Wounded B-17 Navigator Refuses Morphine To Save His Bomber

Three flak shells tore into a B-17 over Germany, embedding fragments in the navigator’s side and back. He refused morphine to stay lucid and navigate the crippled bomber home. Propped on the floor, he guided the lone plane for two and a half hours, only accepting a sedative over the English Channel. He died shortly after removal from the aircraft. Was refusing morphine rational survival or duty-driven sacrifice?

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