A Tribute to my Heroes

 

The following post was written by my best friend and husband, Chad. He is a pilot in the United States Air Force. I am so proud of my husband for how he serves our country. This weekend I honor him, his fellow comrades, and their families. For those who have lost a loved one, Chad and I offer our prayers for you and your family this Memorial weekend as you remember your hero…

 

It was July 2005, and I was sitting in my C-130E at Balad Air Base, Iraq. The temperatures hovered over 120 degrees in the flight deck. I sat at the controls of the aging transport as troops walked down the ramp of our aircraft and into the history books. My crew and I were anxious to get airborne since Balad routinely received mortar fire, which was dropped indiscriminately on the airfield from insurgents outside the wire.

As we waited for our cargo to arrive, a US Army UH-60 Blackhawk landed on the taxiway next to us.  With nothing else to do but wipe the sweat from my face and wait for our cargo, I watched the Blackhawk come to a stop.  The radios came alive with a call from the helicopter, and they informed base operations that they had a “Hero” to deliver for offload.

We used code words for everything during the war, and what was a “Hero” one day may have been a “Baseball” the previous day.  Curiously, I watched to see what the “Hero” was that prepared to offload.  The side door on the armored helicopter opened up, and the aircrew jumped out and carried the “Hero” out to a waiting truck.

A lump grew in my throat as I realized that the “Hero” was not the bag that they carried out of the helicopter, but rather the precious cargo within it. It was a body bag. For once, the code word matched the item.  I witnessed one of America’s finest carried by his comrades-in-arms, knowing that within hours a family would be devastated.

This soldier was and is nameless to me, yet he is my hero.

As a father, I cannot imagine receiving the news that my son had been killed in action.  Yet, nearly 2,000 years ago, God sent His only Son, Jesus, into earthly combat, knowing that it would cost Him His life.  John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (ESV, emphasis mine).  The following verse says:  “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world may be saved through him” (John 3:17 ESV, emphasis mine).

The hero that left the helicopter that summer day gave his life for the cause of freedom.  His death reminds me that there is only One man whose death eternally saved me and provided me freedom from my sins. As I remember those Americans that have given their lives for this great country on Memorial Day, I will also pause and thank God for giving me my freedom and eternal life through the death of His Son, Jesus.

I invite you to join me in remembering those who gave their all for us.  Today, I honor that nameless soldier, as well as my fallen friends and comrades:

 

Major Troy Gilbert, USAF

Captain Dave Wisniewski, USAF

Captain Joel Gentz, USAF

Technical Sergeant Mike Flores, USAF

Staff Sergeant David Smith, USAF

Sergeant Tyler Prewitt, USA

Senior Airman Ben White, USAF

 

May God bless and comfort their families this Memorial Day, and may God bless the United States of America.

Chad Steel