Baldwin R's NDE

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION:

            During basic training in the Army I became sick which was later diagnosed as a pneumonia.  It was a holiday, but not for us trainees I spent 8 hrs cleaning pots and pans in a kitchen,  the hottest job of all.  Having suffered from asthma all my life I felt I was having an asthma attack. 

That night all I wanted to do was go to bed hoping to recover overnight.  Going on sick call was discouraged, to do so you had to pack up all your gear and belongings and report to the infirmary at roll call.  Worst of all if you missed enough training you ran the risk of being recycled  and delaying your leave home. 

That night while sleeping I became delirious,  babbling in my sleep and moaning enough to wake up my bunk mate and, the half of the barracks.  Being a holiday there weren't many people around so I was taken to the Drill SGT. o duty in the Day room.  

He took one look at me and immediately put me in a jeep and drove me to the Base Hospital.  On the way there I was in and out of consciousness, he literally was holding on to my shirt to keep me upright. This is were it happened. 

The base hospital had a huge waiting room / auditorium were he sat me on a folding chair and said:" Stay here I'll get Help."  All I could see was a small office with a light up-a-head. 

I closed my eyes again and the next thing I knew I was laying on wet ground that was rather cold.  The ground sloped upward,  I used all my strength to stand up. When I did I realized I was in a tunnel.  Up ahead I saw Numerous people.  As I started walking toward them and old lady came toward me.  This 30 years later I figured out was my mothers Aunt Mary. She led me through the tunnel past some people, to A soldier In a formal uniform with decorations etc.  But the uniform seemed strange it was not like mine and he wore spats or leggings.  After that Aunt Mary took me to the right towards a bright light that got brighter as we approached it.  There through an arch or gate I saw; many people smiling.  Then I returned to the soldier. He ask me if I wanted to stay or go back I said "I want to go back".  He then turned around and beckoned to another soldier When this soldier came Forward. He appeared to be an officer.  He had on a Trench Coat and Hat and leggings.  hew asked me if I was sure I wanted to go back and I said Yes. 

The next thing I knew A 2nd Lt Female Nurse was shaking me telling me to get up.  I was Taken To a ward and Ordered to strip down and get in a cold shower.  After that I was put in a bed and told  to drink as much fluids as I could.  I recovered and returned to training in 5 days. 

For years I thought about this experience who was that soldier,  who was the old lady.  One time driving a cab through central park in NYC I got stuck in a tunnel in traffic it all started to come back to me This was 1973.  I started questioning my mother about an uncle who  I thought resembled the soldier,  but he was never in the service.  At first I thought the soldier was my father who was still alive and a WWII vet. 

30 yrs. later I went to a cousins wedding another cousin and I started talking about our ancestors.  We remembered that my grandfathers brother been killed in World War I.  Later  she sent me a picture of him. I looked at the picture a long time and noticed the leggings. 

One night I was driving home listening to a talk show, ( the guy that did the supernatural stuff) they were talking about NDE,  all of a sudden it started to come tome  

The old Lady was aunt Mary, The Soldier was her brother who died in France.  The soldier was my grandfathers brother my mothers uncle.  The Officer was General John O'Ryan Commander of the 27TH Division formally the New York National Guard.  I have pictures to prove It!

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? No      

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          Yes            Temperature of 108F. IN and out of consciousness. Delusional.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    While waking up

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal every day consciousness and alertness?    Normal consciousness and alertness

            While waking up

Did your vision differ in any way from your normal, everyday vision (in any aspect, such as clarity, field of vision, colors, brightness, depth perception degree of solidness/transparency of objects, etc.)?  Uncertain     

Did your hearing differ in any way from your normal, everyday hearing (in any aspect, such as clarity, ability to recognize source of sound, pitch, loudness, etc.)?
            Yes     not spoken telepathic

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     Yes

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            fear happiness

Did you pass into or through a tunnel or enclosure?          Yes     uphill rainy cold damp

Did you see a light?           Yes     very bright hard to look at

Did you meet or see any other beings?           Yes     Aunt Mary, Uncle John - General John Francis Oryan

Did you experience a review of past events in your life?    No      

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          Yes     research in history books

Did you see or visit any beautiful or otherwise distinctive locations, levels or dimensions?            Yes     Heaven

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Uncertain     

Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?     No      

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes     gates to heaven

Did you become aware of future events?       No
           
Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience you did not have prior to the experience?     Uncertain     

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     30 years, some believe others curios

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?    No      

How did you view the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:            Experience was probably not real         Didn't really think about it too much was too worried about other things moving on etc.  people looked and acted like I was a ghost.

Were there one or several parts of the experience especially meaningful or significant to you?    yes I eventually travelled to France to visit Uncle johns grave and felt like I had been there before.  Without much info I walked around the battlefield  like I knew where I was

How do you currently view the reality of your experience:            Experience was probably real            have read your web site maybe it was a dream?

Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?           Uncertain     

Have your religious beliefs/practices changed specifically as a result of your experience?            No           

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         Uncertain                 

Did the questions asked and information you provided so far accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?         Yes