A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.



"Your son is here," she said to the old man.



She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.



Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.



The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.



He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.



Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.



Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.



Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.



"Who was that man?" he asked.



The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.



"No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life."



"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"



"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here.



When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed."



I came here tonight to find a Mr. William Grey. His Son was killed in Iraq today, and I was sent to inform him. What was this Gentleman's Name?



The Nurse with Tears in Her Eyes Answered, Mr. William Grey.............

Semper fi indeed! That was touching!

Semper Fi!

USMC 69-71

This reminds me of something I once heard from an old ex-WWII combat Marine who was up in years and had a heart attack. He almost didn't make it. But, what he told me was, at some point while in critical care he had a near death experience. He thought he died and found himself standing before St. Peter. He said St. Peter checked his list and told him his name wasn't on it and to go back. They weren't ready for him.

But, he also said for everybody to take note that the gates of Heaven were guarded by United States Marines.

Beautiful story. I hate to be a cynic, but sometimes I wonder if these kind of heart rending stories are made up. I'm sure at least a few are. Any idea how reliable this one is?

USMC 1983-1987

Look on the web wall and see if the name is there.

Rich

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Look on the web wall and see if the name is there.

Rich

Not sure what the web wall is, or what it would have to say about this story's authenticity.

The more I think about it the more this story just doesn't sit right. Touching, I truly would like to believe it, but there are way too many little details that don't hit the reality button for me... I think it is a Hallmark writer's creation, or heavily embellished version of the truth.

Montea6b,

there's an easy fix if you hate to be a cynic. Just give it up for Lent and don't pick it back up after Easter. Tell yourself tomorrow morning, for one day I am not going to do anything my Grandmothers would be embarrassed to watch me do.
Then keep that notion forefront for the rest of your life.

Rich
DRSS

quote:

but there are way too many little details that don't hit the reality button for me

There are a LOT of strange little co-incidentals in life that happen to us all, which make me think ANYTHING is possible.

In the '70s I had this older friend (owned a local gun shop) who introduced me to hunting on a fantastic 5K acre old growth tract down between the Miss. River levees. Deer and ducks. Very remote. Really primitive hunting. Like being in the Wild West. And I loved the old place. There were parts hardly anyone but the Indians had ever set foot in. You even had to use a compass there to not get turned around.

Anyhow, I drifted away from there and never saw him again. Forward to a couple years ago, 35 yrs later. I go out to a nursing/rehab home to visit a friend who had a stroke. Never been there before or since. Got there, had a nice visit and on leaving accidentally got off on the wrong floor. Headed back to the elevator and for no particular reason glanced at a room and saw the patient's name on the door. It was my old friend. My activities for the whole day came to an end for the next couple hours, as I went in and we both had a lovely time re-visiting old days.

He was gone weeks later.

Another example. I quit taking the newspaper years ago (it got too liberal for me and I finally got fed up with it). One day I'm in a doctor's waiting room and out of boredom pick up their paper and for no special reason glance at the obits. There staring me in the face is the name of my childhood neighbor and once best friend, who I NEVER would otherwise have known had crossed over to the other side.

These things happen. I can name lots more.