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Chaplain Manuela Ortiz – Thomas – KIA 8 June 2005

Fifth USMC Brigade
USMC, C/O MCCDC
Quantico, VA

4 July 2005

Dear Major Thomas,

It is with great regret that I advise you that your wife, Chaplain Manuela Ortiz-Thomas was killed in action on June 8, 2005. Words cannot express the grief that I feel or the emptiness that her passing has left in our hearts. The best words of comfort that I can offer are taken from the Word of God:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:1-2

I was there when she breathed her last breath on this earthly realm. Our unit was returning from a small skirmish in the Northern region and we came under fire. No one knew where the gunshots were coming from and we fired shots in every direction. Moments later, the area was silent. I heard a sound a few clicks away from our position and fired one shot in that direction.

Manuela ran in the direction of the last shot that was fired and picked up a small wounded child lying in a small ditch. As she headed back towards our position, additional shots were fired and our position was quickly surrounded. She carried the child back into the brush and I could notice that she was delivering what I believe to be the last rites to him.

I wasn’t a religious man and at that time I could not even determine whey she would choose to do this for the enemy. Nevertheless she continued, unmoved and undeterred by the bullets that whizzed by and the explosions that were closing in on our position. We had taken at least three casualties by that time and I called to her to advise her that we had to move out. She wouldn’t budge and we were faced with the tough decision to leave the area as the enemy approached from all sides.

I had gotten a few meters away from the area when a large explosion blocked my view of your courageous wife. I took a large chunk of shrapnel in my shoulder and face and lost consciousness. It wouldn’t be until about a week later that I lead a small team back into the region to determine her whereabouts.

There’s no other way to say this or put this mildly. I recognize your years of service with the Corps. And I must put it bluntly. The only things that we found were the cover of her bible, a small bit of DNA evidence and her wedding band – which is what we used to identify her remains.

Leonard, I am sorry. I know that I promised to take care of Manuela when we were deployed. I tried to keep her out of action but she would not neglect her duties as the Chaplain. I’ve witnessed her praying in the middle of the fiercest combat imaginable. If one of our own were struck down she’d be there before they’d hit the ground. It seemed as if she was bulletproof. She had such strong faith and she encouraged the men and woman of our company immensely.

I’ll be returning stateside in a few days and I will stop by then with her personal effects. I’ve just started to read the bible and things are different now. Manuela always told me to get into the Word and now I am.

Semper Fi!

Ronald C. Cowen
Captain USMC
Commander, K4

“Is that a letter from Mommy?”
The small voice took Leonard by surprise as he turned to face his son Mikal.

“Yes it is…”

“When is she coming home Daddy?”

Leonard wanted to tell him that she wasn’t coming home but he could not accept the cruel blow that fate had dealt to him. He was always a man of little words. He was one who expressed his emotion openly in spite of the situation. However, tonight he wasn’t strong enough to grasp and fully process the end of his own life when his wife died. Instead of the “talk” that Manuela and he had rehearsed to deliver to young Mikal should either one of them die, he treated this night as “business as usual.”

“I’m not sure son…you should be in bed! Give me a kiss and get back in bed sweetheart.”

Mikal ran over and embraced him and whispered into his ear, “It’s going to be okay Daddy, God is watching us.”

Leonard replied weakly, “Yes, He is.”

Mikal ran back up the stairs and called back “I Love you Daddy!”

Leonard replied; “I Love you too!”


Leonard stood up slowly and grabbed the cane that was propped up in a corner. He walked slowly into the kitchen and grabbed the largest glass that he could find and placed it on the counter. He reached up into a nearby cabinet and retrieved a full bottle of whiskey and filled the glass to the top. His hands shook as he tried to raise the glass to his mouth as he leaned on the counter.

He hobbled over to a chair and dropped down into the seat. He took large gulps of the liquor as if the alcohol would blot out the memories that were sure to come. Moments later he placed his head down on the table and started to sob uncontrollably. He drifted off to sleep as the memories of a lifetime spent with his wife faced the harsh reality that he was now a widow.

***
Leonard Thomas met Manuela Ortiz over seventeen years earlier while attending the United States Marine Corps. Officer Candidate School Platoon Leaders Class. Ironically, it was on July 4th. The male candidates were allowed to visit the female barracks on that day to tour their squad bay. Leonard focused on several pictures of various Marine Corps. Events that took place throughout history.

Leonard was focusing on a picture of the Marine Corps. Flag Raising at Iwo Jima. He became lost in the moment and imagined the glory of planting the American flag after a hard fought victory. He was proud to wear the same uniform that those brave men wore. He was surprised that he had made it this far in the program. When he left Connecticut over a month prior he didn’t know what to expect. But, nonetheless, he was on the road to adulthood and he felt as if he had definitely made the right decision. He was lost in the moment and he heard a small voice,

“Happy fourth of July Marine!”

He turned slowly and could not believe that such a beautiful woman was talking to him, of all people. He looked to his left and then to his right and yes, she was talking to him. He had spent several weeks being alienated by the other Candidates for various reasons and at times was on the verge of just giving up and going back home. But, she changed everything for him.

Leonard stuttered, “You…you too!”

She turned slowly and walked away, looking back at him with a look in her eyes that caused him to forget his manners and just stare at her as she walked away. She was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. She was small, perhaps about 5’2”. Her skin was slightly tanned and her long wavy hair was gathered into a neat USMC regulation “bun.” Her eyes were so kind and gentle. Her voice was beyond soothing. Yes, she was everything that any man would want, so of course, Leonard felt as if she was unattainable.

Leonard stood there, totally dumb-founded and later annoyed that he didn’t even ask her name or platoon number. On the next day after a sleepless night invaded by images of this beautiful woman, Leonard awoke to the daily wake up call consisting of banging trash cans, shouting, occasional “MOVE IT!! MOVE it’s” and other disturbing sounds of rampant chaos and disarray.

The entire company embarked on a very long bivouac a few days later. They were to go on a 5 mile hike out into the middle of nowhere, rendezvous with a chopper and be transported to the campsite. The weather took a turn for the worse and the ride in the chopper was cancelled. Therefore, there were x amount of miles to walk to get to their destination. It was going to be difficult but the candidates had just recently discovered the advantage of wearing Speedos under their uniforms to avoid the painful inner thigh rubbing caused by such a long hike. About 24 hours later the tired and filthy company marched out of the woods and assembled in front of the squad bay on the street. The entire company decided to walk through as opposed to around a large swamp and the men were caked in mud.

The men were ordered to strip down to their skivvies to get rinsed off. One by one trousers lowered to reveal a massive assortment of spandex Speedos lined up for review. At that time the female half of the company marched by and Leonard noticed her again. In an environment where everyone dresses alike and are groomed in one uniform fashion, it’s easy to mistake one person for another. But, it was her, he knew that she was there and he wanted to be next to her.

He thought; her eyes are inescapable. She’s an angel. She’s beautiful and …

The Sergeant Instructor shouted out; “What’s with all of these sissy pants! Get out ‘a my sight!”

Obviously, the spandex under our trousers did not go over too well with the Sergeant Instructor. The company of half naked men in Speedos of absolutely every color imaginable ran into the squad bay and showered quickly and prepared for a class. Leonard laughed when he saw that same sergeant walking down the hall wearing a pair of light blue spandex and a fanny pack with his olive green undershirt on just a few hours later.

Leonard planned on going into town on weekend liberty to get away from it all. He planned on staying in a hotel to study for a large exam that was to take place first thing Monday morning. His time in training resulted in a weekly paycheck equivalent to a captain’s salary. However, he rarely spent any of this money due to the fact that a group of candidates “fixed” the night watch rotation so that he would rarely have a free weekend. Therefore he had thousands of dollars to spend and no where to spend it at.

Saturday arrived and Leonard packed all of his books into his duffel bag and headed out to wait for the bus to take him into downtown. He arrived at the hotel and checked in. He entered his room welcoming the