The Most Heartbreaking Story of a True Hero 😔
A military commander recounts sending a soldier named Ed back to combat despite a potential traumatic brain injury, after Ed insisted serving with his unit was more important than his health. Three weeks later, Ed is killed in action when an Afghan soldier they were training turned his weapon on the SF team.
Summary
A military commander describes a critical decision involving a soldier named Ed who was injured when an army vehicle was blown up. The medical team presented the situation as a 50/50 call regarding whether Ed had sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) serious enough to prevent his return to combat. The commander met privately with Ed to discuss the risks, but Ed expressed that being unable to serve with his unit would be worse than any potential long-term damage, saying it would essentially kill him. Moved by Ed's commitment to his teammates, the commander told Ed he was a hero for wanting to return to his unit and personally walked him to the helicopter to return to combat. However, three weeks later, a mass casualty situation occurred during a combat operation. A soldier providing intelligence reported that an Afghan soldier they had been training and working with turned his weapon on the Special Forces team and opened fire. One soldier attempted to neutralize the threat but was killed in action. When the commander asked for the fallen soldier's name to honor him, he learned it was Ed—the same soldier he had cleared to return to combat just three weeks earlier.
Key Insights
- The speaker describes a medical situation where doctors presented Ed's clearance as a 50/50 call, meaning the decision ultimately fell to the commander rather than being a clear medical recommendation either way
- Ed expressed that being prevented from serving with his unit would be worse than risking long-term brain damage, stating 'If I can't serve with my unit, I might as well be dead'
- The commander defined heroism for Ed as the willingness to serve and support one's teammates, using this definition to justify clearing Ed to return to combat
- An Afghan soldier they were training and working with turned his weapon on the SF team and fired on them, resulting in American casualties including Ed
- The tragic outcome occurred exactly three weeks after the commander sent Ed back to his unit, creating a direct timeline between the clearance decision and Ed's death in action
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] army vehicle was blown up. One of the guys, though, was rung pretty bad, and I pulled the docs aside, and I was like, "I don't want to send someone back to combat if they're excessively concussed and like in TBI land." And on this one, they were like, "You know, sir, this is like a 50/50 call. Boss, you got to make the call on this one." I sat down with just him. So, I'm like, "Hey, Ed, I don't want to send you back if you're going to have any sort of long-term damage." He said, "Sir, that would kill me. If I can't serve with my unit, I might as well be dead." And I was…
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