Hope it's true, and doesn't turn out to be an urban legend

1205 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Dawn, Aug 12, 2003

Fred

Discussion Starter · Jul 23, 2003

Comforting.....

At Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington DC recently the sergeant Major of the Army, Jack Tilley, was with a group of people visiting the wounded soldiers.
He saw a Special Forces soldier who had lost his right hand and suffered severe wounds of his face and side of his body. The SMA wanted to honor him and show him respect without offending, but what can you say or do in such a situation that will encourage and uplift? How do you shake the right hand of a soldier who has none? He decided to act as though the hand was not missing and gripped the soldier's wrist while speaking words of comfort and encouragement to him.
But there was another man in that group of visitors who had even brought his wife with him to visit the wounded who knew exactly what to do. This man reverently took the soldiers stump of a hand in both of his hands, bowed at the bedside and ! prayed for him. When he finished the prayer he stood up, bent over the soldier and kissed him on the head and told him that he loved him.
What a powerful expression of love for one of our wounded heroes! And what a beautiful Christ-like example! What kind of a man would kneel in such humility and submission to the Living God of the Bible? It was the wounded man's Commander-in-Chief, George W. Bush; a true leader.
This story was told by the SMA at a Soldiers Breakfast held at Red Arsenal, AL, and recorded by Chaplain James Henderson, stationed there.

Pass it on...the press surely won't.

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Jason

· #2 · Jul 24, 2003

Urban Legend

http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/injured.asp

For the past several months the Sergeant Major of the Army has been speaking to groups about his visits to Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other military hospitals to see soldiers injured in Afghanistan and Iraq. The story involves the SMA and a visit by the President of the United States. The SMA and the President have never visited soldiers at the hospital together. The SMA's story of President Bush's visit to one particular soldier was relayed to him by one of the Special Forces soldiers in the hospital that day.

On one visit he spoke to a young special forces soldier who lost his hand in an accident involving a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. As he was leaving, the soldier stuck his limb to the SMA and SMA Tilley gingerly shook the bandages to not injure him further. He presented him a coin and said "God Bless You."

The same soldier was visited several days later by the President, who was awarding medals to many of the wounded soldiers. The soldier stuck his limb up to the President as he was leaving, and President Bush cupped his limb with both hands and said "God Bless You." He then knelt down and kissed him on the forehead.

The story that is spreading around the internet is a well-woven embellishment of the SMA's story.

MSG Richard Puckett
Public Affairs Advisor to the Sergeant Major of the Army
Office of the Sergeant Major of the Army

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Dawn

· #3 · Aug 12, 2003

urban legend

Thank you for both versions of this beautiful story! It is very touching, and maybe this act of honor and love will give a sense of peace and hope to all who read this story....

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