This is a real life account of a dying father waiting to see his soldier son for one last time – unaware of the fact that his son was already dead, whilst on-duty in Iraq.
The following is a recap of a story written in 1964 by Roy Popkin called “Night Watch.” It was originally published in a 1965 edition of Reader’s Digest. A nurse entered the patient’s room with an anxious, tired Marine in tow and told the patient, that his son was here.
The patient was in so much pain that he was heavily sedated.
He could only see the young Marine faintly next to his bed, and he reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his fingers around the old man’s limp hand and gave a gentle squeeze. The nurse brought a chair so the soldier could sit next to the bed.
Throughout the night the Marine sat holding the old man’s hand. The soldier refused when the nurse suggested that he leave and get some rest. Around dawn, the old man died. The young Marine released his hand and went to tell the nurse.
He waited for the nurse to come back and then asked her who the man was, because he had never seen him in his life. The nurse thought the Marine was the old man’s son. She asked him why he stayed when he didn’t even know the man.
The Marine replied that he needed his son but his son wasn’t there, so he took his place. The Marine said he had come to the hospital to find Mr. William Grey to tell him that his son had died in Iraq. The nurse told him that the old man he spent the night with was Mr. William Grey.
Share away, people.
