GI chooses ring over finger

[LA_MERC_Yankee]

VICTORVILLE, Calif. — When Marine Lance Cpl. David Battle (search) learned he'd either have to sacrifice his ring finger or the wedding band he wore, he told doctors at a field hospital in Iraq to cut off the finger.

The 19-year-old former high school football star suffered a mangled left hand and serious wounds to his legs in a Nov. 13 fire fight in Fallujah (search). Battle, who is recovering at his parents' home in this desert city 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, came under attack as he and fellow Marines entered a building. Eleven other Marines were wounded.

Doctors were preparing to cut off Battle's ring to save as much of his finger as they could.

"But that would mean destroying my wedding ring," he said. "My wife is the strongest woman I know. She's basically running two people's lives since I've been gone. I don't think I could ever repay her or show her how grateful ... how much I love my wife, my soul mate."

With his approval, doctors severed his finger, but somehow in the chaos that followed, they lost his ring.

Although Battle was disappointed, his wife, Devon, said she was honored.

"I can't believe he did that," she said. "At first I was mad when he told me, but then I realized how lucky I am to have him in my life."

The couple, who met in the eighth grade, were married in June, just two weeks before Battle left for Iraq. He hopes to eventually return to the Marines, and to replace his wedding ring, but that will have to wait until he recovers.

In the meanwhile, Battle's high school has planned a banquet in his honor next week.

"We need to make more David Battles," said Daniel Pierce, the school's assistant head coach. "He is one amazing guy."



Can you believe they lost the freaking ring. I would be so pi$$ed!!

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

Lost the ring? man there are no words to describe the anger I would feel.

[LA_MERC_Diesel]

how do you loose the ring...doh!
sneaksky hobbits!

[SaBeR512]

there really isnt words to discribe how i would feel....

[LA_MERC_Nutria]

[|Team Moped| Kripto]

I'm not married so I may be missing the point. But my girlfriend likes all of my appendages and last time I checked they don’t grow back. If she gave me another wedding ring it would mean just as much to me then the original, plus I would have a finger to put it on. It is sweet all, I’ll give you that… I would just get a slap in the back of the head from Nicole.
All of that put aside, I can’t believe they lost it. Hawkeye or Honeycutt would never have lost them!
(Can you believe Honeycutt is in Word's spell check?)

[SnAkEbItE]

You said it correctly, your not married so you don't understand how some men look at their wedding ring and just what it means to them.

[Uther]

I'm married and I dont understand it. I love my wife but a ring isn't my love. It might be a physical symbol of marriage, but a marriage isnt anything that you can put into an object. A symbol of a marriage can be broken or lost but that doesnt mean the mariage is broken or lost.

[LA_MERC_Nutria]

Hey Uther....awwwwwwwwwwww

[}{y|3ri|)]

I'm married and I dont understand it. I love my wife but a ring isn't my love. It might be a physical symbol of marriage, but a marriage isnt anything that you can put into an object. A symbol of a marriage can be broken or lost but that doesnt mean the mariage is broken or lost.
im with uther on this one, cherrish the relationship, not the token.

[LA_MERC_Cowboy_From_Hell]

Hmm...Dont know if I'd be willing to give up a digit for my ring. Awesome sentiment....BUT! Sounds like he was only going to have a nub (no pun intended) anyway so MAYBE.

The flipside is, if his connection to his wife is what got him through the day to day hell that is Iraq, then I understand. I think most of us take for granted the abiltity to see our spouses everyday. Loosing the ring....Unacceptable.

lol@ Hunycutt and Hawkeye. I bet Ferret Face was his doctor. :D

[NoXiOuS]

i'd wear the ring on a chain with my dog tags.

[SweetGirL]

Kripto, you are too young to know about M*A*S*H and to truly appreciate that show. lol :stick Syndication...pfft.

As for the GI who had his finger taken off.........I think that's just dumb as *%#%. To each his own, but fingers are not necessarily replacable. I'd like to see him try to get some disability or compensation from the government on that one down the road.

[LA_MERC_CS Widow]

Hmm...Dont know if I'd be willing to give up a digit for my ring. Awesome sentiment....BUT!


Glad you see it that way honey. It is a nice sentiment, but I think only in an extreme situation such as this could there even be the slightest reasoning to work with. That was all he had of her through a horrible test of will that is war. Otherwise, I'd have to say, "What the HECK were you thinking???"

[}{y|3ri|)]

my roomate use to be a tank commander, he use to instruct his men to remove thier rings before gettin into the tank.. mostly because you can get it stuck or caught etc on things way to easy.

[|Team Moped| Kripto]

I may be too young... But I have at least seen the movie it was based on. It's really really odd.... The theme song seems so happy and cheerful in the show, but once you learn the real song I feel like I want to jump off a bridge!

I guess i feel like Uther, things can always be replaced. Sometimes the story behind you loosing the original can mean just as much as it's replacement. It's kind of like the situation with a burning house, do you run back in to save some pictures? To save some item that has memories?

[LA_MERC_MadMAX]

I agree...Hawkeye or Honeycutt would have never lost the ring, and I'm NOT too young! HOWEVER, I am the biggest fan of classic TV that exists in the world today. Don't EVEN get me started...however, again, I reinterate Hawkeye or Honeycutt would not have lost the ring.

[PaRaNoiD]

couldn't they just like cut the ring off.. then weld it back together- later?
having a semi-disfigured ring would be awesome.. not a finger =/
it was nice gesture and all- and im sure being alone and the only connection to ur wife was that ring, prolly seemed alot more important to him then an outsider looking in..

but i still vote to keep all my fingers (but i've never been in that situation or state of mind) soooooo ya never know =)

[SweetGirL]

I just heard on CNN that a jewelry store owner offered the GI and his wife to pick out "any" ring in the store for the two of them. They showed the one his wife picked out - I don't think she believes in the philisophy of "bigger is better" (yes, most all women believe in this! lol). They said the GI would be wearing his ring on his right hand. duh.

[LA_MERC_Dragonlady[s]]

I think it was very sweet and all but I would just want my husband to be healthy and happy. But Ya never know what someone goes through in a time like that. That was very nice of the jewelry people to replace there rings with any ring in the store.

[Captain]

that was just plain stupid LoL