Godspeed Marine Staff Sergeant Chad Simon

Posted By Blackfive

Nine months ago, a patrol of four Mad Ghosts - Marines from the 2/24th Marines (USMCR) - was hit by an IED.  Three died shortly after the attack, and their squad leader was severely wounded.  The three Marines were Lance Cpl. Shane K. O'Donnell,  Lance Cpl. Branden Ramey,  and Cpl. Robert Warns II.  Bobby Warns should be familiar to some of you regular visitors (and be sure to hit the link to the tribute site. The video... it's amazing).  You should aslo be familiar with the Mad Ghosts.

Their leader was Staff Sergeant Chad Simon.  He received shrapnel wounds to his head - doctors had to remove part of his skull to operate.  From the Journal-Sentinel:

...When the Humvee he was in was hit by the bomb in November, he and the seat he was strapped into were blown 50 feet, Jeff Mannel said. A piece of shrapnel struck Simon, causing a severe brain injury.

Surgeons in Iraq removed two-thirds of his skull, according to updates Regina Simon posted to a friend's Web site. Simon remained unconscious from the time of the attack until he died.

Simon remained in Iraq for about two weeks until it was safe to move him. From there he went to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

While there, he received visits from President Bush and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

After Bush had his yearly physical at the facility, a soldier led him around the hospital so he could meet wounded troops. After visiting Simon's room, Bush "asked if every room was going to be this difficult," Jeff Mannel said.

From Bethesda, Simon went to a Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis before returning to the Madison area, where he stayed at a VA hospital and later a hospice.

The removal of the feeding tube came after early hopes that Simon would recover.

When he was in the Iraq hospital, doctors would put the phone to his ear so Regina could talk to him. They noted that his heart rate rose when she did so, according to the updates.

By March, Simon was making eye contact, gripping objects and developing the muscles on his left side, according to the Mannels and the updates. But those hopeful signs turned out to be only automatic responses, they said.

"At first, you really want to believe he's looking at you because he wants to look at you, but it turns out they were reflexive responses," Jeff Mannel said.

In a March update, while Simon was at the Minneapolis VA hospital, Regina noted that their son would curl up with Simon to watch cartoons.

"Daddy's going to be better," Dylan told his mom, according to the update. "Then he'll play video games with me."

Regina Simon asked her friends in the posting: "What do you say to that?"...

He never regained consciousness.

Simon had a living will instructing to remove a feeding tube.

He died last Thursday.  The last of the Mad Ghosts to die. 

The Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal follows the story:

Six-year-old Dylan Simon's small fingers were engulfed in the white glove of the Marine who walked with him Monday morning to the front of a packed church filled with men in crisp, blue uniforms just like the one his father had worn.

Two tall Marines silently walked up to Dylan Simon. One knelt and presented the boy with the Purple Heart that his father, Chad, never got to see. Dylan listened to the Marine's soft words and accepted the medal given to American military members who are killed or injured in combat.

"It is our hope that as we give this to Dylan, he understands the respect we have for his father," said Maj. Adam Holton.

Dylan's father died Thursday. But in a sense, Staff Sgt. Chad Simon, 32, died in November along with three other members of Madison-based Golf Company who were hit by an improvised explosive device in Iraq.
<...>

Holton, the commander of Golf Company, told the crowd at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church that Chad Simon was a leader who looked after his men, a leader who expected perfection and a Marine who had very high standards for himself and those around him.

Echoing the famous words first spoken by Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of the cemetery that became the final resting place for soldiers who died fighting in a Pennsylvania town in 1863, Holton said it is up to the living to remember the sacrifices made by men who died defending freedom.

Men like Chad Simon.

Repeating the last sentences of the Gettysburg Address, Holton said it is the living who should "resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain."

"I believe that 142 years later, these words have never been more true," said Holton. "Chad died serving his country so that we can enjoy the benefits of living in a free and strong country."

Simon's battalion was nicknamed the "Mad Ghosts" because of television news reports in Iraq that likened the U.S. Marines to ghosts because it seemed like they didn't sleep and were everywhere.
<...>

Before the funeral, which started promptly at 11 a.m. as a nod to Simon's penchant for punctuality, a slide show flickered on a screen at the front of the church. While listening to patriotic songs and "The Marines' Hymn," the crowd looked at photos of Simon as a boy, in a graduation cap and gown, hugging his wife on their wedding day and holding his son. They laughed at a photo of Simon lying inside a dog cage next to a pooch with its head on its paws.

Simon was remembered as a man who was always willing to lend a tool, help others fix their cars, who loved practical jokes, who enjoyed jumping out of a darkened room to scare someone - often, his wife - and learning professional wrestling moves.

"As a Marine, he would say it's not about the name on the tag," said Mannel, "it's not about the number of stripes on the sleeve, it's not about the medals - it's about the flag."

Sergeant Simon's wife, Regina, wishes that any who want to donate memorials, make them to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund (a worthy cause that I've written of many times).

Godspeed, Staff Sergeant Simon.

Update 8:30PM CST:  This post is thanks to David M. who sent the articles.  Usually, I do a better job of giving credit where credit is due (I'm sure David doesn't mind but I just saw comments thanking me for bringing this to light).  Having a rough week.  Thanks to the Sentinel-Journal, too, as they also have done right by many of the Fallen from Wisconsin including my friend, Major Mat Schram.

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Godspeed Marine Staff Sergeant Chad Simon

Nine months ago, a patrol of four Mad Ghosts - Marines from the 2/24th Marines (USMCR) - was hit by an IED.  Three died shortly after the attack, and their squad leader was severely wounded.  The three Marines were Lance Cpl. Shane K. O'Donnell,  Lance Cpl. Branden Ramey,  and Cpl. Robert Warns II.  Bobby Warns should be familiar to some of you regular visitors (and be sure to hit the link to the tribute site. The video... it's amazing).  You should aslo be familiar with the Mad Ghosts.

Their leader was Staff Sergeant Chad Simon.  He received shrapnel wounds to his head - doctors had to remove part of his skull to operate.  From the Journal-Sentinel:

...When the Humvee he was in was hit by the bomb in November, he and the seat he was strapped into were blown 50 feet, Jeff Mannel said. A piece of shrapnel struck Simon, causing a severe brain injury.

Surgeons in Iraq removed two-thirds of his skull, according to updates Regina Simon posted to a friend's Web site. Simon remained unconscious from the time of the attack until he died.

Simon remained in Iraq for about two weeks until it was safe to move him. From there he went to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

While there, he received visits from President Bush and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

After Bush had his yearly physical at the facility, a soldier led him around the hospital so he could meet wounded troops. After visiting Simon's room, Bush "asked if every room was going to be this difficult," Jeff Mannel said.

From Bethesda, Simon went to a Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis before returning to the Madison area, where he stayed at a VA hospital and later a hospice.

The removal of the feeding tube came after early hopes that Simon would recover.

When he was in the Iraq hospital, doctors would put the phone to his ear so Regina could talk to him. They noted that his heart rate rose when she did so, according to the updates.

By March, Simon was making eye contact, gripping objects and developing the muscles on his left side, according to the Mannels and the updates. But those hopeful signs turned out to be only automatic responses, they said.

"At first, you really want to believe he's looking at you because he wants to look at you, but it turns out they were reflexive responses," Jeff Mannel said.

In a March update, while Simon was at the Minneapolis VA hospital, Regina noted that their son would curl up with Simon to watch cartoons.

"Daddy's going to be better," Dylan told his mom, according to the update. "Then he'll play video games with me."

Regina Simon asked her friends in the posting: "What do you say to that?"...

He never regained consciousness.

Simon had a living will instructing to remove a feeding tube.

He died last Thursday.  The last of the Mad Ghosts to die. 

The Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal follows the story:

Six-year-old Dylan Simon's small fingers were engulfed in the white glove of the Marine who walked with him Monday morning to the front of a packed church filled with men in crisp, blue uniforms just like the one his father had worn.

Two tall Marines silently walked up to Dylan Simon. One knelt and presented the boy with the Purple Heart that his father, Chad, never got to see. Dylan listened to the Marine's soft words and accepted the medal given to American military members who are killed or injured in combat.

"It is our hope that as we give this to Dylan, he understands the respect we have for his father," said Maj. Adam Holton.

Dylan's father died Thursday. But in a sense, Staff Sgt. Chad Simon, 32, died in November along with three other members of Madison-based Golf Company who were hit by an improvised explosive device in Iraq.
<...>

Holton, the commander of Golf Company, told the crowd at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church that Chad Simon was a leader who looked after his men, a leader who expected perfection and a Marine who had very high standards for himself and those around him.

Echoing the famous words first spoken by Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of the cemetery that became the final resting place for soldiers who died fighting in a Pennsylvania town in 1863, Holton said it is up to the living to remember the sacrifices made by men who died defending freedom.

Men like Chad Simon.

Repeating the last sentences of the Gettysburg Address, Holton said it is the living who should "resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain."

"I believe that 142 years later, these words have never been more true," said Holton. "Chad died serving his country so that we can enjoy the benefits of living in a free and strong country."

Simon's battalion was nicknamed the "Mad Ghosts" because of television news reports in Iraq that likened the U.S. Marines to ghosts because it seemed like they didn't sleep and were everywhere.
<...>

Before the funeral, which started promptly at 11 a.m. as a nod to Simon's penchant for punctuality, a slide show flickered on a screen at the front of the church. While listening to patriotic songs and "The Marines' Hymn," the crowd looked at photos of Simon as a boy, in a graduation cap and gown, hugging his wife on their wedding day and holding his son. They laughed at a photo of Simon lying inside a dog cage next to a pooch with its head on its paws.

Simon was remembered as a man who was always willing to lend a tool, help others fix their cars, who loved practical jokes, who enjoyed jumping out of a darkened room to scare someone - often, his wife - and learning professional wrestling moves.

"As a Marine, he would say it's not about the name on the tag," said Mannel, "it's not about the number of stripes on the sleeve, it's not about the medals - it's about the flag."

Sergeant Simon's wife, Regina, wishes that any who want to donate memorials, make them to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund (a worthy cause that I've written of many times).

Godspeed, Staff Sergeant Simon.

Update 8:30PM CST:  This post is thanks to David M. who sent the articles.  Usually, I do a better job of giving credit where credit is due (I'm sure David doesn't mind but I just saw comments thanking me for bringing this to light).  Having a rough week.  Thanks to the Sentinel-Journal, too, as they also have done right by many of the Fallen from Wisconsin including my friend, Major Mat Schram.

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