With the ambulance gone, the majority of the medical team went straight to work cleaning the clinic there was a lot of blood and getting it ready to receive more casualties if and when another incident occurred. They must be ready twenty-four hours a day. What heroes they are.
The other few set about to process the remains of the one soldier killed. I assisted them. The soldier was Sergeant Dima, a Romanian who came to the U.S. a few years ago. He hailed from New Jersey and joined the Army Reserves after 9/11 a member of 411th Construction Management Section of the 420th Engineer Brigade. He became a citizen on October 3, 2004; was promoted to sergeant on the morning of November 13 and gave his life for his new country on the evening November 13.
Every soldier has a story; Sgt. Dima has become part of mine. There is something spiritual about kneeling and laying hands on the broken, bloody body of a soldier, praying for his soul and the three young children he was leaving in the care of his now single wife. It is somber and sobering to see the deep respect the medics have as they treat the remains of a fallen comrade. After we finished the preparation, I was honored to pull back the curtain and call the clinic to attention as the medics moved Sgt. Dima to a holding area, awaiting initial transportation to start his way back home. Every person was silent, prayerful, respectful. It takes people with some kind of moxie to do their job as medics, day in and day out, mostly taking care of our little aches and pains, but always ready for the worst. And when the worst comes, so does their best. I thank God that this is the ministry he placed in my hand. We gathered everyone in the clinic together, and I asked one of my Air Force chaplains to offer a prayer for these servants of health. It was well appreciated.
Lord, thank you for your promise that our labor is not in vain; help me trust you for the results.
“Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)