Senior Chief said:Those guys were some of our real hero's.
i met Staff Sar Reign Blackburn of the US Army Rangers (ret) at a church function earlier this year. he was a drug user as an early teen but then was saved by the girl he loved at his church youth group events. this girl was also the reverend's daughter. they later got married and had a child.
he entered the military as a chaplain. while he was stationed in germany, he was away on a field op and he got word that his wife and child died in a car accident. after learning this, he snapped. he was mad at himself, at his life, and especially God. he quit being a chaplain and became a full blown ranger airborne where he saw action in bosnia, in iraq during the gulf war, and was one of the rangers at Somalia during the infamous Black Hawk Down story.
during this time, he was an animal. he had no cares, no worries, and no concience. during one of the battles he was in, he heard a PFC praying to God not to let him die. he yelled out, "God cant save you. only your rifle can save you. point your weapon and fire." he was one of those people who wished he would just die but for some reason he wouldnt. he was hit 3 times by gunfire, took shrapnel shards to the legs and arms, and was even hit by an AA round as he was parachuting. he has a dent in his chest that you can fit your fist in from the AA round. his heart has moved over in his chest and his rib cage was shattered. yet he lived. he begged to God to just let him die, but for some reason, he didnt. he left this military after awhile and since then has been on meds for his flashbacks and sleepwalking and all that stuff.
one day as he was walking around the beach, he heard a minister preaching on the boardwalk and he mentioned something that his wife told him before he accepted God into his life. (he didnt tell me what it was). right then he broke down into tears and went up to the preacher. since then he has worked with troubled youth in the area to help set them straight. he has recently moved to hawaii where they are expanding their program.
he finally realized why God didnt let him die. his mission wasnt accomplished yet.
i will forever remember this man.
One ANZAC day (A national remembrance day for all veterans here in Australia) A Corporal friend of mine was the last one out of a group of mates at a pub, this old soldier covered in medals came and sat down near him and they began talking. The guy had been to Korea and Vietnam, he also had a strange accent for an Australian soldier that my mate noticed. Towards the end of the night my mate asked him which medal means the most to him, the guy put his hand down his shirt a little and pulled out a red and black ribbon with an iron cross on it!
We use essential cookies to make this site work, and optional cookies to enhance your experience.