Loss of Two Great Friends & Marines :(

Thankfully, I have always felt comfortable posting aspects of my personal life here among this family of my fellow Ducati lover members. Thank you for never making offensive remarks, saying things never belonged here, or anything adverse of the public venting I have done. Those of you who truly know me are aware I would easily give the shirt off my back to any of you here and have always tried my best to assist anyone when it comes to bikes, gear, or anything at all. Also, those of you who know me also are aware of the life of pain and PTSD I live with after somehow making it thru 3 IED's in Iraq - only to cut my racing dreams short after the last one!

The day after this past Thanksgiving one of our oldest friends, who joined the Marines because of me took his life after surmounting the most horrific and painful recoveries I have ever seen. He was burned over 50% of his body by an IED in Iraq covered with gasoline which took 3 fire extinguishers to put him out. Within a year, after a suicide attempt, he actually ran the Marine Marathon and fought to stay in the Corps when they tired to med board him. Fast fwd to 2014 where his crazy ... controlling wife somehow pushed him away so badly he was sleeping on the floor in a house just donated to him by a gracious Texas Organization. Nothing could be pinned on her but I know she was complicit somehow - and banned me from being contacted by anyone involved and also the funeral saying "It was his wishes" Very mysterious and hurtful period which I will attach some links of his story below about.

Last Saturday I received a call informing me that yet another good friend and fellow "Female Marine" had mysteriously died as well. She was fighting some seriously brutal PTSD demons due to the job she managed in Iraq and Aftghanistan during her last two deployments - one which I could NEVER do myself. She worked in Mortuary Affairs where the bodies of dead US Servicemembers are collected and at best pieced back together for their final flights home to their families and burial. The stuff she saw and handled is enough to make anyone have nightmares!

She was also battling a severe case of Lyme Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis and other bodily pains that I fortunately got her to see the fantastic Pain Management Dr that I am seeing now. For the last 7 years this Doc was the Director of ALL Pain management for Wounded Warriors at Walter Reed / Bethesda Hospitals who saw and treated more cases of what I suffer from than I could count on a calculator! Thanks to him we were about to receive a risky, yet highly effective treatment called Ketamine Infusion (long story) but she was excited and optimistic about this all. Though there are no results yet, the family seems to think she had a Pulmonary Embolism that am since she turned blue and died very fast after 45 mins of CPR. She actually rode a Kawi 600 which impressed me for real! A lot is left unanswered but regardless another Marine and good friend of mine is gone- both under 35 years old! I am in complete shock and disbelief and apologize for venting here to you all right now, but this is what PTSD does to me- it makes me write a lot and I just figured this audience wouldn't mind since you have all been so kind to me for so long.

Thanks for listening (reading) and I don't know if I will ever throw my leg over this beautiful highly modded Tricolore sitting in my garage! Perhaps its what I actually need to do which may help. I often say I want to sell it and maybe one day some rich dude will take it off my hands for whats into it?

So thanks again and stay safe out there everyone! All the very best for year 2015 for you and your families, and of course for the entire membership here! Thank you Duc for creating it, and the Mods for maintaining good order and discipline as we called it n the Corps!
Thanks for allowing me to vent folks. I think it was really needed today

Semper Fi.
Gunny

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Some links on Ssgt TJ Edwards & pics both him and Sgt Tessa Gerlach:

Overcoming Adversity: Sgt Edwards: In the Words of a Marine

Sgt. William "TJ" Edwards - Part 2 Six Dog Tags - War On Terror News

Sgt. William ?TJ? Edwards ? Part 3 Never Quit! - War On Terror News

Texas Sentinels Foundation | Texas Sentinels Foundation Awards Wounded Marine Home in Baytown

In Memory Of Tessa Gerlach

https://www.facebook.com/brendan.fitzgerald.16/media_set?set=a.10206069846373047.1073741828.1468671004&type=3

thanks, stay strong bud!

Stay strong gunny your family is here for you.

Sad times....but as others have said..you are amongst friends here...

Gunny. The things we saw and did haunt us and forever will. She is a good soul and she is being cared for now better than any human could ever do. Stay strong brother.

I can not imagine.

All the best Gunny.

Stay strong Gunny, we are all here with you.

cheers

My heart hurts for you and their families, Gunny. We will always be here for you.

Rip.

Thanks for sharing. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to live a much more charmed life need to read things like this and truly understand that some folks are less fortunate through no fault of their own.

My sincere condolences to you and thanks for being the person you are.

Thanks for posting this! I make these statements as a retired and disabled Marine with 20+ years of active service to our country.

Freedom is not free. As Marines we sign a check to Uncle Sam payable with our life for the freedoms that are mostly assumed to be rights by the public we protect.

It is so easy to take casualty numbers from the battlefield without reflection on our losses once back home. Many suffer PTSD due to our fight on the battlefield. The casualties we see once back home rock the very foundation of our total commitment. Though some show no physical scars, we bear the mental scars of the many battles we have fought.

Thank to all that have served in the past and those who serve our country now on foreign soil. The dedication and unselfish acts of our service members ensures the freedom we all enjoy.

The End.............

We just returned home from an emotional "Celebration of Life" for Sgt. Tessa Gerlach. The Marines from Quantico conducted an impressive funeral detail in her honor and it was enlightening to meet so many of her friends and family.

You shall be missed by many my friend, and your light will continue to burn within us all though you were taken from this earth way too soon Tessa!
God bless you and as always -

Semper Fidelis Sergeant of Marines!