THE BROWN THOMAS doorman is nothing short of an institution in Dublin.
And, as it turns out, he’s also a bit of a hero.
Humans of Dublin chatted to the Brown Thomas doorman and unearthed quite a special story about his time in the British army…
https://www.facebook.com/thehumansofdublin/photos/a.250039628528073.1073741827.249815928550443/432874890244545/?type=3&theater
I was sent out to Aden, which is now Yemen, with the British Army in 1967. They were getting independence, but the terrorists were still very active so we were there to fight them and help protect the city. There were 10,000 British troops there, in this small city, including the Royal Navy and everything. And one day I was on patrol when I came across a British man seriously injured by a grenade. All his back and the side of his face were bleeding.
He was walking in the city alone so I immediately took the land rover, picked him up and drove him to the closest army hospital. I left him, and even though I got back very quickly, I was in a big trouble because I left my patrol. I was supposed to call an ambulance, but this guy was bleeding so much there was no time to waste.
I often wonder if he made it. There was so much going on there at that time I could never find it out.
Wow.
So how did an army veteran wind up working as the Brown Thomas doorman?
There are four of us doing this job. One of them is a friend, so he asked me if I wanted to work here. I only do two days a week, and it’s enough to keep me afloat so I can save my army pension for my kids and grandchildren. I do some charity work part time as well. I wasn’t made to be sitting around at home, you know?
Once again, Humans of Dublin reminds us that everyone has a story.
<3
(h/t Humans of Dublin)
