I'm sure you all know by now that the actor who played Scotty on Star Trek was not actually Scottish. But did you know that the Canadian got plugged a half-dozen times while helping the Allies take Normandy?

As a lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Artillery, a young Doohan joined his Canuck compatriots for the assault on Juno Beach—navigating a minefield and taking out a pair of German sniper nests in the process. Before his time in France was over, Doohan would take four bullets in the leg, one in the hand—which would result in him losing his middle finger—and another in the chest, which would've killed him if not for the silver cigarette case in his pocket, which deflected the round.

All of which would be slightly more impressive if those shots hadn't come from a fellow Canadian soldier: Doohan endured his trial by friendly fire the night of D-Day while crossing between command posts.

Oh, Canada. Thanks for Jimmy Doohan.

(via Today I Found Out)



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