Don Adams,- an American actor, comedian, and director , Decorated Member of Greatest Generation Missed death by "that much"
During World War II, he joined the United States Marine Corps, at the age of 16, by lying about his age. Adams participated in the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Pacific Theater of Operations. His combat service was short-lived; he was shot and contracted blackwater fever, a serious complication of malaria, known for a 90% rate of fatality.
Because men with Blackwater Fever almost always died, a sentry was posted beside Adams' hospital bed "“ not for security purposes, but because hospital space on Guadalcanal was so scarce, they wanted to know the minute he died so that his cot could be used for another patient. Four days later, for reasons no doctor could explain, Adams walked out of the hospital.
He was evacuated and then hospitalized for more than a year at a Navy hospital in Wellington, New Zealand.
After his recovery, he served as a Marine drill instructor in the United States. which is what helped him to develop his peculiar staccato way of speaking.