By Kathy Adams
VIRGINIA BEACH
When Army father Stan Levinson and Navy father John Mayberry met, they connected immediately.
Levinson is the manager of safety and security at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital. Mayberry came to the hospital after his son, Seaman Daniel Mayberry, was gravely injured in a car crash May 21.
Levinson is a combat veteran himself and his son recently returned from Afghanistan.
When Daniel Mayberry died May 27, Levinson said his heart went out to John Mayberry. And his sympathy deepened when he heard a few days later that Mayberry had been mistakenly arrested when he tried to deposit his son’s death benefits check.
To express their condolences, Levinson and the hospital staff have framed the American flag that flew over the hospital during Daniel Mayberry’s stay and are sending it to his family in Texas next week.
“He said his son was doing so well in the Navy, and for it to end like this just devastated him and his family,” Levinson said. “It would devastate me, too. At least I got mine back alive, and his son was here and he didn’t get his back alive.”
Kathy Adams, (757) 446-2583, kathy.adams@pilotonline.com
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No, we read you right
This sailor served his country, did something stupid and paid the price for it. Who are you to put a price on that life? Who are you to insinuate that the people honoring this kid and being compassionate to his father don't put the same amount of respect and mourning toward those dying in combat? We read you just fine dude and you're only seeing what YOU want to see in this story, not the other way around.
point missed, and wow nice language
I forget where I am sometimes; all I can say is you’re all reading things how you want. I never said that SN Mayberry death wasn’t something to be sad about. And how his father was treated was wrong. I was in the Navy so I am not picking on anyone, my point and I know I am wasting my time is: I would not compare losing a son/daughter who fought or was killed while serving to someone being killed because of drunk driving-that’s an insult. I saw people die, (USS Iwo Jima) and I would do anything for their families. How do you compare dying the way they did on the Cole/Iwo Jima to someone being drunk and driving/driven? Just because he was in the Navy, he is given more sympathy then someone else who died because they were drinking and driving. I have no patience for DWI’s and if someone is killed because they were drinking, that is self inflicted. What would any of you say if your loved one was killed because of what those two sailors did? Yes, it’s sad that he died young, and his father was treated terribly but I wouldn’t glamorize what happened. What Mr. Levinson did was nice I just think maybe someone else deserved his kindness more. How will any one learn that drinkin
for falconski and my_view
Falconski - your comment to "my_view" is right on! I can feel your loss.
My_view - you said "but the sailors and soldiers we need to remember are the ones dying in this war and the ones coming home wounded."
How narrow-minded!
We were not at war on 11 September 2001, when some 3000+ people were kiiled in the World Trade Center attacks, nor when many military personnel were simultaneously kiiled in the Pentagon attack. We were also not at war on 12 October 2000 when 17 of MY Shipmates were kiiled in the attack on the USS COLE.
By your reasoning, only those killed and wounded in THIS war are worth remembering.
Every day, I personally remember each of my 17 Shipmates that were killed, the 39 that were wounded and medevaced, and the two that have died since. They are ALL worth remembering.
YOU are a heartless person...how sad.
GREAT GESTURE
V.B.G.H and Mr. Levinson :)
benifit check/flag
How can someone condem a man for trying to cash a check that will help him bury a son? I lost a brother to a drunk drive in 71 and it still hurts. The staff at the hospital deserve all the praise in the world for that small but simple gesture, I am sure they did it out of respect, not looking for anything. Rember this,no parent should have to bury a child, no matter what the reason that they passed away.
my_view
what an insensitive, and totally out of line comment to make on an otherwise feel-good story. A SON is a SON it matters NOT how he is taken from you. SHAME SHAME SHAME ON YOU !!!!!!!!!
Loss of a son
I lost my oldest son in Jan 1994 to a drunk driver. He was in the Army and 21 years old. It doesn't make one bit of difference how your son looses his life. A part of me died with him that day.
regardless....
the young man died while riding in a car with a drunk driver. while still not the best of choices in the world, he was at least wearing his seatbelt, otherwise the Navy would not have paid out the benefits check. and to add to that the pain of being ARRESTED while cashing the check used to bury your child???
give the guy a break, kudos to VBGH and their kind gesture. maybe if the world was full of people like that and filled with less of the typical posters on here, we'd all be better off.
What a stupid thing to say...
The guy lost his son. It doesn't matter if the death was a result of war or because he was saving someone else's life or doing something stupid. He still lost his son and he is in pain and any decent human being would feel sorry for his loss no matter HOW it happened.
Have a heart
What a heartfelt and absolutely wonderful thing Mr Levinson did. My hat’s off to him. It doesn’t matter if Mr. Mayberry’s son was killed here or there or the circumstances behind it. ANY loss of life is tragic and the focus should be directed to healing rather than finger pointing or maligning. Please have a heart. Mr. Levinson does.
okay....
Let me start by saying, how sorry I am that Mr. Mayberry lost his son. But to compare losing a son to a war (could have) to one son being killed because of drunk driving, I dont make the connection. It was a nice thing to do(sendig the flag), and no parent should bury their child. But that is comparing apples to oranges. To lose a child in war, is tragic for so many reasons, but someone getting in a car or himself driving drunk, is just taking your life or someone else’s and is stupid. I am sure Mr.Levinson was just happy to have his son back home alive, but the sailors and soldiers we need to remember are the ones dying in this war and the ones coming home wounded.