Merlin German

Thursday, May 01 2008 @ 10:28 PM EDT

Lower Hudson Journal news -- HARTSDALE - Jedd Chesterton remembers clearly the moment he walked into a San Antonio military rehab center to see his old high school buddy Merlin German for the first time since the explosion.

He said his goal was not to cry, to act normal, even though he couldn't even recognize the man he saw rolled out in a wheelchair; the Marine sergeant had burns over 97 percent of his body, suffered when his Humvee was struck by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

"I was caught off guard at first," Chesterton said. "I had to start talking to him to realize this was the same person I was chilling with all throughout high school. Once we started talking, it was like the injuries were gone."

Chesterton said he hopes to demonstrate some of that same composure this evening, when he pays tribute to his friend during a memorial at Woodlands High School.

The 22-year-old died last month, more than three years after sustaining injuries doctors said he had almost no chance of surviving. He became known as the Brooke Army Medical Center's very own "Miracle Man."

"I'll be talking to a crowd of people that knew him before he got hurt," said Chesterton, a 23-year-old Hartsdale resident. "I want to go in there and talk about his true character."

The ceremony, which will include comments from former schoolmates, a proclamation from the town of Greenburgh and a salute by the Fairview Fire Department's honor guard, will be held at 7 p.m. in the school at 475 W. Hartsdale Ave.

"We want Sgt. Merlin German and his family to know that he will not only continue to be remembered, he will continue to be admired, respected and honored for the service, commitment and sacrifice he has made for the country," said school guidance counselor Joe Foy II, who is helping organize the event for those who couldn't attend the funeral in Florida.

German, born in Manhattan, moved to Edgepark Road in Greenburgh in 2001 and attended Woodlands in his junior and senior years. As an exceedingly friendly and outgoing teen with a knack for delivering sarcastic one-liners, he quickly became one of the school's most popular students.

"He was the most charismatic and personable young man we've ever had," Foy said. "He transferred here as an 11th-grader and by senior year he was voted first runner-up for homecoming king."

Chesterton started laughing as he recalled a few of German's more memorable moments, including his grand entrance to the senior prom, showing up without a date, wearing a tuxedo and designer shades, and holding a giant garbage bag.

"I went up to him and asked what're you doing, what's in the bag?" Chesterton said. "He opens it up and there's at least 50 disposable cameras in the bag. He was selling them to kids. I couldn't believe it."

German knew early on that he wanted to join the military, making his goal clear to his guidance counselor and friends. In high school, he spent most days working out in the gym and joined a program where he'd run with Marines on weekends, trying to get in shape for boot camp.

"He wanted to be a Marine, that was his dream," Chesterton said. "I would say, 'Come on, why don't you go to college?' But that's what he had his heart set on doing."

Chesterton joined him at the bus stop, when he left for boot camp down South. Two weeks later, Chesterton's girlfriend spotted German at Six Flags amusement park. He had been sent home because he had to lose a few more pounds.

"I remember calling him and saying, 'What's going on?' and he responded, 'Yeah, well, it didn't really go as planned.' "

"He had a one-liner for everything," Chesterton said, recalling another story in which German challenged his brother to take a broomstick out of his hand, pretending it was a rifle and that his brother was an Iraqi.

"These guys in Iraq aren't going to know what hit them," he told his brother, who promptly grabbed the gun from him. German's response: "Well, they're not that strong in Iraq."

German, after losing weight, rejoined boot camp and left as a private first class. He was sent to Iraq in 2004. On Feb. 21, 2005, German's squad was on a reconnaissance mission near Ramadi when his vehicle was struck.

After he was airlifted to Germany, doctors gave him a 3 percent chance of survival. He spent 17 months at the hospital in San Antonio, undergoing more than 40 surgeries.

In December, after months of practice, he donned his Marine formals and hit the dance floor at Brooke's Holiday Ball, according to an article by The Associated Press. He surprised his mother, taking her into his arms and dancing across the room to a Rod Stewart's version of "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?"

The crowd stood, applauded and cried, the article said.

Chesterton made several visits during the recovery period.

"It wasn't till my third visit that he started talking about Iraq," he said. "He'd been through so much, but still had a sense of pride. And rightfully so. He shouldn't have even lived in the first place. He defied the odds."

What ultimately killed his friend was a relatively minor operation to his lip.

Chesterton, now a high school teacher in the Bronx, flew to Florida for the funeral.

"Right up till the funeral, I was very sad," he said, but felt lifted by the Marines who approached him there and told him how lucky he was to know German growing up.

He recalled a lieutenant colonel who told him, "I met him after he got hurt and I could only imagine what it was like to know him before he got injured."

"This was a kid I sat next to in English class," Chesterton said. "Through that point, I was sad. But at the funeral, the only word I could think of as far as how I felt was proud. I was proud that I was able to be his friend."

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