A Story From the Life of Donald H.
Ghostwritten by Liam M.
Cherish What You Have
I had just enlisted in the military freshly out of high school. We had three options. We could chose to be in the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, or the U.S. Air Force. Being me, interested in planes and technology, I chose the Air Force. Looking back, I’m glad that I chose what I did as it lead to the beginning of my life. The true beginning in where I would find happiness and the woman I love to this day.
When we first arrived on the Sampson Air Force Base, we were put to the test. We had undergone several weeks of training to ensure we were fit for the military. I was excited to get into a plane, and to become a pilot.There was only one problem. You had to have 20/20 vision in order to fly aircraft for the U.S. Air Force,I could barely see without my glasses, I scratched that idea. Every single night we had to perform sentry duty. We stood outside in the frigid cold temperatures with a rifle in our hands to prepare for the Vietnamese War that was approaching. After a long night, my hands and feet were aching and I was freezing cold. We went to bed in our barracks, and I had the top bunk. The upper bunk was always better than the one below it as you weren’t close to the smelly floor and equipment. I was extremely tired that night, and had a loud cough. I suspected it was a cold but the next morning I figured out it was much more than what I had proposed.
“Don! Wake up! Wake Up!” I heard the other soldiers yelling at me as my eyes began to open with the crust around them. The lights went out again, and suddenly I was awake in a hospital with a light plastic framework over my head. Mrs. Flossy, the nurse who was taking care of me, said it was an oxygen tent. It pumped nearly pure oxygen through the framework and it was quite possibly the best air I had ever had the opportunity to breathe in. The doctor diagnosed me with Waterhouse-Friderichsen Syndrome. I didn’t know what it meant off the top of my head, but the doctor stated it as an adrenal gland failure which leaves you with a one-in-ten chance of living, and also stating that my chances of living were severely unlikely. I woke up the next morning unable to move a single muscle in my body. I was paralyzed from neck down. I was nervous about the future and what was to come with my life.
My mother showed up from California to say her goodbyes, I felt destroyed. Just a few weeks ago I was a healthy young adult starting his military career, now I was here; helpless and paralyzed on a hospital bed with my mother saying her final goodbyes. I was pumped full of antioxidants day after day, hour after hour. Mrs. Flossy took care of me real good, and put a smile on my face. I will never forget her name as long as I live. However, Doctor James Logue is who I am truly thankful for. He saved my life after recognizing the syndrome. He knew how to treat it and had saved many other patients diagnosed with it beforehand. The syndrome caused my skin to rot, and I had several surgeries performed monthly to ensure my mere survival. I started getting better; day by day, month by month. I met some interesting people in the hospital, like Larry, who had shot his own heel to get out of combat. Larry, as well as some other soldiers, had wheelchair races in the hallways. It was even more thrilling that we all went facing backwards, because that’s how you accelerate a wheelchair the fastest.
After I felt as though I could pull my life back together, I was confident in my survival and my future. I was given the choice to leave the air force on a medical discharge, or finish my final 4 years of enlistment. Being me, I wanted to finish what I started. I stayed enrolled for the next 4 years and finished my enlistment. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t suited for flying any planes or being on the frontline combat, so I went into teaching. I became an electronics professor at Scotsfield Air Base in Illinois. I made some good friends at Scotsfield, and we would occasionally head over to the USO, where servicemen went to have drinks, party with the local women and have a good time. One specific weekend when I was at the USO, I met Nita Byers, or the most beautiful woman in the world. We got married and moved to Ohio. My father lent us a small apartment to live in while we got on our feet. I loved Nita more than anything.
I will never forget my adventures during my enlistment, everything from sentry duty to wheelchair races in the hospital. I will never forget the sweet smell of the pure oxygen, or the nicest nurse I’ve ever met. I learned to cherish life for what it was worth. You cannot put a price on what life has to offer you.
