A Small yet profound event occurred today

[thrasherfox]

At 1100 hours this morning, on a military installation in the middle of nowhere, quarters were held in a small brick building, with no windows. This is the home of a small command with important missions and tasking.

"Quarters" for those of you not familiar with the term in reference to military jargon is when a command gets together so higher authority can pass down information or present awards to command staff.

As normal and typical, our awardees were in front, going up to the stage as their names were called so the commanding officer could present the awards.

As each awardee is presented the award from the commanding officer, the next in charge (normally the executive officer) reads what the award is for)

One of our new (new to our command) LT's (lieutenant's) was called up. The executive officer then began to read to the small group what this LT was receiving and why.

As the executive officer read, he described how this LT was in Iraq, he apparently was there during the beginning of the war and was directly involved with attacks on Baghdad.

He went on to read how our ground troops were being fired upon and being killed by enemy forces that were hidden.

This LT apparently located numerous artillery batteries that were shelling the crap out of our troops, and he locked on and destroyed them with his FA-18 (Navy fighter aircraft). He did this while avoiding ground fire that was being directed at him.

He apparently saved an unknown amount of lives from his actions. Totally placed himself in harms way. There are people that are not only alive today because of his actions, but don’t even KNOW they are alive today because of his actions.

Yes, it is sad that the lives of the enemy were taken. Any loss of life sucks. But he did his job, he did it well, and in the end, the total amount of lives lost on both sides were probably less than if he did not act.

Kind of makes me ponder about my own life, and the things that I think I do that are important… are not really as important as I think they are.

Kind of puts things in perspective…

Hmmmm time to go have a drink I guess….



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[Haywood]

He should get 2 medals for that, Thrasher.  

I understand your sentiment about feeling small, and putting things in perspective.. stuff like this really makes you think, eh? People should remember this story and others like it the next time they freak out when they cut off in traffic, or their food order takes longer than it should to arrive, or their child gets a B instead of an A.. It's all about perspective, isn't it?



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[BigBSBusa]

Great story, Thrasher! So many of these stories go uncaptured by the majority of the world. Sadly, they even go untold among the people that are there doing the exact same types of things. I have great respect for all those involved in operations all over the world and am glad to be a part of the team!

 

[BigDawg_03Busa]

I'm feelin ya Thrasher, it kinda takes me back to 9-11. I felt
helpless, like my life had no meaning. Like I had no purpose whatsoever.

Now however my life is different an since I've given my life to
Christ I can make a difference. By getting on my knees or
just talking to my Heavenly Father angels more powerful than
any F-18 or fleet of F-18 are dispatched to fight battles
oblivious to the naked eye. It's the prayers of God's saints
that are keeping those safe in Iraq, it's the prayers that are
keeping this country safe despite it completely back tracking
against all the religious principles on which the country was
founded.

This is my .02 because I remember that empty feeling of watching
those towers, pentagon & fields in PA on fire and thinking
how can I help fight that, how can I possibly make a difference.
Well now as I reply to this thread with near tears in my eyes,
I know......PRAYER, PRAYER AND MORE PRAYER.

God bless

 

[pure_ego]

It would be really amazing if you could connect all the people he ended up saving and looking at all they've accomplished because of his actions..

just wild.. kinda like that butterfly flappin it's wings in hong kong and makin me sneeze at deals gap next weekend! whooO!

seriously.. interesting, and humbling read.

 

[thrasherfox]

I'm feelin ya Thrasher, it kinda takes me back to 9-11.  I felt
helpless, like my life had no meaning.  Like I had no purpose whatsoever.

Now however my life is different an since I've given my life to
Christ I can make a difference.  By getting on my knees or
just talking to my Heavenly Father angels more powerful than
any F-18 or fleet of F-18 are dispatched to fight battles
oblivious to the naked eye.  It's the prayers of God's saints
that are keeping those safe in Iraq, it's the prayers that are
keeping this country safe despite it completely back tracking
against all the religious principles on which the country was
founded.

This is my .02 because I remember that empty feeling of watching
those towers, pentagon & fields in PA on fire and thinking
how can I help fight that, how can I possibly make a difference.
Well now as I reply to this thread with near tears in my eyes,
I know......PRAYER, PRAYER AND MORE PRAYER.

God bless

I feel ya too BigDawg.

I am also a Christian and I know how powerful prayer is.

However I am still in this world, and as such there are certain things that you have to deal with in a worldly manner.

When God wants us in Heaven, then that is time to let go of the flesh, until that time however, we have to be spirit AND flesh.

Even in the old testament, God helped in war time, God helped his people destroy their enemy's. God not only allowed his people to kill with the sword, he helped them.

And such as it is now. God is with us, and God "helps us" when we need it. But that is the key, he helps us, he doesn't do it for us.

He wants us to do things on our own, (with his guidance of course as any father wants his son to respect him and his guidance)

The bible says we are made in his image. So sometimes how we feel is how he feels. And most of us fathers want to guide our children and raise them so they can take care of themselves. We raise them to leave us and we take pride in their accomplishments, and their independence and we feel we have done a good job when our children take on the world and they do it with honor and passion.

And because I am a Christian, and I pray on a daily basis and I feel I am in tune with God's plan (not that I follow it, I am an idiot most of the time) I sense that how I feel towards my sons is something God has instilled in me, and if God has instilled this direction in me that I give to my children, maybe what I want for my children is what he wants for me.

We all have our place in this world, and each of us are important in our own ways. If it were not for the cooks, the fighters could not fight.

If it were not for the computer geeks (I can say geeks because I am one lol ) then where would we be in information warfare?

So.. thank you for the reality check. I know where you are coming from. And I also know it takes everyone working together as a team to accomplish missions and tasks and to make this world go round. And I know prayers are the first and most important thing we can do in all things.

And when I was in the Corps I had a few ejections seats that I had QA'd and signed off as good to go and a few other seats I had done the work on that a few pilots had to use and it saved their arse's.

But still. In a room that seats about 115 people, and total personnel in attendance was about 25, and to see this pilot and hear of his actions that directly saved lives… like I said… just a reality check..something that brought my self importance down to a realistic level.. It was probably something I needed.. Probably a God thing

 

[BigDawg_03Busa]

I'm feelin ya Thrasher, it kinda takes me back to 9-11. I felt
helpless, like my life had no meaning. Like I had no purpose whatsoever.

Now however my life is different an since I've given my life to
Christ I can make a difference. By getting on my knees or
just talking to my Heavenly Father angels more powerful than
any F-18 or fleet of F-18 are dispatched to fight battles
oblivious to the naked eye. It's the prayers of God's saints
that are keeping those safe in Iraq, it's the prayers that are
keeping this country safe despite it completely back tracking
against all the religious principles on which the country was
founded.

This is my .02 because I remember that empty feeling of watching
those towers, pentagon & fields in PA on fire and thinking
how can I help fight that, how can I possibly make a difference.
Well now as I reply to this thread with near tears in my eyes,
I know......PRAYER, PRAYER AND MORE PRAYER.

God bless

I feel ya too BigDawg.

I am also a Christian and I know how powerful prayer is.

However I am still in this world, and as such there are certain things that you have to deal with in a worldly manner.

When God wants us in Heaven, then that is time to let go of the flesh, until that time however, we have to be spirit AND flesh.

Even in the old testament, God helped in war time, God helped his people destroy their enemy's. God not only allowed his people to kill with the sword, he helped them.

And such as it is now. God is with us, and God "helps us" when we need it. But that is the key, he helps us, he doesn't do it for us.

He wants us to do things on our own, (with his guidance of course as any father wants his son to respect him and his guidance)

The bible says we are made in his image. So sometimes how we feel is how he feels. And most of us fathers want to guide our children and raise them so they can take care of themselves. We raise them to leave us and we take pride in their accomplishments, and their independence and we feel we have done a good job when our children take on the world and they do it with honor and passion.

And because I am a Christian, and I pray on a daily basis and I feel I am in tune with God's plan (not that I follow it, I am an idiot most of the time) I sense that how I feel towards my sons is something God has instilled in me, and if God has instilled this direction in me that I give to my children, maybe what I want for my children is what he wants for me.

We all have our place in this world, and each of us are important in our own ways. If it were not for the cooks, the fighters could not fight.

If it were not for the computer geeks (I can say geeks because I am one lol ) then where would we be in information warfare?

So.. thank you for the reality check. I know where you are coming from. And I also know it takes everyone working together as a team to accomplish missions and tasks and to make this world go round. And I know prayers are the first and most important thing we can do in all things.

And when I was in the Corps I had a few ejections seats that I had QA'd and signed off as good to go and a few other seats I had done the work on that a few pilots had to use and it saved their arse's.

But still. In a room that seats about 115 people, and total personnel in attendance was about 25, and to see this pilot and hear of his actions that directly saved lives? like I said? just a reality check..something that brought my self importance down to a realistic level.. It was probably something I needed.. Probably a God thing

Actually, God will fight a battle for us. We battle not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authroities, against the powers of this dark workd and against the spiritual forecs of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12)

He fights the battles for us because he wants us to depend on him and not our own abilities. We're saved by grace not our works, so when you see someone save a life, is it not possible that God placed that person in that place; at that time; to perform that very job? You better believe it!

My faith is firm in that we owe EVERYTHING to him, for if it not his desire I take my last breath. Sorry for the speel, but he does it all including fight our battles.

 

[thrasherfox]

BigDawg -

Didnt mean to offend you if I did... if I did I appoligize..

Ron

 

[Mikey D]

Good story Thrasher. Give life to the impersonal news articles.

 

[PACIFICBUSA]

Very interesting.

 

[BigDawg_03Busa]

BigDawg -

Didnt mean to offend you if I did... if I did I appoligize..

Ron

Hey Thrasher man no apologies necessary I just get a little hype when speaking about the Heavenly Father that's all man.
Didn't offend me in any way, be safe and God bless.

 

[bacharles]

Very profound indeed...