My Hospice Story: Dick Sauer
Chaplain, Hospice of the Comforter
“One of the most vivid memories of my ten years as a hospice chaplain stems from an experience I had in 2005. My patient was a retired Marine Corps sergeant major. He had spent 30 years serving our country in the Marines and had amassed a sterling record of courage under fire and outstanding faithful service, often under very difficult conditions. His wife had stood by and supported him throughout those three decades, and her own sacrifices to do so had rivaled his own.
After I had the please of several visits with this fine man and woman, the day of his demise came, and I was privileged to attend his death. Probably almost every American is familiar with the Marine Hymn, but not the last verse, which goes: “If the Army and the Navy ever gaze on heaven’s scenes, they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines.” One can question the theology, of course, but the verse displays the esprit for which the Marines are noted.
After the sergeant major breathed his last, I led those present in prayer and a short time of reflection before he was taken out of his home for the final time. Then, as the men from the funeral home prepared to wheel the gurney out, his wife, stoic to the end as she had been all through his military career, bent over him, tenderly kissed him on the forehead, and said, “Guard those streets well, honey.”
That expression from this brave women at that moment is something I’ll never forget.”