KOREAN WAR

God Fixed It

IN EARLY 1952 a nineteen-year-old Marine was brought into the First Medical Battalion field hospital with a severe wound that had damaged the main artery in his upper leg. He had lost a lot of blood and was in shock. A young surgeon, not much older than the Marine, assessed the situation and knew he faced a difficult decision. He could perform a simple, straightforward amputation of the man’s leg and save his life, or he could attempt a much riskier operation to repair the artery and possibly save the leg. The operation would be extremely delicate and would require great skill. He had seen it done but had never done it himself.

At that moment the surgeon turned his head and looked at the man standing nearby. As was often the case, Chaplain Robert Schneck, the Seventh Marines regimental chaplain, was in the hospital giving aid and comfort to the wounded. Meeting the surgeon’s gaze, he bowed his head in silent prayer, as the other man followed suit. After a few moments, the young surgeon turned his attention back to the operating table and began a long and tedious procedure with an uncertain outcome. The chaplain later reported:

Two days “post-op” I happened to be in the surgical ward tent at the same time our surgeon friend was making his rounds. I was behind him when he reached the cot of our young Marine . . . He began to talk to the patient and, while talking, almost hesitatingly touched the foot of the shattered leg. A smile appeared. Turning around, the surgeon saw me. “It’s warm,” he said. Those two words meant that the arterial repair had been successful since blood was reaching the foot. I congratulated the surgeon with great warmth and respect. He looked at me momentarily and then remarked, “Thanks for the prayers, padre. God fixed that one.”

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