By Nathan Lake
Contributing Writer
Brian Reimers sat at his desk, pen in hand, and an open notebook in front of him. Sure, it was blank now, but the longtime Ogden High School teacher would make it into much more. Brian would turn the notebook into a chronicle of his son Seth’s accomplishments. It would become the tale of a soldier, one who risked – and nearly lost -- it all for his country.
***
At work in California, Seth Reimers, who grew up in Ogden, supervises the moving of hundreds of thousands of pounds of armor-clad desert tortoise. They are giant creatures, some weighing in at more than 400 pounds. Part of Seth’s job is to oversee the safety of these creatures. As a wildlife biologist whose career is based on the study of environmental impact, he often works on projects that protect the land of San Diego. But seven years ago, he was in a different land. Protecting his life, the lives of his friends, and the country he served.
***
The echoing snaps of distant gunfire filled the sky of Mahmudiyah, Iraq. It was a land coveted for the fertility of its soil enriched by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It was considered a sacred land, and during the heat of the Iraq War it was a battle scarred land known as “The Triangle of Death.”
Seth was one of the 5,000 men in his infantry division deployed to this feared area in July 2005. He was an Army Ranger at the time, holding the rank of first lieutenant. His rankd and skill meant he was responsible for leading a platoon of men. The platoon was a mixed group, consisting of 25 Americans and 40 Iraqi nationalists. Seth’s job was to work with these men to complete missions that could be deadly. More specifically, they were in charge of hunting down the terrorists who threatened the land. Their lives were put on the line constantly as they were thrown into gun-battles eight to 10 times a day.
Then, one April day in 2007, Seth faced his greatest danger yet -- one that put him at death’s door.
It was the day after his birthday when the attack occurred. Seth, weary from completing a mission, had returned to the base for the day. The platoon had to make use of the meager resources at their disposal and as such, their base consisted primarily of a bombed-out chicken processing factory. The building was nothing but a hollow shell, lacking many proper facilities. They had no running water, no bathroom, and no air heating and cooling system.
Upon his return, Seth made his way to his living quarters. After stripping off several layers of protective armor, Seth realized that he had forgotten something. “Sensitive items” as he described them were sitting in the Jeep parked outside the building. He set out to retrieve the items, leaving his armor lying on the ground.
Ian, another platoon leader and longtime friend to Seth, accompanied him on this seemingly simple task.
They passed through the living quarters doorframe into a corridor stemming from the factory. Except for one U.S. soldier, who was not accompanying them at the time, Seth and Ian were the only ones occupying the corridor.
Seconds after crossing the doorframe, the attack occurred.
An enemy rocket, flying directly overhead, descended on them. It crashed into the ground within close proximity of the men. The rocket’s explosion, filled with sheer power, sent shrapnel flying in the air as its impact sent the men to the ground. The soldier who had not been accompanying them at the time of the explosion, was killed instantly. Seth, sustaining major injuries, struggled to crawl to Ian, who was also sent to the ground from the blast. And then, as his remaining energy left him, Seth blacked out. As the minutes passed, Seth faded in and out of consciousness. The last thing he could remember was the hot air being pressed on his face from the helicopter propellers circling overhead.
***
Brian Reimers was in Washington, D.C., at the time of his son’s injury. Brian is a long-time educator at Ogden High School, where he teaches physical education. This year is his 34th year. He also serves as the school’s athletic director, head wrestling coach and assistant football coach. He had volunteered to go to Washington, D.C., in April 2007 as a chaperone for the high school’s annual senior trip. It was midway into the trip, visiting Central Park, during their detour to New York, when he received the call from his son, Luke Reimers.
“Dad!” Luke said. “The Army has been trying to contact you. I don’t know what is going on.”
Luke, who was back at home in Ogden, is Seth’s older brother. Three years separate the two siblings. Luke was not on his brother’s immediate contact list, and as such, he could not be told what had happened to his brother or his current condition.
Upon hearing this, Brian immediately called the Army number that Luke gave him. The man who answered informed Brian of his son’s injury. Seth had been airlifted to a military hospital in Germany. Seth had sustained several injuries, and he and friend Ian were in critical condition.
Brian, frantic from the news, returned home early from senior trip. The school arranged for him to take a flight back to Iowa. The Army had offered to pay for him and his family to fly to Germany to see Seth. But the trip would not be necessary. Seth had been stabilized enough to be transported back to the United States.
***
Brian and Luke stood outside of the hospital room door in anticipation. They both had suffered a recent loss. Brian’s wife -- Luke and Seth’s mother -- Marci Reimers had lost her battle with cancer only months before. The Reimer men were still grieving her loss, and now Seth was on the brink of death. Luke could lose his brother and Brian could lose his son.
Brian opened the door and walked into the room.
“It’s going to sound strange,” Brian said, now years after Seth’s injury. “But at that moment, I felt a very warm feeling. I felt that Marci was with me at that time. I thought she was saying, ‘Here he is. I got him this far, now it’s your turn’.”
When Brian saw his son in the hospital bed, he was taken aback. Seth’s body had been broken. He had been pierced by shrapnel with several pieces lodged in his brain. His left leg had been broken, severing a major nerve within it. He had suffered from tremendous blood loss, mostly due to the severed clavicular artery in his chest. Doctors told them that if he had not received immediate medical attention at the base, he would have died.
“I remember saying, ‘He’s not going to make it’,” Brian said. “But when I said that, Luke looked at me and said, ‘He has to.’”
***
After enduring more than 20 surgeries, Seth, despite the odds, survived his injuries. He spent a year in recovery, living with Brian during some of that time. He has recovered almost fully, but some of his injuries still stay with him. He has limited use of his left arm. The severed nerve in his leg has yet to be completely restored, but it continues to grow back slowly. He still has five pieces of shrapnel lodged in his brain.
When the shrapnel entered, they were so heated that they were completely sterile and cauterized the wounds. It was decided to leave the shrapnel in because right now they are non-threatening.
Ian survived his injuries as well. Surprisingly, doctors say that Ian’s injuries practically mirror Seth’s, only his are on the opposite side of Seth’s. This is because they were walking next to each other at the time of the explosion.
Ian now lives in Florida. He has yet to qualify for medical leave and still has connections to the Army.
Seth now lives San Diego. He was granted a medical leave from the Army and is now working as a wildlife biologist. He is married to Nancy Reimers, who also works for the Army. Nancy has been at Seth’s side to help him recover both physically and, because she is a certified psychologist, mentally as well. They have a child, a 6-month-old girl named Isabel.
***
“He is very humble,” Brian said about Seth. “He has been awarded two Medals of Valor and other awards during his service, but he never brings them up or talks about his achievements.”
Seth’s humble nature has caused Brian to take action. He hopes one day his grandchildren and others will learn of his son’s sacrifice for his country. To accomplish this, Brian is chronicling his son’s story. He is keeping Seth’s records preserved in ink in a composition notebook. He will share it with Isabel, and any other children Seth may have, when they grow up.
“I just want his children to know their dad is a hero,” Brian said.
Nathan Lake is a senior at Ogden High School and is taking classes at DMACC. He wrote this story as part of a human interest assignment in his Newswriting and Reporting class.
Contributing Writer
Brian Reimers sat at his desk, pen in hand, and an open notebook in front of him. Sure, it was blank now, but the longtime Ogden High School teacher would make it into much more. Brian would turn the notebook into a chronicle of his son Seth’s accomplishments. It would become the tale of a soldier, one who risked – and nearly lost -- it all for his country.
***
At work in California, Seth Reimers, who grew up in Ogden, supervises the moving of hundreds of thousands of pounds of armor-clad desert tortoise. They are giant creatures, some weighing in at more than 400 pounds. Part of Seth’s job is to oversee the safety of these creatures. As a wildlife biologist whose career is based on the study of environmental impact, he often works on projects that protect the land of San Diego. But seven years ago, he was in a different land. Protecting his life, the lives of his friends, and the country he served.
***
The echoing snaps of distant gunfire filled the sky of Mahmudiyah, Iraq. It was a land coveted for the fertility of its soil enriched by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It was considered a sacred land, and during the heat of the Iraq War it was a battle scarred land known as “The Triangle of Death.”
Seth was one of the 5,000 men in his infantry division deployed to this feared area in July 2005. He was an Army Ranger at the time, holding the rank of first lieutenant. His rankd and skill meant he was responsible for leading a platoon of men. The platoon was a mixed group, consisting of 25 Americans and 40 Iraqi nationalists. Seth’s job was to work with these men to complete missions that could be deadly. More specifically, they were in charge of hunting down the terrorists who threatened the land. Their lives were put on the line constantly as they were thrown into gun-battles eight to 10 times a day.
Then, one April day in 2007, Seth faced his greatest danger yet -- one that put him at death’s door.
It was the day after his birthday when the attack occurred. Seth, weary from completing a mission, had returned to the base for the day. The platoon had to make use of the meager resources at their disposal and as such, their base consisted primarily of a bombed-out chicken processing factory. The building was nothing but a hollow shell, lacking many proper facilities. They had no running water, no bathroom, and no air heating and cooling system.
Upon his return, Seth made his way to his living quarters. After stripping off several layers of protective armor, Seth realized that he had forgotten something. “Sensitive items” as he described them were sitting in the Jeep parked outside the building. He set out to retrieve the items, leaving his armor lying on the ground.
Ian, another platoon leader and longtime friend to Seth, accompanied him on this seemingly simple task.
They passed through the living quarters doorframe into a corridor stemming from the factory. Except for one U.S. soldier, who was not accompanying them at the time, Seth and Ian were the only ones occupying the corridor.
Seconds after crossing the doorframe, the attack occurred.
An enemy rocket, flying directly overhead, descended on them. It crashed into the ground within close proximity of the men. The rocket’s explosion, filled with sheer power, sent shrapnel flying in the air as its impact sent the men to the ground. The soldier who had not been accompanying them at the time of the explosion, was killed instantly. Seth, sustaining major injuries, struggled to crawl to Ian, who was also sent to the ground from the blast. And then, as his remaining energy left him, Seth blacked out. As the minutes passed, Seth faded in and out of consciousness. The last thing he could remember was the hot air being pressed on his face from the helicopter propellers circling overhead.
***
Brian Reimers was in Washington, D.C., at the time of his son’s injury. Brian is a long-time educator at Ogden High School, where he teaches physical education. This year is his 34th year. He also serves as the school’s athletic director, head wrestling coach and assistant football coach. He had volunteered to go to Washington, D.C., in April 2007 as a chaperone for the high school’s annual senior trip. It was midway into the trip, visiting Central Park, during their detour to New York, when he received the call from his son, Luke Reimers.
“Dad!” Luke said. “The Army has been trying to contact you. I don’t know what is going on.”
Luke, who was back at home in Ogden, is Seth’s older brother. Three years separate the two siblings. Luke was not on his brother’s immediate contact list, and as such, he could not be told what had happened to his brother or his current condition.
Upon hearing this, Brian immediately called the Army number that Luke gave him. The man who answered informed Brian of his son’s injury. Seth had been airlifted to a military hospital in Germany. Seth had sustained several injuries, and he and friend Ian were in critical condition.
Brian, frantic from the news, returned home early from senior trip. The school arranged for him to take a flight back to Iowa. The Army had offered to pay for him and his family to fly to Germany to see Seth. But the trip would not be necessary. Seth had been stabilized enough to be transported back to the United States.
***
Brian and Luke stood outside of the hospital room door in anticipation. They both had suffered a recent loss. Brian’s wife -- Luke and Seth’s mother -- Marci Reimers had lost her battle with cancer only months before. The Reimer men were still grieving her loss, and now Seth was on the brink of death. Luke could lose his brother and Brian could lose his son.
Brian opened the door and walked into the room.
“It’s going to sound strange,” Brian said, now years after Seth’s injury. “But at that moment, I felt a very warm feeling. I felt that Marci was with me at that time. I thought she was saying, ‘Here he is. I got him this far, now it’s your turn’.”
When Brian saw his son in the hospital bed, he was taken aback. Seth’s body had been broken. He had been pierced by shrapnel with several pieces lodged in his brain. His left leg had been broken, severing a major nerve within it. He had suffered from tremendous blood loss, mostly due to the severed clavicular artery in his chest. Doctors told them that if he had not received immediate medical attention at the base, he would have died.
“I remember saying, ‘He’s not going to make it’,” Brian said. “But when I said that, Luke looked at me and said, ‘He has to.’”
***
After enduring more than 20 surgeries, Seth, despite the odds, survived his injuries. He spent a year in recovery, living with Brian during some of that time. He has recovered almost fully, but some of his injuries still stay with him. He has limited use of his left arm. The severed nerve in his leg has yet to be completely restored, but it continues to grow back slowly. He still has five pieces of shrapnel lodged in his brain.
When the shrapnel entered, they were so heated that they were completely sterile and cauterized the wounds. It was decided to leave the shrapnel in because right now they are non-threatening.
Ian survived his injuries as well. Surprisingly, doctors say that Ian’s injuries practically mirror Seth’s, only his are on the opposite side of Seth’s. This is because they were walking next to each other at the time of the explosion.
Ian now lives in Florida. He has yet to qualify for medical leave and still has connections to the Army.
Seth now lives San Diego. He was granted a medical leave from the Army and is now working as a wildlife biologist. He is married to Nancy Reimers, who also works for the Army. Nancy has been at Seth’s side to help him recover both physically and, because she is a certified psychologist, mentally as well. They have a child, a 6-month-old girl named Isabel.
***
“He is very humble,” Brian said about Seth. “He has been awarded two Medals of Valor and other awards during his service, but he never brings them up or talks about his achievements.”
Seth’s humble nature has caused Brian to take action. He hopes one day his grandchildren and others will learn of his son’s sacrifice for his country. To accomplish this, Brian is chronicling his son’s story. He is keeping Seth’s records preserved in ink in a composition notebook. He will share it with Isabel, and any other children Seth may have, when they grow up.
“I just want his children to know their dad is a hero,” Brian said.
Nathan Lake is a senior at Ogden High School and is taking classes at DMACC. He wrote this story as part of a human interest assignment in his Newswriting and Reporting class.