The wife of the soldier who died downrange last week while talking to her on Skype has released some harrowing details of just what she witnessed on that day.
According to this story a new statement released by the family says Capt. Bruce Kevin Clark was suddenly knocked forward during one of his regular Skype chat sessions with his wife, Susan Orellana-Clark. In a closet behind him both Susan and several other individuals who rushed to her home immediately after the incident spotted a bullet hole.
The Skype connection remained open for more than two hours as Susan made frantic phone calls trying to reach someone downrange and have them check on her husband.
According to the story:
“After two hours and many frantic phone calls by Mrs. Clark, two military personnel arrived in the room and appeared to check his pulse, but provided no details about his condition to his wife,” the statement said.
DoD has said Clark’s death is under investigation – but there have been plenty of rumors flying around, including that Clark committed suicide. In the statement Susan said she was releasing details specifically to dispel those rumors. From the story:
Susan Orellana-Clark said she was providing details of what she saw “to honor my husband and dispel the inaccurate information and supposition promulgated by other parties.”
Despite Susan’s spotting of the bullet hole, officials at William Beaumont Army Medical Center where Clark was stationed have said that he died of natural causes, this Daily Mail report says.
According to that story, Clark suddenly looked alarmed and disapeeared from his wife’s sight.
“He assumed an alarmed look and fell back out of the picture,” an Army spokesman told the Daily Mail.
Of course the official cause of Clark’s death will likely not be available for some time. And it would be easy to say that how he died does not matter … that all that matters is that we let Susan know we support her.
But the way he died does matter – and this is why: by knowing what caused his death we can work to make sure no one ever again has to experience the pain and sense of helplessness Susan and her family are surely feeling right now.
Skype, as we have said before, offers a coveted window into our loved one’s worlds downrange. While the concept of witnessing a heart wrenching event like this has certainly been a fear of ours before, we have always been able to dismiss it as an unfounded one. This event lends legitimacy to that nightmare.
If Susan spent two hours trying to find a way to get someone into her husband’s room to help him, her tragic circumstance can serve as a rallying cry to make sure spouses have a way to reach help for those downrange in an expedient manner.
About Amy Bushatz
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I am so very sorry for your loss and can't thank you and your family and Husband enough for all the sacrifices ~ God Bless you and yours. =o(
i sorry for your loss,thank you and husband for your sacrifice to our country
I’m so very sorry for loss. Thank you and your husband for your sacrifice to our country. You and your family our in my prayers.
God Bless you and yours
i'm so sorry for your loss. you and your family is in my prayers. GOD BLESS..
My thoughts are with the family. I cannot imagine how gut wrenching it was to watch that and be helpless. I agree that there should have been some way for her to let someone know that her husband was in distress. I know there are complications with that, but there has to be some way to send an SOS.
i've thought from the moment i first read of this that he died of a heart attack. bullet holes are very small. i don't think she could have seen one. also if it were another one of those rogue afghan trooper incidents they would have been spraying an AK and there would have been multiple holes. just bc it's afghanistan doesn't mean people don't die in a normal manner sometimes.
What can ease their pain. That emptiness that will last a life time and their kids too without a father. Hope someday she can find another that will take his place and be just as good. I hope.
However he died (shooting OR heart attack), what a tragic event to unfold, right there before your eyes. And then, trying to get someone in there to check on him. That had to be a LONG 2 HOURS. My heart goes out to your family. This country owes its gratitude to your husband for his service. God be with you and your family at this time. American involvement in this war needs to come to an end sooner than later. It’s been more than 10 years now, lets move on already. When is enough going to be enough?
The fact that it took two hours for them to come to his aid bothers me quite a bit. Our men and women serving , and their families need to have a more efficient way of getting in touch with someone than what is in place now. Emergencies happen all the time. My question is really is what if they came sooner? What if he could have been saved? We will never know and that tears me apart.This man would have laid his life down for his brothers and sisters, and when he needed it…*sigh* a shame. This is such a shame he passed this way.:(
I truly feel so much for Susan, and her two girls. This is tragic, and a great loss for them and our country. I hope they can grieve in their own ways, and love their father, and husband for the amazing man he was.
As a fellow military wife of 19 years and a husband who is also currently deployed my love and prayers are with you. I know I have no understanding of the true depth of the pain you are experiencing and mere words seem hollow. However, I hope you know you are never alone and you have thousands of us that, even personally unknown, are here for you and your family, not only for today, but for always. Your husband’s death will not be in vain no matter his cause of death. As frustrating and sad that it is, unfortunately it always seems to take a huge loss such as yours that will bring about a change that should have been set in place too long ago. May God hold you tight in his love and protect you from any negativity and know your husband and your family’s honor will forever be upheld and strong.
I know those things can happen, but I don;t wanne miss to see my better half on skpe or let my children talk to him. It dosen;t happen all the time, so sit back and relax. It's sad and frustrating, but I think it'll make things even worse, if we don;t have that little hope to see someone and talk to them. We all know they are in a combat area and things can happen.
Sorry for your loss :'(