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I guess I was a newspaper boy, the paper sold
for two cent apiece and you made three cents, you
made a penny on a paper. That was hard times,
mister.
(At his mothers death bed when Shartzer was five
years old) Said my mother, I love you, and I
believe that if you'll promise me, I'll believe
you'll keep a promise. I said mamma, I promise you
anything you'll ask me, and I'll keep that promise
as long as I'll live, so help me. Promise me you'll
never drink or smoke. Momma, I promise you if it
make you feel better. And keep that promise as long
as I live. So I've kept it to this second. Never
will, cause it can't hurt you, mister. But they can
hurt you. Now that's one thing sure. I can tell any
young person they can not help you, no way in the
world ain't no vitamins to it, but they can hurt
you. So take my advice and please don't drink and
smoke, and if you do, quit, while you can. It'll
bother you for a while but it wouldn't bother long.
Quit them -- you'll live longer.
I'm 98 years old and I'm still getting around
pretty good. I've been through the first war, I was
hit pretty hard, I lost my hearing. Got chlorine
gas. (Shartzer was exposed to a chlorine gas bomb
during the Meuse-Argonne battle.) All my sinuses
stopped up, I got most all of it reamed out.
I believe a women helped Dr. Gilliland, a women
doctor, she said something about she had studied
that sinus a lot. And she believed she could maybe
help me some. Well, I laid in the bed about a month
or two after that laying at night and I said
something, pulled my breath through my nose, first
time I'd ever breath through my nose for 80 years
or more and I (breaths through nose) I said,
(breaths through nose again) now listen at it
(breaths through nose fast). I couldn't even pull
my nose and make me get no air, and they done
everything, cut the meat out of my nose, and
drilled my sinuses, done everything.
And if that women didn't do it then the good
lord from upstairs helped. It's true I can breath
through my nose. But I can't get the tear ducts
worked on. Nobody can fix them.
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Roy
Shartzer
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Name: Roy Shartzer, 97 years old
Presently resides: Veterans Affairs
Medical Center in Salem
Born: Feb. 8, 1900
Moved to present hometown: Lifelong
resident of Roanoke
Type of work after the war: Roanoke Iron
and Bridge Company
Family: Raised 6 children with his late
wife, Grace
Branch of service: Army, 116 Infantry
29th Division
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