It was nearing the end of the day for me while I was serving my duty in the ICU at the hospital. I was called to the emergency department to admit a patient to the ICU. He was stabilized in the ED and I came to see him there prior to transferring him to the ICU.

“Carson, he’s 105 years old and the family doesn’t want him to have heroic measures done, like CPR or intubation, but they will allow him to be treated in the ICU with pressors and a central line if the problem is reversible,” said the ED doc.

I arrived in a lonely back room of the ED to see an elderly gentleman with a trimmed mustache laying in a gurney in no distress, hooked up to the usual monitors with his daughter on his right side, talking to his right ear – the one with the hearing aid that helped him hear somewhat.

He couldn’t hear me when I said, “Hello, I’m doctor Carson.” Either that or he wanted me to go away and give him some rest, I couldn’t tell.

With his daughter’s help, I was able to ascertain his history that he had fainted at a local restaurant and was brought in for evaluation due to very low blood pressure. Thankfully, his other daughter was able to catch him before he hit the floor.

I asked him how he was feeling and if he was having pain or trouble breathing, and due to his hearing problem, I didn’t receive much information except he was doing fine. Then I asked, “What was your occupation sir?”

He heard that one. “I flew fighters in the war.”

That struck my interest button immediately and the button remained lighted. His daughter added, “He few fighters in WWII and the Korean conflict. By the way Dr. Carson, can you guess who he flew for in WWII?”

I have no idea why I responded so quickly without hesitation to her question, but I said, “Well, I think he flew with General Claire Chennault of the Flying Tigers, China, Burma, India Group.” I said it confidently as if I knew this, which of course, I did not, but what did I have to lose with that response to a man who would be the right age? But I had a feeling I was probably right.

I was right, and that realization made me tremble a little with awe. His daughter was surprised that I guessed right, and said something like, “You’re the first person to guess it right Dr. Carson! Yes, he flew for General Chennault in China.”

After that I concentrated on sponging information from this hero. But I didn’t want to take too much energy from him with his illness and I was pleased that he had improved enough not to require ICU admission. “Yeah, he said. I flew for Chennault, mostly P-47s and then later F-80s in Korea. The P-47 could fly over the hump pretty easy.”

His daughter Linda said, “He also has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with six oak leaf clusters and the Legion of Merit as well as an award from Madame Chiang Kai – Shek.” Clearly, he was a highly decorated, 105-year-old fearless military hero who no one seemed to know about in the busy ED. Yes, he was an old man and the ED staff took care of him nicely, but it was his history and his bravery that I was proud to have discovered with just a simple question during my exam. Had I not asked the question, I would have never received the honor and inspiration that this man’s aura bestowed upon me, from the greatest generation.

During my drive home, I came up with the idea that the next day, when I was on – call for the hospital on Thanksgiving, I would make a trip up to the North Hospital to bring my book, The Flying Tiger, by Jack Samson, about the famous General Claire Chennault and the Flying Tigers that I had never completely read. I asked his daughter Linda, if she would allow me to visit her father on Thanksgiving, even though he was no longer effectively my patient, and ask him to sign the book and perhaps write a few words about his experiences in the war with Chennault. She graciously allowed me to do that. I hoped I could escape for long enough to visit him.

At about 1pm on thanksgiving, I delayed my meal despite my hunger and paid him a visit. I sat on his right side so he could hear me a little and he taught me a minute history lesson about the war, and only a portion of his war experience was with Chennault in 1944, but it was a major one, and I was grateful for the few tidbits of first – hand knowledge he could give me, as part of his vast experience flying many airplanes.

“I flew the P-47 mostly and the P-40.   The P- 47 was a gas guzzler, but I convinced Chennault that we should use it because it could take a lot of punishment and it had 8 – 50 caliber guns that could blow up tanks and flip’em over. I also commanded the 33^rd and 81^st fighter groups.”

He didn’t mention anything about Korea or his time as a test pilot of the feared P-38 lightning. But we would need many hours to learn about his many experiences including the pilot’s life he saved when others told him to leave him to die.

“So, tell me Colonel, what was Chennault like?”

He told me and also wrote this on the pages of my book: “I flew P-47s under Chennnault He was an excellent boss because he would always listen and eventually agreed with you. But you know, he would let you call him a SOB as long as you explained why.”

I laughed, and thanked him for his time. His daughter graciously agreed to take a few pictures of him with the doctor who could barely fly a Cessna 172.

I saluted him and thanked him for his service and went back to my job caring for patients. I believe I was in the presence of a great man, who few people knew existed, and I believe this world would be a better place if we recognized our true heroes and honored the history of their sacrifice to our country.

It was an inspiring Thanksgiving 2018 for me and I was honored to meet Colonel Ollie Cellini.

Note: Linda Cellini, his daughter, has given me permission to write about her father and publish photos of him.

© SRCarson, 2018