~ by Father Ron Camarda

I received the following message on Facebook from Matthew Brown whose story I share in my book. Matthew came into Bravo Surgical on November 11, 2004 with severe injuries from an IED. He was in the Trauma stripped naked on the gurney. I asked him to

breathe in……

breathe out…..

…as I ask all the wounded to do so that we can get the morphine into them and prepare them for surgery. The nurses and corpsman couldn’t get Matthew to let go of the St. Michael Medal gripped in his fist. It fell off of the chain, so I volunteered to get a lanyard so he could take the medal with him after his surgery. Matthew reluctantly agreed.

On my way to the supply room, I was distracted by more horrific and deadly tragedies. While just finishing up, I heard the evacuation helicopter land. I panicked and ran back into the M.A.S.H. hospital only to see the back door open and the ambulance gone. I ran the 200 yards in my boots only to get to the landing pad as the helicopter was taking off.

I knew it was really bad for Matthew because it is rare for the evacuations to happen during the daylight… and Matthew didn’t have his St. Michael Medal for this long journey of healing.

When I looked at the medal, I noticed that it had four names on the back with one of them being “Matthew”. I carried the medal with me everywhere for the next month, which happened to be the worst part of the Battle of Fallujah and the war. I took it with me into the city of Fallujah as the battle raged and where Matthew and his fellow Marines fell. When I finally was able to locate his mother, I didn’t even know if Matthew was alive.

He was alive.

When the Commandant of the Marine Corps came by Walter Reed Hospital to give Matthew his Purple Heart, he said, “Sir, this is nice…but what I really want is my St. Michael Medal. Can you help me?”

I actually met the Commandant a few weeks later at Bravo Surgical, but we didn’t connect our encounters…but St. Michael did. I mailed the medal to Matthew that arrived at Christmas time.

It is now coming up on the seventh anniversary of our encounter in the desert. Matthew and I are now soul friends. We are most open to how St. Michael keeps gently leading us closer to our God of Love.

Matthew is now married to beautiful Cassie and has two younger children. There will be many battles to encounter, but let us trust that the Battle belongs to Our God who loves and loves and loves.

Matthew wrote to me:

God is good

Saturday I awoke in a panic cause I could feel my St. Michael’s medal around my neck. It had come undone and had fallen on my pillow. I redid everything and went back to sleep. Later that day I was at Walmart with my family and once again was in a panic cause my necklace came undone but I had felt it and caught the chain. I redid the clasp again and continued on shopping. Once done there I loaded everyone back up in the car and stop at a local shop for a soda where I noticed at the counter that the chain once again was hanging lose but this time my St. Michael medal wasn’t caught in it. I started to panic cause it could have been anywhere. It had also had began to rain very heavily. I searched the parking lot and quickly jumped in the car to head back to Walmart to see if by chance I could find it. I had been everywhere in Walmart and there was a small chance of finding it. There I was pacing the parking lot in pouring rain looking. I ran inside almost like a mad man just staring at the floor. I had to give up the search because I had to go to my grandmother’s 80th birthday party. I was completely heartbroken. So I’m at the party with my children and family. Till my phone rings. It was my closest fried Adam (we are so close we lived out of his car together). He said how awesome he was and I asked why. He said he had found my medal in the parking lot of the shop (which he happened to work at). He saw it in the parking lot as he walked in to work. So he had found my medal. Thought I would share this story with you, because it reminded me so much of you and how my medal has traveled with you. I hope all is well in your life.

Peace and love

Matthew

Do you think angels have tears?

Saint Michael, pray for us!!!

Have a most blessed week.

Pray for me and Sister Maureen at Faith and Sharing this week.

Love, joy, peace,

Father Ron Moses +

www.tearinthedesert.com

Father Ron Camarda is a retired Naval Chaplain and author of “Tear in the Desert,” a powerful book containing his memoirs of life and death at the Battle for Fallujah. Father Ron appears on EWTN and recently won the Silver Medal from the Military Writers Society of America.