Wife Witnesses Deployed Husband's Death While Chatting On Skype

[Dakota Valkyrie]

The family of a Texas-based Army medic serving in Afghanistan says his wife witnessed the officer's death, which happened as the two were video chatting via Skype.

The circumstances of Capt. Bruce Kevin Clark's death on Monday have not been made available.

Clark's family in upstate New York released a statement saying Clark was having a regular Skype chat with his wife in El Paso when she witnessed her husband's death.

It said: 'Bruce's wife tragically witnessed her husband's death during one of their regular Skype video chats. At the time of the incident, the family was hoping for a rescue and miracle, but later learned that it was not to be.

'Although the circumstances were unimaginable, Bruce's wife and extended family will be forever thankful that he and his wife were together in his last moments.'

The Pentagon has said only that the 43-year-old officer was formerly from Spencerport, New York, and that his death is under investigation.

Clark was assigned to the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso and deployed in March. He is survived by his wife and two daughters, aged three and nine.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ing-SKYPE.html

Captain Clark died in Afghanistan Monday. It was his first tour of duty in the country. He joined the Army six years ago after graduating with a nursing degree from the College at Brockport. Clark was a medic, which makes his death even more of a shock to his old friend.

"In his line of work and everything with the medic's and everything, it's just hard to believe," Bell said. "I never dreamed something like this would ever happen to him."

What's curious here is that the Army usually gives some details on how a soldier is killed. In this case, however, there's no information other than that the Army is investigating. The Army medical center in Texas called it an "unknown cause of death."

http://www.whec.com/news/stories/s2604694.shtml

[penelopejo]

I'd die of heartbreak on the spot if I ever witnessed my husband's death over the internet. Can't imagine how helpless she felt when all she could do was watch.

I wonder how he died.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

I'd die of heartbreak on the spot if I ever witnessed my husband's death over the internet. Can't imagine how helpless she felt when all she could do was watch.

I wonder how he died.

It's a horrifying thought.

I suspect he had a heart attack or other medical condition. At least I hope that it was something simple like that.

[Shadow]

It's a horrifying thought.

I suspect he had a heart attack or other medical condition. At least I hope that it was something simple like that.

I'm in agreement with you @Dakota Valkyrie. It is a horrifying thought. I hope it was of natural causes. I can't even begin to imagine watching my husband killed while I watched from several thousand miles away.

My heart and prayers go out to his wife and their families.


~shadow

[kniption]

...

I suspect he had a heart attack or other medical condition. At least I hope that it was something simple like that.

It would probably be best, but a good half of the news reports say he was "killed" - which is not the typical language of natural causes. I was thinking explosion or - probably the most likely - the old jeep through the tent. We'll see, I guess. RIP Cap'n.

[AngelFire]

OMG How horrifying indeed. I don't think I would be well after viewing my husband dying...Wonder what caused his death.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

It would probably be best, but a good half of the news reports say he was "killed" - which is not the typical language of natural causes. I was thinking explosion or - probably the most likely - the old jeep through the tent. We'll see, I guess. RIP Cap'n.

That was some guy who used to live across the street from him that used the word "killed". The news reports I'm seeing aren't using that term. They're sticking with "died".

[kniption]

That was some guy who used to live across the street from him that used the word "killed". The news reports I'm seeing aren't using that term. They're sticking with "died".

I understand. The Westboro Baptist Church is using the term "killed" too, though...

Actually I haven't heard a peep out of them on this yet. That's just me being a shit.

[princessgrandma]

Whether it was natural or he was killed, this has to be the OMG moment of the century. I cannot even imagine seeing my husband have a heart attack right on my computer screen, thousands of miles away. I think I'd have to be buried with him if I'd seen him die in some kind of attack or something, like an explosion.

That poor woman has to live with what she saw for the rest of her life, while raising their kids and trying to carry on with a normal life for their sakes. My heart goes out to her.

[VAS1326]

First and foremost the military is full of shit. They know how he died but they aren't saying. That's how the fuck they work (Sorry if that comes across harsh but I have some real issues with that in particular in my personal life) I understand that they are not releasing that information but that does not mean they don't know. Of course they do. Unless of course it was something like a heart attack and they have to perform autospy to be sure.

Here is what got me "The family was hoping for a rescue and a miracle" Doesn't sound like sudden heart failure to me. Why would someone having a heart attack need a rescue? I mean he was at the medical center on base. They would have stabalized him and flown him to Germany ASAP (I know a lot of military widows through TAPS and that's what they did when her husband had a heart attack over there, sadly he passed away as well)

Whatever she saw was probably bad if she was praying for rescue and a miracle. I have no idea what happened but it sounds almost like some kind of attack in my opinion.

Either way this is terribly sad and my heart goes out to his wife and children. Being a miltary widow myself I know how devastating this is. Please if the family see's this later on down the road ask her to look into Tragedgy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) They can be a huge help for her and her children going forward. They are not alone. (Sorry to post that here but I know sometimes we get family reading these and I didn't find out about TAPS for almost a year....it helped me and my children, especially my oldest in so many ways to have a community of people who understand and support us)

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Here is what got me "The family was hoping for a rescue and a miracle" Doesn't sound like sudden heart failure to me. Why would someone having a heart attack need a rescue? I mean he was at the medical center on base. They would have stabalized him and flown him to Germany ASAP (I know a lot of military widows through TAPS and that's what they did when her husband had a heart attack over there, sadly he passed away as well)

When I've Skyped with military family members, they've been in an empty room with no one around. If they had suddenly slumped over, it would be a while before I could summon appropriate help. If it was my hubby, first I'd have to call my contact here and then have them get the appropriate response from the folks in Kuwait (where he currently is). It would take time and I would hope that rescue/help got there in time. All while I watched whatever was happening.

How they are wording this IS a bit mysterious though. Medical emergency? Suicide? Another soldier gon psycho? Enemy attack? Roof fell in? The possibilities are endless at this moment. And all of them equally horrifying for the family.

[VAS1326]

When I've Skyped with military family members, they've been in an empty room with no one around. If they had suddenly slumped over, it would be a while before I could summon appropriate help. If it was my hubby, first I'd have to call my contact here and then have them get the appropriate response from the folks in Kuwait (where he currently is). It would take time and I would hope that rescue/help got there in time. All while I watched whatever was happening.

How they are wording this IS a bit mysterious though. Medical emergency? Suicide? Another soldier gon psycho? Enemy attack? Roof fell in? The possibilities are endless at this moment. And all of them equally horrifying for the family.

Good point I didn't think about if he was alone at the time. I imgaine she would have been frantically calling for help if that were the case. Though you are right it could be anything. The wording is very vague and the fact that the military isn't saying a word makes it all the more intriguing. Like I said unless they are awaiting autospy results they already know. I'm sure his family already knows as well since she witnessed it so maybe the military isn't feeling as obligated to put a reason out there. It will be interesting to find out what happened since they are being so hush hush and investigating.

[kniption]

CNN is now reporting natural causes. I think that they could have managed the news feed a bit better than they did. There was a lot of speculation going on. Not by me, of course....

Okay. Sorry...

Wife witnesses soldier husband dying in Afghanistan, over Skype
May 4, 2012 -- Updated 2042 GMT (0442 HKT)

(CNN) -- Army Capt. Bruce Kevin Clark was in a war zone in Afghanistan, some 7,500 miles away from his wife. Yet the two still managed to connect regularly, via their regular video chats.

...

Clarence Davis, a spokesman for the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, where Clark was based, said that an autopsy is being conducted to make a definitive determination, though he didn't indicate anything to suggest it was suspicious.

"We believe his death was from natural causes," Davis said.

Clark -- known by many as Kevin -- was a chief nurse in the Army who amassed many honors in his military career, according to his family. Those include an Army Commendation Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and an Army Service Medal.

...

source - http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/04/us...n-skype-death/

...a tragic loss.

I want to add that an extra part of my sadness for all of this stems from the fact that he was a medic. ...and a medic is one of those jobs is so desperately needed but that I still cannot almost fathom how people do it or - in a selfish way - why they would choose to do it.

It continually astonishes me. The job requires extreme concentration and nerves of absolute steel under the most shit conditions imaginable. It seems the same to me in almost every setting in every theater of war throughout all of history.

I am in awe of them.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

CNN is now reporting natural causes. I think that they could have managed the news feed a bit better than they did. There was a lot of speculation going on. Not by me, of course....

I think that part of the problem is that the Army couldn't release medical-related info and they chose to say as little as possible out of respect for the family. The family obviously knew it wasn't due to enemy action, a roof caving in, some psycho, or a tornado. The family chose not to speak about what they knew of the cause and the Army really couldn't. None of them probably realized how the wording of things would spark people's imaginations.

[malq]

QUOTE=kniption;618713]CNN is now reporting natural causes. I think that they could have managed the news feed a bit better than they did. There was a lot of speculation going on. Not by me, of course....

I agree that was lame, it even opens it up for a terrorist attack. That's all we need to make gas go up, the ecomnomy to go down, and give Obama reason to do even less.

The one thing that did make me think it was natural causes is, if it had been a murder they would have been using the word bigtime. It also would be headline news if a helicopter sliced his head off while he was chatting.

That said, who wants to bet they were cybersexing and the ol' ticker just went snap?

ETA< I hope he had time to close his browser and pull up his trouser.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Huh?

An Army nurse showed no alarm or discomfort before suddenly collapsing during a Skype video chat with his wife, who saw a bullet hole in a closet behind him, his family said Sunday.

Capt. Bruce Kevin Clark’s family released a statement describing what his wife saw in the video feed recording her husband’s death.

“Clark was suddenly knocked forward,” the statement said. “The closet behind him had a bullet hole in it. The other individuals, including a member of the military, who rushed to the home of CPT Clark’s wife also saw the hole and agreed it was a bullet hole.”

The statement says the Skype link remained open for two hours on April 30 as family and friends in the U.S. and Afghanistan tried to get Clark help.

“After two hours and many frantic phone calls by Mrs. Clark, two military personnel arrived in the room and appeared to check his pulse, but provided no details about his condition to his wife,” the statement said.

The Pentagon has said the cause of Clark’s death remains under investigation.

In the statement, Susan Orellana-Clark said she was providing details of what she saw “to honor my husband and dispel the inaccurate information and supposition promulgated by other parties.”
[...]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...v5T_story.html


Well, they have his body home now so it should be easy enough to tell if he has a hole in him too.

[AngelFire]

OMG I was hoping it was natural causes.

[VAS1326]

Holy shit! Like I said the military already knows if there was a bullet hole inside him. They knew before he left Afganistan. Sure they may do the autopsy at Dover (I'm not sure if military flights have the same regulations as commercial flights but most the time when a body is being moved it is suppose to be embalmed prior to transfer by air..however the military may not have the same rules) but come on I'm sure just looking at him before sending him home they could tell if that was the case.

They know more than they are saying. It's what they mother fucking do. They know why my husband's helicopter crashed and so does everyone who knew a damn thing about it yet I get a report that says the cause was "undetermined" To which my husband's cousin (who is in the Army) said upon hearing the results "So they know but they aren't telling" Of course they know. Any idiot with a brain knows what happened. Even with all the evidence the cause was undetermined (not to mention upon a seperate investigation by an outside source we come to find some of the details provided by the manufacture were inaccurate which probably helped in the "unknown" status since after all they do the investigationand aren't about to say we fucked up)

Sorry total side rant because I really distrust the military when it comes to stuff like this. The fact they play dumb is the first sign (oh we don't know how he died) Uh yes they do. If he was shot they may not know who did it but they do know if there was a bullet hole in him. Second; the fact that they were leading it to look like natural causes when the wife clearly saw what she saw is red flag number 2.

So she and people in Afganistan were trying to get him help yet it took 2 hours. OMG that must have been torture for her to sit there with the Skype window open praying and hoping someone would come. It breaks my heart because she has to felt so helpless even if she was doing all she could do. I can't imagine such horror.

[kniption]

Huh?

So I apologized for nuthin'?!?

Well... put it in my apology account. I'm sure I'll need it later.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

So I apologized for nuthin'?!?

Well... put it in my apology account. I'm sure I'll need it later.

Maybe... maybe not. The bullet hole could have been there for ages and she never saw it until her husband slumped over from a heart attack.

And pigs have wings.

[malq]

Maybe... maybe not. The bullet hole could have been there for ages and she never saw it until her husband slumped over from a heart attack.

And pigs have wings.

I still think they were cybering and thats what all the mystery is. How do you determine is a hole in a wall is a bullethole or a picture mound that have gone bad? especially from a webcam.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

I was wondering about this case and this is the only info on it that I could find other than news of his funeral and memorials. I'm going to assume the bullet theory is out the window and a massive heart attack was the culprit.

May 7, 2012

Army investigators said Monday they found no bullet wound or evidence of foul play in the death of a soldier in Afghanistan who died during a Skype video chat with his wife.

Capt. Bruce Kevin Clark collapsed while speaking to his wife on May 1 from his base in Tarin Kot, Afghanistan, southwest of Kabul. His wife, Susan Orellana-Clark, has suggested that Clark was shot, citing a hole visible in the closet behind him that she believed was a bullet hole.

Investigators said an initial probe showed no trauma to the body except that Clark broke his nose when he fell forward. Orellana-Clark said he didn't seem alarmed before he collapsed.

Christopher Grey, a spokesman for the Army Criminal Investigation Command, said Monday that the investigation is still under way.

"But the important thing is that there was no bullet wound, no trauma," except that Clark's nose was possibly broken when he fell on his desk, Grey said in a telephone interview.

"We can positively say that Captain Clark was not shot," Grey later said in a statement.

An autopsy was done Friday but it could take several weeks to get results of toxicology and tissue testing done at that time, Paul Stone, a spokesman for the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, said Monday.

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world...d-1432737.html