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| Hi everybody. It's been a bad week for my battalion. We lost a soldier on Wednesday, someone I knew and had ridden with outside the wire on patrol. I wasn't with him at the time he died, and I won't share details about his death, other than to say it was in combat action and it hit his fellow soldiers pretty hard.
Since that time, I've barely had more than a few hours' sleep and very little time for anything other than counseling and preparing his memorial. We had a service at the mortuary when his body was brought in, and escorted his remains to the C-130. Today is planning the memorial ceremony and meeting with the other members of his crew, who tried desperately to save his life and ultimately could not. For myself, as I write this, I think of the words of Paul when he said, "As for me, I am poured out like an offering." I'm spiritually and emotionally spent, and it's mostly the strength of Christ and the prayers/support of my friends that keep this train moving forward. The soldier's name is Sergeant Joshua Hanson, so if you read about his death in the news, he's one of mine. Please pray for his parents and siblings who received the news yesterday. And pray for our battalion, too, because we still have to continue missions and protect the people living on our base all the while grieving this young soldier's death. Josh was a good soldier and a good man, and I'm proud to have known him and served together with him. God be good to you! |