Specialist Oscar Bonilla saving the world

One of our ninjas sent us a story about Specialist Oscar Bonilla, of the 1st Calvary Division at Fort Hood, Texas. He was driving home at night when he saw another stop his truck on an overpass bridge near Fort Hood. Bonilla thought the soldier was acting strangely, so he stopped and engaged the soldier in conversation;

” That’s when he told me he doesn’t want to live anymore. It’s not worth it, and he just wants to end it all,” said Bonilla.

As he moved closer to put himself between the troubled man and the overpass rail, he noticed a familiar haircut. The man who was trying to end his life was a soldier.

“I immediately told him, ‘I know you’re a soldier. Look at me, I’m in my uniform still so talk to me,’ and I noticed he had a ring on his finger,” said Bonilla.

Not only was the young soldier married, but he was a new father with a four month old baby. Bonilla told the soldier to think about his family, and stood listening to his fellow soldier. Somewhere during the conversation, it clicked. “He looked at me and basically hugged me, just embraced me, and started crying on my shoulder,” he said.

He talked him off the overpass, but rather than parting ways, Bonilla took him to the nearby McDonalds for coffee so they could continue talking until the soldier’s unit leader arrived to pick him up. His unexpected stop to lend a hand had almost lasted an hour.

And that’s how it’s done – one person at a time. Thanks from all of us Oscar. You saved one of our brothers, just by being yourself. He also saved a child from being fatherless and he saved one more Army wife from being a widow. Oscar is one of those rare heroes.

Category: Real Soldiers