At peace with loss, family is certain Marine in heaven

Published June 30, 2005
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer

There is a sense of calm and serenity in the faces of Bob and Marla Derga.

The father, who less than eight weeks ago lost his son, Marine Cpl. Dustin A. Derga, said he and Marla, Dustin's stepmother, are at peace.

They believe the 24-year-old reservist is in heaven.

``I realized that he was home safe, with God, the ultimate home,'' said the 50-year-old Lake Township father, who moved to Stark County with his wife in fall 2003.

Dustin Derga, who worked for Columbus Processing as a steelworker in Columbus before he was sent to Iraq, dreamed of starting a bar with some friends in Florida when he got home.

He had been a firefighter with the Basil Joint Fire Districts in Fairfield County and was with the Marine's Lima Company out of Columbus, a unit that was called up at the same time in January as Akron's Marine Reserve unit, known as Weapons Company. Both units are part of the 3rd Marine Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Division.

His mother, Stephanie Derga, and his sister, Kristin Derga, live in Pickerington.

Bob and Marla Derga said they gave Dustin a Bible and an MP3 player at Christmas, along with an MP3 file of the New Testament.

They hoped he would read the Bible in Iraq. From conversations with people who had spoken with Dustin when he was in Iraq, they believe he had been reading it.

They tell the story of a dream that a female relative had three weeks before she died.

In that dream, the Dergas said, the woman was greeted by a Marine in fatigues she did not recognize. The Marine took her hand and led her to heaven.

The woman died in Texas one hour after Dustin died on May 8, 2005.

``We really feel absolute assurance that Dustin is in heaven,'' said Marla Derga, a 44-year-old artist.

On the Friday after Dustin died, the Dergas went to Port Columbus International Airport to be there when his body arrived and to accompany him to Pickerington.

Dustin's remains were flown back with the body of Army Pfc. Nicholas Messmer, 20, of Franklin, who died the same day but in another part of Iraq.

During the procession to Pickerington, there was a hailstorm that seemed to follow the line of cars behind the hearse, Bob Derga said.

It was another sign from Dustin, his father said.

In the last e-mail he sent from Iraq, on May 2, he wrote of a strange hailstorm that fell on his unit of Marines.

In the days after Dustin died, the Dergas heard the story of a witness who was with Dustin when he died.

They were told Dustin said these words before he stopped breathing:

``Grandma, Grandma, Grandma. . . . ''

Dustin's great-grandmother, Loretta Fryman -- his mother Stephanie's grandmother -- often baby-sat for him as a child, Bob Derga said. He called her Grandma.

Marla Derga said she believes that was God's way of taking Dustin into heaven.

``Dustin was such a new Christian that if Christ himself had come and said, `Come on, we're going,' he would have gone, `Who are you? I know your face from pictures but who are you?' '' Marla Derga said.

``I think in God's goodness and love, he sent somebody that Dustin would be very comfortable with and trust to make that transition.''

This week, the Dergas received Dustin's personal gear from Iraq, including boots and uniforms. The MP3 player, Bible, a global positioning device and a digital camera were not among the items.

Bob Derga believes that is more evidence his son took the Bible on his last mission and was reading it before he was shot in the back. His father speculated that his gear remained on the vehicle with the other Marines.

Three days later, four other Marines from his unit died when their amphibious assault vehicle struck an explosive device.

Derga believes his son's Bible and the other items were destroyed in that explosion.

Since Dustin's death, the Dergas have attended six other funerals or calling hours.

They went to the funerals for three Marines from Lima Company and 1st Lt. Aaron Nicholas Seesan, 24, of Massillon. They attended calling hours for a Marine who was attached to Lima Company. The day of Dustin's funeral, they attended calling hours for Messmer.

The Dergas also have gained and given support and compassion in meetings with the parents of the four other soldiers from Stark County killed in Iraq.

Derga, senior manager of global data management and engineering change planning at Diebold, said he and his wife believe God had a reason for taking Dustin.

``He had accepted God,'' Derga said. ``He had fulfilled a lot of his dreams. . . . It was the perfect time to take him.''

Derga said he believes God saw Dustin as an apple that had ripened early and grabbed him when he could.

``God snatched it before it fell off the tree,'' Derga said.

``God has a reason for everything. We don't always understand it. . . . It wasn't my timing. It was his timing.''