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Their guns were still blazing away and the number two gun
just above my head was giving me fits. Everytime it fired my
knee would jerk and after a few hours the pain was almost un-
bearable. The doctor dressed the wound on my head and put a
hot water bottle on my knee. He said I just had a bad bruise
and that it would soon be all right if I'd get up and walk
around on it some.

About 2100 the doctor gave me a sleeping pill and told me
that I'd soon be asleep. At 0100 I hadn’t gone to sleep so I
sent for him again. He gave me another sleeping pill but this
didn't help either. About 0400 enemy planes came over and all
hands went to General Quarters. After they secured I saw the
Chief Pharmacist's Mate and told him I was in great pain and
hadn’t slept any all night. He said he'd give me a shot of
morphine but in a few minutes he came back with six sleeping
pills. I took those and fell into a nightmarish doze for about
an hour.

JUNE 7, 1944:
This was a day of pain, tense and nerve-wracking. The five-
inch gun directly above me was continuously firing all day and
that afternoon I thought surely I ’d have to hit the drink again.
The Butler went [inserted]in[end inserted] and took up the same position we had when we
were sunk. About 1400 the firing grew more rapid and intense
and I could hear shells cracking just outside where I was lying.
All hands went to general quarters again and some of the boys
told me later that the shells were splashing water on the deck.

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