Camouflage: A Soldier's Web Page and Community for Military Service Members

Poems and Other Writings

"A Dying Wish" by an Anonymous Author

Many times it isn't what we want to do which makes our day, rather it is taking the opportunity to do something special when we are confronted with a situation we could just as easily walk away from. How many times have we been in too much of a hurry to take time to do the right thing? We let these go by without so much as a second thought. An example? Sure:

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 man in the Marine Corps uniform 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 alongside the bed. Nights are long in hospitals, but 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 placed the lifeless hand he had been holding on the bed 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?" she asked.

"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, and I knew how much he needed me, I stayed."

The next time someone needs you be there. Stay. You'll be glad you did. Sometimes the right thing to do is not the easiest and in the long run you know it made the right kind of difference.

Our appreciation goes to Sergeant (SGT) Adam Mayo who donated this poem for us to share.

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This page was last updated on April 23, 2006 7:14 PM.

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