This was reprinted by permission of RansomHammer.

Command Sargeant Major Ron will be missed by all
Merlin333

Special Edition

Edited By RansomHammer

CSMRON - In Remembrance

Command Sergeant Major Ronald Dean Douglas passed away peacefully Sunday evening, February 8th, 2009 at the age of 57. His remarkable career spanned over 30 years, during which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Star with “V” device (Valor) and many other commendations and citations. He was involved in over 1000 “Direct Actions” on behalf of his country and was considered to be a top strategist. His selfless service brought great credit to himself, his unit and his country.


Now, I’ve gotten past the formalities, so I will just write from my heart – as he wanted me to. As most of you know, in 2005 Ron was grievously wounded in Iraq. Most of you don’t know the whole story because he never “tooted his own horn”…so now I am going to “toot” it for him. He’d retired from active duty, although still in an advisory role when needed. In 2004, he was asked to once again go into harm’s way, to which he promptly declined. After repeated requests over a period of months, he relented – with the stipulation that it would be
on his “own terms”. This time, he would be a “lifesaver” instead of a “lifetaker”.

He took on the role of coordinating all medical evacuation support for the country and shipped out to the Middle East. One night in 2005, he was lying on a cot, catching a couple of hours sleep. A young sergeant came in and awakened him, telling him they had 2 soldiers with serious wounds needing evacuation and no way to get them out. Seems it was too dangerous to get helicopters into the area, as the fighting was still very intense. Being the man he was, Ron sprang from his cot, was dressed and ready within 2 minutes, put together a small team in two vehicles, and was on his way to save those two young men within 5 minutes of waking. He could have told anyone else to do this and they would have complied without question – yet he did it himself.

One of the tactics of the insurgents is to use wounded soldiers to draw in a larger response force, in which case they will explode IED’s and take out a larger number of soldiers. This is the case with Ron’s small convoy. The blast killed all 3 of the soldiers he’d brought with him
and left him maimed and broken - in the blink of an eye he went from a strapping, supremely fit 6’2” 210 pound man to a maimed caricature of his former self.

But he wasn’t finished, not Ron. Later, his doctors called him a “miracle”. When they finally got him back, he’d been “dead” for over 4 minutes. He’d lost both of his legs, his right hand, part of his arm and all of the organs on his right side had been destroyed in the devastating blast. Yet he wasn’t “finished”. The young man who was
“working” on him, trying desperately to save his life, simply wouldn’t give up. When Ron took his first breath in over 4 minutes, it shocked the young man so badly that he fell backwards - something they both laughed about later…much later, as the road to recovery was long, to
say the least. The doctors gave him no expectations about his future, telling him it could be anytime…that they were frankly amazed he’d survived at all. A “miracle”…but Ron wasn’t finished, yet.

He fought his way back against insurmountable odds, just as he’d done many times in his career. He lived 5 years past all of the doctor’s predictions and cherished every moment. He continued to work with his fellow human beings, improving their lives along the way. He told me
the other day he had a sense of indescribable peace and no regrets. He also requested that I ask everyone to “celebrate” his life, not mourn his passing.

Mary and I both have shed many tears in the past week. It’s part of the process and we’ve lost one of our closest friends. But we are also filled with joy for having the privilege of knowing this man, the gift of having him in our lives. Yesterday, one of our mutual friends traveled from Florida to Alabama and hand-delivered things Ron wanted
us to have. One of the things he had delivered to me was his “Hammer Times” interview, filled out in his own handwriting. Sometime in the next couple of days we will publish it. Join us in celebrating his exemplary life! RansomHammer

PS.
Here is a story you may find interesting... I heard it from our friend last night, who served with Ron for many years. The story is legendary in some circles…very small circles. During the Vietnam Conflict, he carried a wounded Marine over 80 kilometers (for 3 days) through dense jungle, with enemy searching for them constantly - because he wouldn’t leave him behind. Ron physically carried the man, stopping periodically to render medical aid to him…a man who is alive and well today, with grandchildren and a productive life. And that’s the story…
RH