Sometimes a person's last moments can be among their best. As Staff Sgt. Matthew James Whalen was wheeled on a gurney down the halls of the Plaza Fort Worth Medical Center in Texas, family, friends and, according to a blog on KTVU, a full honor guard, were there to commemorate his passing and the good he was doing.
On Saturday, Dec. 19, Whalen was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage from which he could not possibly recover. Fox 59 reported that on Monday, his family decided to take the 35-year-old Army veteran off life support and donate his organs to two fellow veterans who desperately needed them.
Whalen's friend Sean Hatton posted a video on Facebook that captured his emotional final moments. Hatton wrote that "In his final act on this Earth, it's only fitting that he gave his life and in return saved two others. And it's almost as if it were meant to be that the two donor recipients happened to be veterans."
"There is no SOP or protocol for this type of ceremony, but with the help of Matt's wife Hannah, all of his family, the nursing staff, and an Honor Guard we were able to show our love and appreciation in the best way we could," Hatton continued. "All of you out there scattered throughout our country this close to Christmas can rest assured tonight. Your prayers and kind words these last couple days have carried the Whalen family and the support was truly felt."
Whalen and his wife Hannah both served in multiple deployments as STRIKE soldiers in the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. The father of three will undoubtedly be missed, especially at this usually jovial time of year, but there's no question that Whalen did something incredibly honorable for his fellow veterans.