In 1981, I was involved in a very serious car accident in Germany while serving in the US Army. I broke my left femur in 2 places, broke 6 ribs, collapsed both lungs, had a concussion and was in a coma for 10 days. Right after the accident occurred (I was not driving) as the passengers in the car exited the car they were pulling a lifeless body out of the car and laid it on the ground beside the wrecked car. I felt like I was behind these guys, watching, and was horrified when I saw the lifeless body was mine.

I tried to scream to get help, but no words would come out of my mouth. Shortly thereafter, I then felt like I was in a very dark place, but moving. It only seemed like a minute or two that I was in this very dark place until I reached a very white light. As I moved into this white light place I saw my mother who had died in 1967 and at that point I figured I was dead. I saw no one else other and my mother at that time, but felt the presence of all my loved ones that had passed away before. The room or area I was in was only darkness, except my mother.

We spoke for awhile but without words spoken, before she took me to see the core of the white light. This light was so bright that normally it would hurt your eyes to look into it (brighter than the sun), but I was able to look into it without pain. I understood that this light was the Supreme Being (some call it GOD). The light then communicated with me and told me several things: that I was there too soon and that I would be returning to my body in the hospital, that I was loved and created by this Supreme Being and s/he did not make mistakes and that I should stop lying about who I was. I understood this message to mean that I should come out of the closet and live my life as a gay man.

I was also told that I was to help someone to the light. In addition, I was told that the next time I reached the light I would be able to stay for eternity. I really did not want to return to my body, I wanted to stay with my family and the light. Shortly after I spoke with the light, I woke up from my coma. I had no ill effects caused by the coma other than the fact that I had lost 10 days of my life. In 1994, after taking care of a friend dying of AIDS (before the drug cocktail) for 3 years, he died on Nov 1. Ten days later on my birthday, as I was going to bed and feeling very depressed. I had turned off the lights in my apartment and was sitting on my bed just after turning off my bedside light. I noticed a light on in the living room, so I thought to myself I had forgotten to turn off the light. Seconds later I noticed the light moving into my hallway and appeared in the doorway of my bedroom, a light as bright as I experienced in 1981 and the light said "Thank you for helping your friend pass into the light", just how the light had asked me in 1981 during my NDE.