12 March 2024 , 15:06
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A nurse has shared the harrowing deathbed confession that haunts her memory every day. She explained how she was watching over a World War 2 veteran with dementia as part of his end-of-life care - and noticed how he kept muttering the words 22 under his breath.
Curious, the nurse asked his family about it but they were unable to provide an answer - having no idea what the number 22 could be in reference to. But just days before he died, his mental state became clearer, and he started crying out the numbers again and again.
Taking to Reddit, she said: "Took care of a WW2 veteran with dementia. He would say the number 22 over and over and the family never knew the significance of it. The number didn't line up with any significant events or dates that they were aware of.
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"The day before he died his mental state became incredibly clear and he started telling the staff "22 men. I killed 22 men over there. Poor guy. He lived with that anguish for 50-plus years." In response, another veteran commented on how much of a toll war takes on a person, simply saying: "I can relate to him too well, 38."
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Another user added: "I grew up around WW2 vets. My grandfather, most of our older neighbour's. A lot of farmers and blue-collar workers. You know what all the vets had in common? They did not talk about the war." One more user said: "My grandfather was a British royal marine and having looked into his unit he saw an absurd amount of combat. Know what stories he brought home? Nothing.
"He became a barber and absolutely, utterly, and without reserve, hated guns. The only time he ever touched one again was to take away and get rid of the ones my dad would buy. He never talked about the war with anybody, ever."