Sam Kettler Loved President Bush and Helicopters

I just wanted to pass this information along to each of you so you know what a truly compassionate and caring man we have in President Bush. My first cousin, Shawn Kettler, and his wife, Suzanne, and daughter, Laramie, lost their 6 year old son, Sam, in a drowning accident this past Saturday (March 6th). Shawn's mother and Sam's grandmother is my Aunt Dodie. They all live within a few miles of the President's place in Crawford TX.

Sam and a young friend of his were walking around a tank when the mud gave way and Sam fell in the tank. The tank is a spring fed tank, and Sam was sucked under the water into a "sink hole" where the spring came into the tank. His little friend tried to get him out but was unable to reach him, so he ran about 200 yards to his house and told his grandmother. The grandmother called 911 then went to the tank, but was unable to even see Sam.

Sam's father and a volunteer fireman arrived first and began diving into the tank but were unable to locate Sam (I believe they said the water was about 10 feet deep). The Deputy Sheriff that received the 911 call was at the entrance to President Bush's ranch when the call came in. He told the Secret Service agents at the gate what was happening and they, in turn, radioed the ranch house. President Bush told them to "Go - take all the men and equipment you need and just go". He also sent his personal physician and his helicopter over to the tank.

Sam was finally located and pulled from the water by one of the Secret Service agents (I believe there were 5 agents there all total). There was a faint pulse but they could not revive little Sam. President Bush's doctor began working on him and they loaded him into the Presidential helicopter and took him to Hillcrest Hospital in Waco. The doctors there worked on him for awhile, but he had been under water for 45 minutes, so there was really no hope for his recovery. And, had he survived, he would never have been the same.

Sam was truly a unique little boy who lived life to the fullest. And he loved the fact that "George Bush, the President" had chosen to live so close to his house.

When the family went to the funeral home in Gatesville on Sunday to make the arrangements, they were told everything had been paid for by an anonymous donor. After much "detective" work, it is believed that President Bush is that anonymous donor.

I just wanted all of you to hear this story so you know what a true gentleman our President is. And I ask that you pray for my family as they deal with this tragedy. And, lastly, please pray for our country and President Bush as he attempts to hold it all in place.

Don't ever forget to tell everyone close to you and possibly, some of those not so close, how much you love them. Tell them everyday because life is short and very unpredictable.

snopes

This item began circulating on the Internet about a week after the tragic accident which claimed the life of 6-year-old Samuel Kettler on 6 March 2004. Samuel drowned when he fell into a tank or stock pond about two miles from President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas.

It is true that such a drowning occurred in the time and place described, that President Bush was at his Crawford ranch at the time (he was playing host to Mexican President Vicente Fox), and that some Secret Service agents took part in efforts to save young Samuel. As the Associated Press reported on 8 March:

A 6-year-old boy who fell into a stock pond near President Bush's ranch drowned despite efforts by a rescue team that included Secret Service agents.
Samuel Ketler fell into the pond on Saturday afternoon as he walked next to it with his grandfather, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman said.
DPS troopers and Secret Service agents stationed at Bush's ranch two miles from the pond heard an emergency call and came to help, the DPS spokesman said Monday.
When the agents saw that the Gatesville Fire Department could not find Samuel because they did not have scuba equipment, they called for the ranch's special response team, the spokesman said.
After the team of 10 military medics and Secret Service agents arrived with scuba equipment, a Secret Service diver found the boy on his second dive and pulled him to shore.
Rescuers performed CPR on Samuel until a Blackhawk helicopter arrived from Bush's ranch to take the boy to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center. They continued the CPR on the helicopter, but the boy was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

We haven't yet independently verified whether Samuel's funeral was paid for by an anonymous donor, or if so, whether that donor was President Bush (if the donor truly wishes to remain anonymous, the latter point may be rather difficult to establish), but the woman who authored the piece was kind enough to take the time to respond to our inquiry:

This is a true story and I am indeed the author. The little boy, Sam Kettler, was the son of my first cousin, Shawn. I keep wanting to call Sam my nephew because we were so close. I consider his dad my brother rather than my cousin. Sam was a precious little boy.
When I wrote the email and hit the 'send' button, I had no idea how far it would go. I just felt compelled to write it and let people know what a God-fearing man our President is. I have received emails from all over the United States and even one from missionaries in India. It seems our little Sam's death is going to have far-reaching results.
Thank you so much for your prayers and for helping me spread the word. Again, I can assure you that it is all true. Three of the Secret Service agents attended the funeral and two others stopped by the church before the service began to pay their respects. The family also received floral arrangements from the Secret Service as well as from the helicopter crew that flew Shawn and his son to Hillcrest Hospital in Waco.

I found the obit from the Lone Star Iconoclast which serves the Crawford Texas area.

Samuel Kettler
Funeral services for Samuel Thomas Kettler, 6, of Coryell City, were held Tuesday, March 9, 2004, at St. John Lutheran Church in Coryell City. Interment followed at St. John Lutheran Church Cemetery. Kettler died Saturday, March 6, 2004. He was born March 30, 1997, in Clifton, to Shawn and Suzanne Pruitt Kettler. He was a first-grader at Gatesville Primary School. Kettler was baptized at St. John Lutheran Church on March 10, 2001, by the Rev. Charles Brinkmeyer. He was a member of Hay Valley 4-H, and loved playing baseball and soccer. A family member said Sam was full of life and love, and was loved greatly by his family and all who knew him. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Kenneth Kettler and Donald and Margie Pruitt. Kettler is survived by his parents, Shawn and Suzanne Kettler of Coryell City; sister Laramie Kettler of Coryell City; grandmother Dodie Kettler of Coryell City; great-grandmother Almiria Dickie of Coryell City; and a host of aunts, uncles, and cousins. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the Gatesville Primary School Library, the Gatesville Public Library, or the Gatesville Baseball Complex. Gatesville Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Oh the dear child ... this is so sad.

May G-d comfort all who mourn this precious young man.

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