I started reading Dear Abby as a kid, and have long continued to do so for entertainemnt value.

This letter, though, is much more important.

It praises those men and women who work to save the lives of those wounded in the service of our country -- and is from a person who knows.

Dear Abby:

Q: I was a soldier serving in Iraq. Last April, I was in a vehicular accident while part of a military convoy and was medevaced to the nearest medical treatment facility.

I didn't mind sharing the trauma room with the Marine who had arrived there before me. He had been shot three times in the face. While I was in the room with this brave Marine, the trauma crew fought valiantly to save his life. He flat-lined seven times in just the short period after I got there. Finally, the doctor told them it was over, and they covered him up. I never knew his name. I lay on my litter while they started to work on my arm, which had been pinned under the truck during my accident and crushed, crying silently for the life that had been lost.

I'm writing this to you, Abby, to let that Marine's parents and friends know how hard the doctors and crew fought to save his life. Besides the medical crew, I'm the only one who knows. He wasn't just a face or a name on a memorial to them. He was a life, and many people tried hard to keep him alive. If he had been my child, I would want to know.

ANOTHER SOLIDER, Clarksville, Tenn.

Dear Soldier:

A: Thank you for your letter and for taking the time to share the last moments of life of that Marine. I'm sure your feelings are shared by all of the parents who have lost sons and daughters in this war, as well as the parents of those whose lives are on the line every day they serve on active duty.

I, too, thank you for sharing this, and for your efforts on behalf of freedom.

Posted by: Greg at 03:07 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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