On the Wings of the Wind

In Memory of Our Fallen Heroes

May 26, 2008 on 5:56 pm | In Thoughts and Meditations |

 

On this Memorial Day, we remember our fallen heroes and honor their sacrifices. We recall an experience in Germany where James was asked to represent the chaplaincy as soldiers who had lost their lives started the final leg of their journey home. Pat described the scene in On the Wings of the Wind.

Standing beside my husband, in the cold, but bright and sunny, morning, I looked at the nearly vacant airstrip. Only the honor guard, a bugler, and another chaplain waited to meet this flight. We watched a tiny speck in the distance grow larger and larger, then a camouflaged military jet landed and taxied to a stop in front of us.

The tailgate ramp was lowered, and the military honor guard and the chaplain walked into the back of the huge transport. The honor guard followed the chaplain out, carrying our dead soldiers wrapped in what looked to me like black leather bags.

A lump formed in my throat and tears filled my eyes as the haunting notes of “Taps” filled the air. Our fallen soldiers were then loaded onto a carrier and taken to a hearse to await the next plane and their final trip home. Later there would be military honors at their hometowns and military cemeteries, but for now there was only the stark view of death.

Tears flowed down my face as I realized I was seeing the results of the beginning of this new war on terrorism. The war would continue long after we left Europe. How many more of our brave military men and women would make the trip these soldiers were making in coffins? 

Yes, sometimes we wonder where God is, but He knows all, sees all, and hears all.