I Was One of the Fortunate Ones, I Think.

I’m an optimist, and maybe that’s why I’m here. But it could have bothered me a lot, but I actually didn’t let it. Mainly, I occupied myself with my work, but for a couple of years after I came back it was difficult because for about six months you know, nightmares were there. I’m sure the rest of them had the same thing. But I think, gradually you, you get over it. And of course, we didn’t have the counselling that the kids have now. Somebody gets killed out of school they have counselling right away and they’re all set, but our counselling was our own way. If you wanted to get on your own two feet you just said, “Well, that’s it.” And you pushed everything to the background and occupied yourself with the present. But that’s what we had to do.

I used to be so sick that I couldn’t, it was difficult to get up to go to work and that’s a fact. But I used to get up and go anyway. Didn’t make any difference how I felt. I thought, “Well, if I want a job, I’ve got to go” and I used to go. And I managed, and even now I have ailments. I have a heart condition just from being in Hong Kong and I can’t get a bypass simply because my arteries are too far gone. They’re deteriorated to the point where they can’t tie into them, so the doctor said that’s it. And I’ve been living that way for 12 years now. I was one of the fortunate ones, I think, because I . . . staying in the service actually, I had a routine, and I was, I had to do. That was it. So I think that kept me going. Personally, that’s my own personal observation. And, of course, I had a family to bring up. And my responsibility was to them, and I did the best I could by them, so, I think