Goodbye little Brother

                                            In Loving Memory of 

                   Our little   Brother ...                                                              

Roger Lee Scherf Jr.

My heart is so FULL right now.

I have been avoiding my blog like it's the plague...

because the happenings of late have been....

...a mixture of  extreme sadness and

extreme beauty.

(does that make any sense??? it will in a minute i promise!)

SO either one that i talk about will have me

bawling like a little baby.

Two weeks ago ..march 19th...

I got a phone call from my father, Roger Scherf  Sr.,

he was in hysterics...

RJ , Roger Jr.,  was  in a horrible car accident...

He was in Madigan Hospital on the Army Base of 

Fort Lewis...

He was pronounced brain dead.

He was on life support.

Not expected to make it much longer...

The military was picking my father up to get him

to Washington  A.S.A.P. 

If he left immediately..he might make it to say goodbye

to his son...my little brother...RJ

He was packed and waiting when the military phoned to say

that the plane ticket had been cancelled...

Sr.  and   Jr. that is one proud papa!

It was too Late.....RJ was gone...

We were all devastated...especially for my

father and Rj's mom...

They were not going to be able to hold their

sons hand one last time... tell him they loved him once more....

Then ...just hours later....  another call came in...

It was a misunderstanding...

RJ was  still alive....

on life support.. but still holding onto life.

It was a beautiful Miracle!

Just hours after My dad and RJ's mom got to the

hospital  they held a small service in honor of RJ...

There was a Vigil in that hospital room that night.

30 or more of RJ's fellow soldiers and

friends were their to say their goodbyes as well.

A prayer was offered up to Heaven...

RJ was in bad shape....it was his time to go...

Lori, Rj's mom,  told him he could go...

she thanked him for holding on til they could say goodbye...

As the prayer ended....and the words...

"in the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN,".... were uttered...

Roger Lee Scherf Jr....took his very last breath on this Earth.

He returned to his Heavenly Father on March 20th,2011.

He had just turned 21 the week before....

He had just married a month before....

He was so young...It was very confusing...

In late 2009 he was in Afghanistan and his platoon was

hit by one of the largest IED bombs  ever recorded...

He was driving the HUM V...

All of his men and their interpreter...

were killed....

RJ was the only survivor.

Surely there must have been something more in store for

this amazing young man....

He was spared ...it was a miracle for sure...

the vehicle was destroyed...

He had brain damage...a badly injured leg...

a severely lacerated tongue...and a mouth full of broken teeth...

But ....

HE WAS ALIVE!

A short year and a half later....

He was recovering well...

physically....

but struggling to hang in there emotionally..

survivors guilt...His platoon brothers were gone...

he had seen horrible things....

His heart was in a lot of pain...

And now he too is gone....

He survived the Taliban but an icy road got the best of him...

It seemed so wrong.

But here's the thing....

In the last year and a half....

RJ became very close to the mothers and fathers of his

fellow soldiers who never made it home from that war.

He was their last connection to the sons that they

would never see again...

He told those boy's stories...

He gave their parents something to hold onto and  the chance to have some closure... to let go...

 to heal their broken hearts.

Rj was a true hero!!!

To our Country and to those families...

He is My Hero.

I will never be the same again....

I have so much more gratitude for what those boys

and men do for us....

Rj did not become a soldier...he was born one.

They see too much....

things noone should ever have to witness...

and they do it all for us...

for you and me...

We are free because of them.

As his Seargents and fellow soldiers shared

their stories of RJ and their love for his Humor that

"kept them all going"...

My Patriotism just grew by leaps and bounds.

RJ as a boy...in camo...as always!  ;)

God Bless America...

and  our little brother..

RJ

xoxo  shell

links to articles on RJ:

Roger Scherf http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2011/03/turn_the_page_friend_of_fallen.html

My absolute FAVORITE ONE:    http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/04/03/1948911/cut-short-2nd-chance-still-a-gift.html

http://www.operationward57.org/2011/03/spc-roger-scherf/



 

P.S.  thank your soldiers every chance you get....
you never know when you won't  be able to anymore!