The life of an active duty member of the military can be a dangerous one, and not just on a battlefield. The emotional, mental and physical scars can last for years, even a lifetime.
But what happens when an individual experiences life, death and life again, from one moment to the next? Is it a breakdown, a mental lapse, or is it real?
In an interview with Military.com, former U.S. Air Force public affairs officer Chase DeMayo claims he had a near-death experience (NDE) in a hospital room in 2008, where he lost consciousness, his heart stopped, but he saw and felt light and peace until he was ultimately revived.
“I remember watching my monitor flatline. I remember the nurses and doctors kind of watching me die. When I came to, I had this incredible experience,” DeMayo said. “It was this really, really vivid experience, which I learned is super common for people to essentially cross over and get to come back.”
In a study by the National Institutes of Health, detailed in the online publication “Social Work Today”, NDE’s are described as a close brush with death or a clinical death.
“In a military context, it can happen amid explosions, gunfire, or some other severe trauma when consciousness is lost,” the report said. “Those who have experienced it often feel a profound sense of peace, encountering deceased loved ones, or an absence of fear and negativity.”
In DeMayo’s case, he had a heart attack at 20 years old and was rushed to the hospital at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. He survived the heart attack, but said he clinically died in recovery. While he can’t prove it, DeMayo said he remembers experiencing “light, love, peace and the presence of Jesus,” until he was brought back to life.
“I woke up in Hampton, Virginia, at a civilian hospital, and I went on Facebook that night and posted a photo of me with my hospital band on, saying, ‘You know, I practically died today, and I’m still here,'” he said. “I made a joke of it because I was 20 years old. Now I think, ‘Wow, I died and came back.'”
NIH researchers classify DeMayo’s story as a “transpersonal experience,” claiming in the last several decades there has been a growing body of research about the phenomenon of near-death experiences, mostly in acute medical and end-of-life settings.
“Near-death experiences (NDEs) appear to occur in roughly 20% of people who have had a close brush with death,” the NIH study said. “Though details of individual experiences vary, common features of NDEs include a sense of leaving one’s physical body, feeling movement, experiencing a trans material realm often described as peaceful and filled with light, and interacting with deceased loved ones or other beings. There may also be a panoramic life review, in which one’s life ‘flashes’ before one’s eyes, and then the sensation of returning to one’s body.”
DeMayo holds a doctorate in holistic counseling, and serves on the board of Camaraderie Foundation, a nonprofit that cares for the invisible wounds of military service members, veterans, and their families. He travels the country speaking to veteran and near-death experience communities to share his story and promote understanding, especially in the military community.
“Of course, my family and friends knew about me dying, and I was kind of embarrassed by it. I didn’t think anybody would believe me. People are going to think, ‘Oh, that kid’s crazy. He’s talking about dying and coming back,'” DeMayo said. “But I kept thinking, there’s got to be a reason why I got to come back. So I started kind of openly and nervously sharing my story.”
DeMayo said his speeches have been eye-opening for those in the audience and for himself, as he realized others, military members and civilians, share similar near-death experiences.
“The number of people I meet every time I share my story that reach out and say, ‘Oh my gosh. This happened to me. I got hit by an IED, or our Humvee got rocked, or this happened,'” DeMayo said. “I’m telling you, every time I give a speech, there’s some veteran in the back of the room that would wait for everybody to clear out, and then walk up to me and go, ‘you know, I thought I was alone. I’ve never heard anybody say the same thing I went through.'”
DeMayo is especially concerned about his military comrades who may have a similar experience, but are afraid or ashamed to speak up or get help, if they need it.
“If they go to the chaplain and say that this happened, then they’re afraid that they’re going to get booted out,” DeMayo said. “So a lot of times, military members keep it private and kind of suffer silently.”
DeMayo said his hope is that others with near-death experiences find validation and the courage to seek help and support through his story.
“My message is you’re not crazy, and you’re not alone, and it’s good to talk about it,” DeMayo said. “I think it’s as simple as that.”
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