this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2023
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[–] xantoxis@lemmy.world 154 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

The Slovakian guy didn't clue them in that he was speaking a real language.

He gave the hospital cover to pretend they didn't know the whole time. Cover to pretend it wasn't just cruelty for its own sake, perpetrated by bigots decades ago and continued by hospital administrators and staff who knew that if they didn't look the other way, they'd lose their jobs. Sure, probably nobody there knew Hungarian, but they've heard of other fucking languages. Jesus people are the worst.

[–] TonyTonyChopper@mander.xyz 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

gonna be honest I have no idea what Hungarian sounds like

[–] flying_sheep@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago

The Finno-Ugric language family is distinct from other European languages.

[–] mycatiskai@lemmy.one 97 points 1 year ago (1 children)

From Wikipedia: Toma lived under the name András Tamás (Андраш Тамаш). A Czech linguist of Slovak descent, Karol Moravčík, identified him as Hungarian, and on 11 August 2000, Toma arrived back in Hungary where his family was identified through DNA matching. Since he was never discharged, Toma was promoted to sergeant major by the Minister of Defense, and since his military service had been continuous, his decades of accumulated unpaid salary were paid in full.

At least they didn't screw him out of his military pension.

[–] Akasazh@feddit.nl 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

At least they didn't screw him out of his military pension.

It's not the USA

[–] mycatiskai@lemmy.one 13 points 1 year ago

In the US they would probably want him to pay back his missing unpaid sick days by working for free until he died.

[–] invisinak@lemmy.dbzer0.com 64 points 1 year ago (2 children)

the craziest part to me is that in 50+ years he didn't pick up any Russian at all. I didn't speak a word of Spanish but after living in New Mexico for two years I could at least understand and speak some Spanish.

[–] hackris@lemmy.ml 30 points 1 year ago

I'm not really sure if he'd pick up much in a mental institution

[–] Smokeydabear94@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

... in New Mexico? To be fair I've never been and I assume it was named such for a reason, but I just want to make sure I'm not being trolled and ask, don't they speak English there?

[–] atnqty@lemmy.world 50 points 1 year ago

I mean at that point even if he wasn't mentally ill he is now

[–] Pregnenolone@lemmy.world 35 points 1 year ago

He got promoted and all his back pay up until 2000 too since he was never actually discharged