He went AWOL from the hospital to rejoin his unit and was terribly wounded in the ensuing battle. Manchester later wrote that he couldn't explain why he left the honorable safety of the field hospital to place himself again in battle, except that it was love. He couldn't bear the thought of his buddies in mortal danger without him there to help. Jesus said there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends. It is a love known well by veterans.
Many veterans still grieve for buddies long dead.
He still has bad dreams of the wounded dying as he is carrying them to an aid station. I alive now. One of them is named Cadet Shirer. He was a medic assigned to a U.S. hospital caring for wounded soldiers in France. He was burnt, blinded in both eyes. . . .