How the Army's Top Ranger Faced Fear and Found Courage Through Black Hawk Down and Beyond
by Jeff Struecker
Published by Thomas Nelson (2006)
232 pages
"The difference between being a coward and a hero is not whether you're scared, it's what you do while you're scared." Captain Jeff Struecker
U.S. Army Rangers aren’t afraid. At least that’s what they would like you to believe. In this book Captain Jeff Struecker shows us a very human side of a man who shows unbridled courage, even in horrific situations.
That fear is exemplified by an incident in 1993. An elite military force was sent into Mogadishu, Somalia to rein in a warlord’s abusive control over the population and ruination of what should be a beautiful nation. On October 3, 1993, a Sunday afternoon, they received word of an opportunity to capture two of the warlord’s (Mohamed Farrah Aidid) top aides. What resulted was eighteen hours of trekking through bullet and RPG (rocket propelled grenade) laden streets in an attempt to rescue troops from two downed Black Hawk helicopters, an incident we know today as Black Hawk Down.
While the Black Hawk Down incident dramatically represents fear, Struecker doesn’t stop there. He writes about experiencing terrifying nightmares as a child—nightmares that went away when he became a Christian. He tells about his fear of being a good enough husband and father, when the family he’d grown up in was terribly broken. He tells about the fears of sharing his faith with his fellow soldiers—a group comprised of tough men, many who would claim that reliance on God is a weakness. How could he be a Christian and still garner respect from the men he leads? When he felt God’s call to the ministry, he feared the change.
But through it all, he was obedient to God’s call, and went forward despite his very human fears, and is now ministering as a Chaplain in a Ranger unit.
***Captain Jeff Struecker is a decorated member of the U.S. Army Rangers. He was featured prominently in the book, Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, by Mark Bowden, and was represented in the movie by the same name. In 1996 he, along with partner, Isaac Gmazel, won the competition for Best Army Ranger, an event far more difficult than Hawaii’s famous Ironman triathlon. He is currently a Chaplain ministering to 1,000’s of troops serving in hot spots around the globe.
Showing posts with label Biography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Biography. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Quiet Strength
The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life
by Tony Dungy
Published by Tyndale House Publishers (2008)
352 pages
Typically when one talks about their sports “heroes”, that hero is renowned for their extraordinary athleticism (think Torii Hunter making one of his Spiderman-like catches in centerfield). Conversely, the athlete often gains notoriety for their less than noble actions off the field. Usually the image we get of that athlete is one-dimensional. Tony Dungy is a man who beats the stereotype.
Dungy has earned a reputation, on and off the field, as being a man of integrity and honor: an African American head coach, the first to ever win a Super Bowl, a leader who encourages his players to always be at their best, especially when the game is over; a philanthropist involved with several charitable organizations; a family man who embodies what it means to be a loving father and devoted husband; a child of God who, in all things, puts God first. Even when interviewed on national television for the Lombardi Trophy Presentation, he credited God for bringing him and his team through the storm. “…we said this is going to be a storm, we said the Lord doesn’t always bring you directly through, sometimes you gotta work for it.”
While Quiet Strength is written about a head coach in the National Football League, it is not a book about football. Rather it is a story of Tony Dungy’s journey through life, about his parents who lived their faith, teaching their children to do the same. It’s about his time as a quarterback for the University of Minnesota Gophers, his brief stint in the NFL as a safety, his years as a defensive coach, his ascension to head coach of first the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and then to the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Indianapolis Colts. He writes about the temptations faced in the business, the challenge of finding time to be a proper husband and father, and the tragic death of his son. He talks about the discipline required to study the Bible every day (giving particular credit to the book of Nehemiah as being an excellent tool for leaders). He espouses the importance of keeping “winning” in the proper perspective citing, Matthew 16:26: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” He speaks of the challenge to remember that his life is perpetually in the spotlight. Everything he says and does is a reflection on his character; therefore he needs to live his life in a manner that lets others see Jesus shine through him.
Dungy believes that is the reason he’s been given the gift of being a head coach in the NFL. It’s his platform on which to serve and glorify Christ, to demonstrate the Quiet Strength that can only come from God. He does it all, admirably.
by Tony Dungy
Published by Tyndale House Publishers (2008)
352 pages
Typically when one talks about their sports “heroes”, that hero is renowned for their extraordinary athleticism (think Torii Hunter making one of his Spiderman-like catches in centerfield). Conversely, the athlete often gains notoriety for their less than noble actions off the field. Usually the image we get of that athlete is one-dimensional. Tony Dungy is a man who beats the stereotype.
Dungy has earned a reputation, on and off the field, as being a man of integrity and honor: an African American head coach, the first to ever win a Super Bowl, a leader who encourages his players to always be at their best, especially when the game is over; a philanthropist involved with several charitable organizations; a family man who embodies what it means to be a loving father and devoted husband; a child of God who, in all things, puts God first. Even when interviewed on national television for the Lombardi Trophy Presentation, he credited God for bringing him and his team through the storm. “…we said this is going to be a storm, we said the Lord doesn’t always bring you directly through, sometimes you gotta work for it.”
While Quiet Strength is written about a head coach in the National Football League, it is not a book about football. Rather it is a story of Tony Dungy’s journey through life, about his parents who lived their faith, teaching their children to do the same. It’s about his time as a quarterback for the University of Minnesota Gophers, his brief stint in the NFL as a safety, his years as a defensive coach, his ascension to head coach of first the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and then to the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Indianapolis Colts. He writes about the temptations faced in the business, the challenge of finding time to be a proper husband and father, and the tragic death of his son. He talks about the discipline required to study the Bible every day (giving particular credit to the book of Nehemiah as being an excellent tool for leaders). He espouses the importance of keeping “winning” in the proper perspective citing, Matthew 16:26: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” He speaks of the challenge to remember that his life is perpetually in the spotlight. Everything he says and does is a reflection on his character; therefore he needs to live his life in a manner that lets others see Jesus shine through him.
Dungy believes that is the reason he’s been given the gift of being a head coach in the NFL. It’s his platform on which to serve and glorify Christ, to demonstrate the Quiet Strength that can only come from God. He does it all, admirably.
The Hiding Place
by Corrie ten Boom
The Hiding Place is the true story of Corrie ten Boom and her family who lived in the small village of Haarlem, Holland, just a thirty minute train ride from Amsterdam. In this book we see an ordinary family thrown into extraordinary circumstances, resulting in remarkable acts of heroism while enhancing an already strong faith in God. They are a family who simply lived their faith without flaunting it or pushing it on others and that is what drew others to them. When God required them to stretch their faith and help others, knowing the risks inherent in their actions, they did so without hesitation.
When Holland became occupied by the Germans during World War II, changes occurred gradually and, at first, were barely noticed at all. The fact that some people simply disappeared, literally overnight, seemed to be merely a footnote in people’s lives. Those who were not Jewish felt they had little to worry about. But bit by bit rights were removed from all citizens: phones were disconnected, all radios had to be turned in, food rations became smaller and less healthy and filling. Seemingly without warning, the seeping effects of evil had spread to everyone.
The ten Boom family had a choice. They could deny what was happening and ignore it, they could play it safe and ally themselves with the Nazis, or they could risk their lives to help those the Nazis wanted to eradicate. Becoming part of the underground wasn’t even a conscious choice. When a frightened Jewish person showed up at their door one day begging for sanctuary, it was offered without a second thought and before they knew it, their home had become a hiding place and a brief stop for many waiting for an opening at another "safe house".
The family knew the consequences of aiding runaways but they could not turn away the needy. Eventually they were caught and that is when we are given a glimpse into the horrors of imprisonment in a concentration camp. Yet, it is in the midst of these horrors that their already strong faith is further nurtured and strengthened.
Betsie ten Boom, the older sister of Corrie made, this statement while incarcerated at Ravensbruck, Germany: "[We] ... must tell people what we have learned here. We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still. They will listen to us, Corrie, because we have been there." Those words, full of hope, were spoken from a place that offered little hope. Those words exemplified her life and defined her character. She had always been physically weak but her spiritual strength was such that we should all aspire to. Even in the midst of the most terrifying and horrific moments in her life she found reasons to give thanks. Betsie encouraged Corrie to give thanks in all circumstances and she lived up to her words by giving thanks for overcrowding as many more would hear God’s word because of it. She even gave thanks for the fleas and the reader finds out later that even the infestation of fleas served a divine purpose.
It is not a book that one can read without feelings of disbelief and revulsion. It’s difficult for us to imagine that human beings could have been and can be so completely inhuman ... that it is so easy for the bystander to turn their head and pretend not to see what was and is happening. It is a book that removes the reader from their comfort zone and hopefully encourages us to see past ourselves to willingly serve God whatever the circumstances.
The Hiding Place is the true story of Corrie ten Boom and her family who lived in the small village of Haarlem, Holland, just a thirty minute train ride from Amsterdam. In this book we see an ordinary family thrown into extraordinary circumstances, resulting in remarkable acts of heroism while enhancing an already strong faith in God. They are a family who simply lived their faith without flaunting it or pushing it on others and that is what drew others to them. When God required them to stretch their faith and help others, knowing the risks inherent in their actions, they did so without hesitation.
When Holland became occupied by the Germans during World War II, changes occurred gradually and, at first, were barely noticed at all. The fact that some people simply disappeared, literally overnight, seemed to be merely a footnote in people’s lives. Those who were not Jewish felt they had little to worry about. But bit by bit rights were removed from all citizens: phones were disconnected, all radios had to be turned in, food rations became smaller and less healthy and filling. Seemingly without warning, the seeping effects of evil had spread to everyone.
The ten Boom family had a choice. They could deny what was happening and ignore it, they could play it safe and ally themselves with the Nazis, or they could risk their lives to help those the Nazis wanted to eradicate. Becoming part of the underground wasn’t even a conscious choice. When a frightened Jewish person showed up at their door one day begging for sanctuary, it was offered without a second thought and before they knew it, their home had become a hiding place and a brief stop for many waiting for an opening at another "safe house".
The family knew the consequences of aiding runaways but they could not turn away the needy. Eventually they were caught and that is when we are given a glimpse into the horrors of imprisonment in a concentration camp. Yet, it is in the midst of these horrors that their already strong faith is further nurtured and strengthened.
Betsie ten Boom, the older sister of Corrie made, this statement while incarcerated at Ravensbruck, Germany: "[We] ... must tell people what we have learned here. We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still. They will listen to us, Corrie, because we have been there." Those words, full of hope, were spoken from a place that offered little hope. Those words exemplified her life and defined her character. She had always been physically weak but her spiritual strength was such that we should all aspire to. Even in the midst of the most terrifying and horrific moments in her life she found reasons to give thanks. Betsie encouraged Corrie to give thanks in all circumstances and she lived up to her words by giving thanks for overcrowding as many more would hear God’s word because of it. She even gave thanks for the fleas and the reader finds out later that even the infestation of fleas served a divine purpose.
It is not a book that one can read without feelings of disbelief and revulsion. It’s difficult for us to imagine that human beings could have been and can be so completely inhuman ... that it is so easy for the bystander to turn their head and pretend not to see what was and is happening. It is a book that removes the reader from their comfort zone and hopefully encourages us to see past ourselves to willingly serve God whatever the circumstances.
A Table In The Presence
By Lt. Carey H. Cash
Chaplain serving with the U.S. Marines
The Dramatic Account of How a U.S. Marine Battalion
Experienced God’s Presence Amidst the Chaos of the War in Iraq
”Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…” (Psalm 23:4a)
And God truly was with the men of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment—the regiment which was the first to cross the Iraqi border during Operation Iraqi Freedom and, less than a month later, were met with an ambush in Baghdad that should have resulted in the slaughter of our troops. Their success in this mission was made possible only by divine intervention.
While this is a book that gives the reader a hard glimpse into the bleak reality of war, one that takes us into the desert with the soldiers; it is more about the hearts of the men fighting for our country, as seen through the eyes of Lt. Carey Cash. It is the real life story of how God is in all circumstances. It is the story of how we can find God even in the most horrific of situations—how God is ever-present.
Their journey begins in the desert of Kuwait where the soldiers were greeted with the following message: “Welcome to Kuwait. You are now within range of Iraqi Scud missiles.” Their mission had suddenly become all too real.
Yet, as we see demonstrated so frequently in the Bible, the desert has a way of breaking through the non-essential and the insignificant, forcing the men to focus on what was truly important in their lives, bringing God closer, preparing their hearts for what was to come. Lt. Cash describes it: “In tents, lying in fighting holes, sitting together over MREs, (Meal Ready to Eat) warming ourselves by the fire, questions abounded, coming from men who were searching for answers. Life, death, salvation, heaven, hell, forgiveness, broken relationships, learning to trust again: these were the issues first and foremost on their minds. Sweeping through the camp were a hunger for God and a hunger for spiritual resolution.” Their presence in Iraq not only becomes a fight for a nation’s freedom, but a quest for a freedom of hearts.
The desert also has a way of dispersing those doctrinal differences that encumber so many of our spiritual lives. There were no Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Catholics. Only men searching for God. Lt. Cash writes: “We Christians are sometimes the worst at “majoring in the minors,” embroiling ourselves in debates about minor theological points, focusing on peripheral matters of doctrine and practice that too easily divide us. But in the cramped cabins of those greasy AAVs, (Amphibious Assault Vehicles) it all seemed so clear. Men in need, humbly and with a childlike faith, were seeking a God who never fails to provide for His children.”
But the desert—a place where the sands were the sanctuary, the tailgate of a Humvee the altar which held the cross and communal elements, a place where 49 troops were baptized—is only the stage of preparation for the soldiers: preparation of the heart.
When they arrive in Baghdad, the importance of their mission’s success is all too evident. Poverty and squalor, beyond what we in America can imagine, stood right outside the gates of marbled presidential palaces. When the men offered food to the residents, it became a ‘survival of the fittest’ as the strongest, usually adult men, consumed the food without a thought to women and children. These oppressed, starving and abused people are also children of God, loved by God, people who deserved a chance at freedom.
But, unfortunately, freedom is not achieved without cost.
On April 10th, 2003, the men of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment began its trek through the streets of Baghdad on a mission to take the presidential palace. The trek led them into a nightmarish and seemingly unending ambush. Between the hours of 4:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. the American troops, nearly 1000-fold, fought against a continuous hail-storm of bullets and rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), but they pressed on to their goal, knowing that the tally of injuries and fatalities were mounting with each foot. A slaughter seemed eminent.
The numbers told a different story: 76 injuries, 1 fatality. Each soldier had a story to tell about their miraculous survival, that they should have been dead. The following is just one example of astonishing survival: “An enemy round had entered his helmet just above the top of his right ear. But as if its path were marked out in advance, the round had curved up and over his head, still underneath the Kevlar skin of the helmet, and finally lodged itself on the left side, about the same place where it had entered on the right.”
Stories abounded about how RPGs and bullets suddenly were flung in different directions away from the men, how the mere presence of a backpack on the side of an AAV saved the lives of twenty plus men, how Iraqi insurgents would point and run from an enemy our soldiers couldn’t see. Like Daniel in the lion’s den, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace, these men survived to tell the story of God’s intervention. God had been there shielding, protecting and defending, turning disbelieving soldiers into faithful followers.
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