Answer no do not do this. A blown head gasket will leak antifreeze. Causing the engine to overheat.
I am not sure how much it will cost to be done by a proffesional.
The answers to these questions will help you determine who should take responsibility for this problem. If the truck really over heated and you continued to drive it. That could be negligence on your part.
Your mechanic had to remove the water pump to do the crankshaft and timing chain job. He could have disturbed the gaskets and caused the pump to start leaking. This outcome is fairly common when working with older cars, and performing large jobs requiring removal of parts for access.
At my shop if the pump looks like it is more than 2 years old, we would have sold you a new pump when we did the crankshaft job.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.