To The True Men And Women Of The Millitary.

[wildthing]

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........."

The next time someone needs you ... just be there. Stay.

Story from our friends at Operation Ooh-Rah