Overcome Adversity (eBook)

CHAPTER ONE

The Accident of Life

On Top of the World

On January 8th, 1998, I felt like I was on top of the world. I had accomplished all of the things that I had set out to do. With a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University in Communications with studies in International Marketing and Military Science, I was just the person the army was looking for.

As a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army I had exceeded my own expectations, as well as those of family members who had preceded me in military service. Numerous awards for outstanding service attested to my success. In addition to all that, I had just completed coursework at the Army’s Pleasant Valley Medical Center and School in Nas Tonyia, Texas to become a medical officer.

On the final day of class, all the medical officers were turning in their supplies and clearing post before the graduation ceremony the next day. When I finished, I went back to my room to relax and enjoy the overwhelming experience of finally completing my heart’s desire. I had not made plans to go anywhere that day. I was thinking about seeing my daughter and sharing with her the joy of accomplishing my dream. I knew I had just received a great blessing, and I was so thankful to God for helping me make it through the years of hard training. I was excited! Tomorrow was my day and I was going to graduate.

The Celebration

After completing training, military personnel always have cause for celebration. The friends and bonds established during training are like none other. The memories will remain long after everyone goes to their respective duty stations. However, two of my close fiends, French, and Ivine wanted to go out and celebrate. I was at home relaxing when they came by and woke me up around 8:30 p.m. “Come on man, this is the last time we are going to be together. Let’s go!” I hesitated, but they persisted. Finally, I agreed to go. I first met French and Ivine when I arrived at Pleasant Valley Medical Center and School. We were classmates in the Medical Officer Basic Course and quickly became good friends. Ivine was a smart guy who was really smooth. He had just graduated college and was getting started in his military career. He was the first of the many friends I made at Pleasant Valley Medical Center and School. French was an awesome guy, a proven military leader with a great heart. He was also a loving father of four daughters and a member of the college fraternity Omega Psi Phi. We shared two common bonds; we were both fathers of daughters and both Army Airborne Paratroopers.

Once the three of us decided to go out, other friends from class joined us. Sannan, a good friend of Ivine’s from college and my friend EL, a physician’s assistant in the army, accompanied us in a separate car. We all headed out to a small club about ten miles from base.

That’s when I received a conference call from the Lord. He wanted to send me to a spiritual training exercise. The training camp was not on my itinerary. At any rate, I did not notice the call, so the Lord left a message, “I will see you in the morning.”

The Accident

The celebration itself was uneventful. Afterward, we decided to go to a restaurant for breakfast and to talk about the night we’d just had. The club was closing, and everyone was doing fine as we walked and talked going to the parking lot. We made sure everybody was okay and we agreed to go to breakfast. We all got in our cars and left the parking lot. It was a clear night and everything seemed to be under control; I was at the wheel. EL and Sannan got held up at a stoplight in their car, and I got on the expressway with Ivine and French in French’s truck. Then suddenly, about halfway between the club and the restaurant, the front tire blew out. I don’t recall what caused the blowout, but I know we came to a slow roll and eventually stopped near the shoulder of the expressway. French, Ivine, and I got out of the truck to assess the damages. When French saw the tire damage he became emotional. I tried to maintain my composure and said to him, “Don’t worry about it, everything will be O.K.” It was probably just tire damage that could be fixed in the morning. Fortunately for us, no other cars were involved and we did not hit anybody and cause an accident. That was the last thing I remember thinking.

Now, I’m not sure how long we were stopped on the expressway when another motorist stopped to give us assistance and that’s when it happened. An unaware driver smashed into the rear of French’s Isuzu Rodeo unaware of the people standing in front of the truck on the roadway. The forceful impact pushed the truck forward and it slammed into French, Ivine, the helpful motorists, and myself. Everyone standing near the truck was injured.

Unto this day I don’t know anything about the driver who hit us. The posted limit was seventy-five miles per hour but I don’t know how fast the truck was going. From the moment the truck hit, everything became critical. Another passing motorist witnessed the accident and dialed 911 emergency response while EL and Sannan drove onto the expressway.

EL and Sannan didn’t know that the victims of the accident were their friends. That night they would go on their first rescue mission: to save the lives of their friends. Their medical training took over their instincts and they responded as if it was a wartime situation. They stopped on the roadside and approached the scene of broken glass, bleeding victims crying and screaming, and a number of motorists who had stopped in traffic. Demonstrating their emergency medical skills, they began triage on all the victims and provided CPR until the ambulance arrived and then assisted the paramedics until additional support came.

Later I was told I had been put into a helicopter and taken to the hospital. I had suffered multiple injuries and the doctors were not sure whether or not I would live. French’s condition was also dangerously critical. The others were taken to a local hospital where they were treated for minor injuries and soon released. Looking back, I have a lot of questions about what happened and why. What was God’s plan? Why had I met all of these people under these circumstances? What role would they play in my life? What would happen to me now? My life went from being at the pinnacle of success to hanging on the precipice of disaster.

That morning all my military experience would be tested by this accident. I call this the “Accident of Life” because it changed my life forever. Graduation was my present goal. In seven hours I was going to be recognized as the first military medical officer in my family. A friend with a flat tire, at the blink of an eye, changed my destiny instantly. Who was at fault did not matter. The damage was done, a life needed saving and, every decision mattered.

The Accident – Achievement of Destiny Turned Disastrous

It was seven hours until graduation. I had already accomplished my mission: a four-year bachelor’s degree in Communication, United States Army Officer’s Commission, and a newfound purpose in life as a 21st century leader. I couldn’t imagine how the accident would change my life or the life of my friend. I don’t remember any details from the accident, just the final words I spoke to French, “French, everything is going to be alright.”

My Friend

When I first met French it was like finding a brother. We had an immediate connection. Our bond began when we discovered that we both had achieved the prestigious rank of airborne paratrooper. Only about 40% of the students who are accepted actually graduate to this status. Airborne school is extremely challenging, physically and mentally. The airborne wings are respected globally, and most soldiers envy those who have them. Being medical officers and wearing airborne wings, French and I were among the chosen few in our profession.

It was easy to like French from the start. He was well rounded and well versed about religious, military, social, and cultural matters. He was well traveled and possessed a witty sense of humor, which brought a lot of laughter and fun to the class. French used a lot of symbolism in our discussions. At times he would refer to things like the Buffalo Soldiers or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He said, “The history of these events is significant to where we are in our lives, and where we are going.”

One of the things I really respected about French was that he was competitive and he challenged himself to go further and achieve more. French and I were both expert runners and would often compete with each other. He had a passion that drove us both to do our best. Despite his competitive nature, he remained humble and down to earth about his challenges, his family, and most importantly…his mother.

French loved his mother beyond measure and often spoke of their relationship and how special she was to him. I admired the way he talked about how she had been there for him, guiding, coaching, and counseling him when he was younger to make the right decisions. She had never quit on him, and he felt his success came from not quitting on her. Because I shared the same kind of relationship with my mom this made our bond stronger.

“Your ways are not my ways, and your thoughts

are not my thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8)

In addition to his mother, French had four beautiful daughters he loved to talk about. He was proud of his little ladies, and he wanted them to grow up to be sophisticated women with class. I had a little lady of my own, my daughter, whom I loved very dearly. French and I often swapped stories about raising our daughters, and the things, places and activities we shared with them.

Another common...