Now You Tell Us

by Charles Cooper
1967-68

Now You Tell Us

Chuck Cooper

We were walking through a village when we found a man in the hedgerow. We drug him out and gave him a strip search. They hid grenades in the strangest places. It looked like he had white lace all over his body. One of our medics came up to watch. He put his hands behind his back. We asked him "what's wrong with this guy?" The medic said "Oh, he's a leper".

Whoa! It turned out, yes, he had leprosy. His family didn't have the heart to kick him out, but they wouldn't let him live with them. He lived in the hedge and they brought him food and water.