However, McGarity does not con-
sider his achievement exceptional. “It
was my job—I volunteered to do it. I
believed in my country then, and I be-
lieve in my country now.”
Pvt. McGarity and Dr. Swan contin-
ued to be in touch via Christmas
cards and notes. When McGarity died
in 2007, the Swans sent flowers to the
funeral. Dr. Swan died in 2014, and
his wife, Betsy, says that he forever
cherished meeting McGarity after the
war. She shared a story her husband
had written about his experience in
which he said, in part: “What I had
said the morning after Ken’s surgery
was true: ‘I was trained to care for
the sick and wounded and God will
decide who lives or dies.’ But the day
of our reunion I knew it was true in
the depths of my being. God can work
miracles in the most desolate of cir-
cumstances for those who, like Ken
McGarity, have courage and faith.”
good housekeeping (may 1992), copyright © 1992
by marianne jacobbi, goodhousekeeping.com.
this story originally appeared in the november
1992 issue of reader’s digest.
Soldier Stories revisits the triumphs,
tears, and occasional humor from
a century of American battlefields.
These 23 stories covering every major
conflict from World War I to the war
on terror offer a keen reminder of our
military’s timeless inspiration. Soldier
Stories is available at rdstore.com
and wherever books are sold.
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