When Marine Lance Cpl. David Battle 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.
. . .
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.”
With his approval, doctors severed his finger, but in the chaos that followed, they lost his ring.
I’m guessing that had he gone with saving the finger, it probably won’t have been misplaced on the way home.
I’m not married, so perhaps I’m not the best judge of this, but isn’t replacing a wedding ring a lot easier than replacing a finger? Even when you factor in sentimental value?
What struck me as weird reading about this case is that LCPL Battle was quoted in the story I read as saying he hoped to return to the Marines soon.
Are the Marines going to take him back missing a finger? Sounds to me like he’s a prime candidate for a disability retirement (or VA disability, if that pays more in benefits).