{"id":3518,"date":"2010-11-16T07:00:14","date_gmt":"2010-11-16T15:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/?p=3518"},"modified":"2014-08-25T04:05:41","modified_gmt":"2014-08-25T11:05:41","slug":"the-actor-who-played-scotty-on-star-trek-was-shot-six-times-on-d-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2010\/11\/the-actor-who-played-scotty-on-star-trek-was-shot-six-times-on-d-day\/","title":{"rendered":"The Actor Who Played “Scotty” on Star Trek Was Shot Six Times on D-Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Doohan<\/a>Today I found out<\/a> the actor who played “Scotty” on Star Trek, James Doohan, was shot six times storming Juno beach on D-Day.<\/p>\n

Doohan, a Canadian, after leading his men through a mine field on Juno beach and personally taking out two German snipers in the process, eventually took four rounds in one of his legs; one in his hand, which ultimately resulted in him losing his middle finger; and one in the chest.\u00a0 The shot to the chest likely would have been fatal except that he had a silver cigarette case there, given to him by his brother, which deflected the bullet.\u00a0 He would later give up smoking, but at least he could say that being a smoker actually saved his life.<\/p>\n

Ironically, the shots he took were not fired by the enemy, but rather by an overzealous Canadian gunman.\u00a0 After his unit was secured in their position for the night, Doohan was crossing between command posts, when a Canadian gunman spotted him and opened fire.<\/p>\n

Doohan originally joined the Canadian Forces at the age of 19, eventually being commissioned a Lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Artillery.\u00a0 D-Day was the first and last action he saw in the war.\u00a0 After recovering from his injuries, he became a pilot in the Canadian Air Force, but never saw action.\u00a0 Despite not ever flying in combat, he was once called “the craziest pilot in the Canadian Air Force” when he flew a plane through two telegraph poles after “slaloming” down a mountainside, just to prove it could be done.\u00a0 This act was not looked upon highly by his superiors, but earned him a reputation among the pilots of the Canadian Air Force.<\/p>\n

If you liked this article and the Bonus<\/span> Facts below, you might also enjoy:<\/p>\n