Laguna Tools is Proud to Honor a Soldier

Irvine, California-based Laguna Tools is a company that cares deeply for what they do. It is a company with a passion for quality, excellence and most importantly, people. They know that woodworkers are as ardent about fine woodworking tools as they are because to craftspeople, it is the tools that help them carve the life into a piece of wood.

They realize that their tools are not worth when just sitting around unused; they are part of lives, creating a heritage and hope for the future. When presented with the opportunity to do more, the people at Laguna Tools pooled their resources to reach out to someone who has done so much. 

His Story, Nathanael Meadows
The night is dark, not pitch black but dull gray like thinned coffee. The air is warm but feels cooler than it really is due to the blistering hot day. The only movement is an occasional gust from the west, as if the mountains are sighing. There is no relief in the wind, no gift of peace. The only sound comes from a pair of huge tractor trailer-sized generators that power our little buildings. The lights of the city are reflected in the clear sky and remind me of the houses back home that were decorated with holiday cheer. It is hard to grasp the thought that death awaits us out there. This is Mosul, scarring the face of the earth in Northern Iraq. Journal Entry

Ever since Nathanael Meadows was a little boy, he wanted to be in the Army. Even in these perilous times, when he became of age there was no question in his mind what he would do. His parents instilled patriotism early in life, and so for Nathanael, love of country ranked high. It was his duty, no, his privilege to serve. He would go where he was called, serve his county and give his life if necessary. After two years of college he enlisted in the United States Army on March 5, 2002, as a “combat medic.” After Basic Training and Medic School he was assigned to the 1 st Squadron of the 14 th Cavalry Regiment, 3 rd Brigade, 2 nd Infantry Division, the 1 st Stryker Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Lewis, Washington. He deployed to Iraq in October 2003.

I am at ease, but still nervous. By now this is routine. It has been over 10 months in this country and my emotional walls are built, my mental calluses in place. This is war and it is life. My mind is focused on my preparation, but I am relaxed. I check my aid bag, my untrustworthy M4 carbine and my 240B machine gun. I have my morphine, I am ready.The stale deathly smell that is Iraq lingers everywhere. I load everything on my Stryker. All is almost ready. The cherries are coming tonight, which make my nerves jump even more. I must focus. I am a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army. I am a professional. I am responsible for these men. I must show them how to survive. I am the senior medic, and I must be prepared to save these men if the unspeakable should happen.

How do you prepare for war? How do you prepare for how it will change your life? Nathanael didn’t and couldn’t possibly know. Even the best training cannot prepare you for feeling as if the weight of the world is on your shoulders, for being in a constant state of sleep deprivation and heightened alert. It is a life he is fiercely proud to live, and yet, it is a life he wishes no one had to live.

Out of the gate and in the city, the streets are quiet as he patrols. The shops are closed for the day and garage doors pulled down and locked. He saw a strange mixture of images as they pass the night restaurants filled with people in buildings that show all the scars of war. They take no interest in the now common American patrols. He wonders how the human spirit is so fragile and yet at the same time so strong and able to adapt.

Over the radio a call comes in from his Platoon Leader, 1LT Pieffer, who was wounded a few nights before. The order was to turn around to go pick up some

VIPS, two high ranking officers. They do as they are told and turn the four vehicles back up on IED alley. It is the ninth of October, 2004, his wife Theresa’s birthday.

 We head north, toward the northernmost FOB or Forward Operating Base near the city. We make it through the “death circle” without incident. The smell of the morning dew is descending in the air. We are nearing the “pass,” another hot spot that has claimed too many American lives. The Bridge to the Euphrates is near; the temperature drops as the water grows closer. And then, Hell from Behind!

 Where am I? My ears! There has to be something sticking through my ears! My head hurts. Why am I lying on my weapon? We are in an ambush. The smell of sulfur is everywhere. The night is alive with the lights of hundreds of man-made fireflies. RPGs come from out of the darkness. I am screaming, telling my driver to move as I engage the enemy. The 50 cal. behind me sounds so close. My head hurts, my ears hurt. Stay alert. Stay alive.

Reload, Reload. O God, the car. I must focus. Is anyone injured? I call over the radio but there is so much traffic, no one hears. I call again as I engage another target. Yes, two behind me. My head, my ears, I am so dizzy, so tired, seeing stars. Focus. Casualties are stable and can wait until we are through the ambush. Engage and stay alive.

The battle, at least that battle is over. Adrenaline still pumping, Meadows treats his men and he is thankful that all of the injuries are minor. Then he heads back to deliver the VIPs, and go back on patrol. But then he is evacuated to the aid station with the others. Initially, his injuries are missed and he is diagnosed with a mild concussion. Though in continued and constant pain, he is able to hide the extent of his injuries. He knew if the true extent of his injuries which included severe headaches, balance problems, ringing of the ears, memory loss, numbness and tingling in his extremities, ear pain, and as common to many who go into combat, severe flashbacks, night terrors and insomnia, were discovered he would be kicked out. He loved being a soldier. It was his life. And he would not go down without a fight.

Though he was able to go on without the injuries being detected, many of the problems, along with the new and added problems of kidney and bladder disease, were discovered when he went to re-enlist as a flight medic in December 2006. Suddenly all of his dreams were gone and he sank to some very low places. Struggling with “unseen” injuries can be a difficult thing and receives more suspicion than respect. His self-worth plummeted as he struggled to figure out a way to provide for his family. It became easy to wish the worst had happened.

timber frame home for his mother with his own hands. He saw the love with which the work was infused and had a thought, “Why not make woodworking a career?” So a vision was born. He would make a new life out of his old love, woodworking. Even though he did not have the means to make it happen, he now had a vision and a hope. He has encountered many hurdles already but is meeting them head-on. He looked at woodworking magazines and began to dream. He needed so much to get started; it almost seemed like an impossible goal. He saw the Laguna bandsaws had top marks from all of the experts and fell in love. It was almost too much to even hope for, but one thing he had learned in the Army, quality equipment is essential. In the Army, it can mean your life. If this dream was to be his new life, then he would need the woodworking tools that would make a difference. Even though it was hard to ask for help, he felt he had to do it. This was his dream and he had to keep it alive.

Lives Converge
Meadows continued to work toward his dream and hold on to hope. “Then out of no-where I get a call that has changed my world. It is the Vice President of Laguna Tools. Not only are they going to send me a saw, but she wants to help in any way she can. Honestly, I don’t cry very much, but she made tears come to my eyes. I still can’t believe it.” In fact, after hearing his story, many at Laguna Tools were moved to help, along with Venders and Friends to provide him with an LT 16 HD bandsaw and a selection of blades. “It is my first ‘big’ tool. I feel very blessed.” The bandsaw will go a long way in helping him start his cabinet and furniture business, and has already gone a long way in helping him realize his new dream. As Nathanael sees it, heroes are people who are willing to care and make a difference in the lives of others. “You all are my heroes. You have reached through the dark and taken my hand; the hand of a complete stranger. That is true courage.”

Laguna Tools just feels privileged to help honor a deserving soldier.

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