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| Bishop Jerry in an earlier life, when he was flying a CH-37B |
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HEN the day that he must go hence was come, many accompanied him to the riverside, into which as he went he said, ‘Death where is they sting?’ and as he went down deeper, he said ‘Grave, where is thy victory?’ so, he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side. John Bunyan. Pilgrim’s Progress
The day dawned this morning in southern Alabama with a veil of fog hanging in the air lending solemnity to an otherwise humid and routine sunrise. As I have done so many times over the last few years, I drove past the residence of an old friend of more than 54 years. He and I had many experiences together in the military. Brian was a former Marine who joined the Army in order to attend flight school, but he never got over being a Marine. He had a high sense of duty and service.
There was a time when Brian and his crew went down in the Taean Peninsula of Korea. The resultant crash was not pilot-error, but a failure of one engine at a critical point during landing. Brian was calm and cool as always, but the huge CH-37B[1] was quickly consumed in fire (about three minutes total) due to the zinc and magnesium metallic components. Thanks to Brian’s accomplished touch on the controls, there were no injuries to his crew of five.
Brian spent two tours in Vietnam and was an unshakeable officer and pilot.
As I drove by his house today, I noticed the grass was overgrown and no evidence of life. I had noticed the neglect of the lawn for several weeks. This time, I stopped to inquire of neighbors and, sure enough, Brian had passed to the Mansions of the Lord recently. He had suffered from Parkinson’s Disease for the last years of his life, and he did not want old friends to see him in such condition. His lovely Japanese wife whom he met in his youth at Iwakuni, Japan, preceded him in death by months – a victim of dementia.
Brian was a soldier who laid his life on the line without hesitation to defend the ideals and values of the United States. The loss of such a man is incredibly painful for those who love our United States. Such a man should not spend his last days in utter isolation, but Brian was a proud man whose uniform was always impeccable and his bearing sharp and impressive. He felt less of the man he once was as his emaciated body was tortured by his health condition.
But Brian is no less a patriotic and devoted soldier in his last days than when he was fighting in the jungles of Vietnam. Such men must be remembered. No, he did not fall in battle to the enemy of the United States, but he succumbed to a greater enemy with which all mankind must reckon at the dimming of the Light.
Brian was much like my younger brother, Ken, who did indeed die in combat. Both gave their all, and both deserve the accolades of a grateful nation. Brian gave just as much as my brother because he was courageous to risk his life in battle for his country.
There are thousands of Brian’s and Ken’s that should be remembered by all Americans who cherish the blessings of freedom and liberty purchased by the blood of patriots. Do we simply go through the moves and formalities on Memorial Day without truly considering the fact that our liberties are watered by the blood of valorous men and women who were willing and able to serve in places we might want to avoid?
It is right and proper that we should remember with unrestrained gratitude such heroes of our company. “And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.” (Zechariah 9:16)
Men of valor, the trumpet you hear is not taps, but reveille!
‘Semper Fi’ to Brian, and ‘Follow Me’ Ken – both of whom repose under that starry banner under which they served.
[1] The largest helicopter in the world at the time, it was one of the last powered by gasoline fueled engines, in this case Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engines running on 145/175 Octane aviation fuel, much more prone to fire and failure than the later jet fuel powered turboshaft engines.
