoons afford so much information with great humour and these capture the essence of comradeship between service personnel everywhere.
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Thank you for sharing one of my dad’s stories with your readers. It is greatly appreciated, Maureen.
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Cartoons afford so much information with great humour and these capture the essence of comradery between service personnel everywhere. Thank you for sharing.
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Glad you liked them, Maureen. The military creates bonds that no one can break.
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Reblogged this on Letters Home.
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I’m glad you found a story about my father interesting enough to be on your site. Thank you very much.
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One of my favorites ❤
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Thank you.
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Great story! I know I misses my dad too. He was a Navy man in WWII. He lied about his age and went in at 15. So young to experience so much. I am happy to say he is resting with my mom at Arlington National Cemetery. It was always his dream and I’m so thrilled that we could make that dream come true for him.
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It is quite an honor. Dad and I spoke about that one day, but he chose to be buried next to mom down here.
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I bet he took good photographs, too 🙂
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Now that you mention it….
Unfortunately he left most of that stuff in NY when he moved to FL.
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Reblogged this on Ancien Hippie.
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Thanks, Penny. People need a laugh or two each day, in the military and at home!
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Yes it brings laughs
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Woooooooow your father was an optimist,a cartonist and great and good man.Like the humor!
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haha, thank you, MaryLou – he really was!!
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Those mozzies must’ve been huge for your dad to have mistaken shrapnel for them. It could have been worse and thank God it turned out well.
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I agree, Eric. His swatting at mosquitoes or flies is more commonly known as the New Guinea salute! 🙂
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Great story. My Uncle Allen served under Patton and is buried in the same cemetery in Luxembourg. We visited last year.
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I am very sorry about your uncle. It was very honorable of you to go and show your respect for his sacrifice.
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fun – but chilling at the same time.
laughing at the humor (and drawings) but kinda makes my heart sink with the shrapnel – reminders of the seriousness of war.
oh and the cleaning crew image was super fun – love the pose with mops and brooms….
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Thanks for stopping in to let me know. And the man you get to know here never changed!!!
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🙂
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It is a bit unnerving, but Dad just felt embarrassed. That picture of the cleaning crew made me laugh even before I read the caption!!
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Loved this story.
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Glad to hear that, thanks for coming by.
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Oh my! 😮
What a great memory…and his drawings are a hoot! 😀
I admire and respect his decision concerning the medal.
Lesson learned: There are things that bug us worse than bugs!
HUGS!!! 🙂
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Thank you, I appreciate your sentiments. The PH just wouldn’t fit Dad, even if it was serious.
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Great story. Will be reading your blog but not commenting due to just getting of hospital.
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So very sorry to hear that, Kathy! I do hope you’ll feel better soon. You take care of yourself and don’t worry about anything else!
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Will do and will take it slow!
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Now – go get some rest! No more typing, young lady!!
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Funny story! Your dad sounds like he was humble and I imagine a Purple Heart would not have fit his personality…even if he deserved it.
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He was very proud of what the 11th Airborne accomplished and glad he was part of it, but he never took credit for any of it. So yes, you mailed it, the Purple Heart did not fit his personality. Thanks, Bev, you put it perfectly. [sometimes I can’t find the words to explain what I mean – guess that’s why I’m NOT a professional writer, haha].
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Your dad was not only a great letter writer and a cartoonist to top, but also had a great sense of humor. I bet that carried him through the war. Looking at the drawings, your dad also was a visionary and foresaw our modern times with its emphasis on gender equality in our washroom facilities. Haha!
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Funny you should mention gender equality. I was just discussing dad in that vein yesterday. I tried to remember anytime at all when Smitty felt a girl was unqualified for anything – couldn’t come up with a single time. Perhaps because he grew up with his mom and grandmother and saw what they accomplished! Thanks for bringing it up, Peter.
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That is funny story. I like the cartoons. They are funny too.
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I’m glad you enjoyed your visit. Thank you for stopping by.
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What a story, GP. I loved those drawings. Thanks.
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My pleasure, John. Dad was one creative character!
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Such a great sense of humor. His humility was endearing. My cousin was wounded three separate times in Viet Nam the last a head wound. He only got the purple heart when one of his squad members put him in for it. He never thought he deserved it. In fact he stayed in country in a field hospital to recover from the other two. The third required extensive treatment at a hospital. (Typical Marine)
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Yes, you said in your last line!! If your cousin is still among us, please shake his hand for me next time you see him. (I hate to say this about any country, but that was one God-awful place.)
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Thanks GP. I’ll have to wait until I join him but will do that.
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The drawings are really humorous, G. Hard to imagine mistaking shrapnel for mosquito bites! Those must have been some potent insects! But then I watched a thick skinned moose in Alaska being driven nuts by bugs. It took off running to get away and then ended up rolling in a snow bank. –Curt
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I’m sure you’ve heard of the New Guinea salute… the answer is either swatting flies or swatting mosquitoes – so I presume it was the usual situation.
I feel sorry for the moose!!
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I felt sorry for the moose as well, G, but I was a little too busy with the insects myself to do more than wish I could run away and roll in the snow myself. 🙂
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hahaha
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I love your father’s stories! Darn those mosquitoes! Even simple things like getting a shower were dangerous for the men.
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I was disappointed that dad didn’t put in for the medal, but he just shook his head and laughed at the memory. I’m glad you got a kick out of the story!
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Great story – can’t think anyone would have cribbed about him getting a Purple Heart after walking through shrapnel in a towel!
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He insisted he was too embarrassed at his oblivion. Being from Broad Channel (also an island), he was too accustomed to mosquitoes being the pest in residence, so to speak.
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🙂
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Was he actually hurt? What a story!! And I can’t believe he can draw AND write! What a guy.
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I few nicks, mostly on his arms from swatting the “bugs” – I’m glad that’s all it was! There wasn’t much of anything dad didn’t try his hand at!
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I am sure the next time I am swarmed by mosquitoes I will think of your dad!
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Now THAT puts a smile on MY face [not that I want you bothered by the pests though]. I’ll bet Dad’s getting a chuckle out of it too!
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This was a great story! I would of been embarrassed too! You do such great work here in telling our history. Laurie
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I just try to have something for everyone. From the home front to the front line and anything I can find in between!! Glad you enjoyed your time here!
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Well done to your dad for not applying for the medal. Mind you, I am amazed that a shrapnel storm can be anything like being bitten by mosquitoes. Fascinating stuff, GP!
Best wishes, Pete.
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The way dad described the bugs – I can believe it. Spending 5 months in New Guinea was a unique experience he felt.
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Quite a difference between Smitty’s attitude about applying for a Purple Heart and John Kerry’s! What a fraud Kerry has been all his life! (I’ll stop right there – I feel a rant coming on …)
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[snicker-snicker]
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Did not see this one coming at all!!! I salute your dad…what an amazing guy.
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Thanks. I couldn’t have asked for better one!! Miss him terribly.
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I can imagine! I miss my dad terribly too!
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That entire generation will be gone all too soon. Have a good weekend!
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I love it…especially his drawings, really gets into his character a bit! 😀 😀
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He was quite the character when he wanted to be! He could be pretty quite with the quips too.
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Now, this is an experience I never would have imagined. I live in very annoying bug country, so I sort of understand how he could have made that mistake — a swarm of what we call no-see-ums, or biting flies, and feel like a real attack. But I never, never would have throught that true schrapnel could be mistaken for them. That’s pretty darned interesting. I’m surely glad he wasn’t badly hurt!
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He had a couple of scars linger on his arms, but that’s all. He said New Guinea had mosquitoes and other insects that could do a heck of a lot more damage! Hope you enjoyed your visit here today, Linda.
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This has to be one of the most peculiar wartime recollections I’ve read in a long time.
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I’m just thrilled so many seem to be enjoying history!! Thanks for being one of those that drop by here, Swabby. We’ve been following each other for a mighty long long time now.
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Your Dad had a very interesting war experience! This was quite a story.
I’ve noticed how humble and self-deprecating many Purple Heart recipients are. I had a friend who was clerk in his company in Viet Nam. He got a trivial wound in his butt when a mortar round hit his unit, and it was sufficient to get a Purple Heart.
He always felt it was a joke more than something he deserved. Regardless, he served in Viet Nam at a time when many draft age young men found ways to avoid service all together. I can respect his Purple Heart, no matter how trivial the wound or the location of the injury!
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I agree. The fact is, Dad did see people get a Purple Heart for menial cuts that they most probably would have gotten at home – so he never did put in for one. Your friend on the other hand couldn’t exactly help where fate put his wound and he deserved his medal.
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My friend’s CO recommended him for it as I recall. He died a few years ago, so I can’t verify it.
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The CO probably did. The locate of the wound shouldn’t be an issue (except maybe the foot?).
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Wow!Thats quite a story. 😅
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He was a character!
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Buna ziua si bine v-am regasit !
Toti se emotioneaza la suferinta unui prieten, dar numai un suflet cu adevarat bun, se poate bucura de succesele unui prieten. Iti multumesc ca-mi esti alaturi!
Hello, well I found!
Everyone touches the suffering of a friend, but a very good soul, enjoy the successes of a friend. Thanks to you with me!
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Fabulous post, as ever.
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Thank you, ID. Much appreciated.
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Thank you for including a post about my father on your list.
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