Father Jack Hoak, former pastor at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in New Milford, is serving in the Navy Chaplain Corps in Iraq.
Posted on 12/30/2004 10:33:08 PM PST by saquin
[Editor’s Note: Father Jack Hoak was a priest at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in New Milford until this past summer, when he went to serve in Iraq. Father Jack has related the following story from the Iraqi war zone.]
I recently received an e-mail from a first lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps serving in the town of Fallujah. I’m on this person’s e-mail list. I’ve known the individual since I officiated at the couple’s wedding in Washington Depot, back in July 2004.
I was very moved by the story passed on to family and friends, and wish to repeat it, reflecting upon the sacrificial act of the Marine who gave his life for “a friend.”
Whether it was gut reaction and training or deeply motivating moral principles, an American peacekeeper thought more of the life of the Iraqi for whom he was trying to secure a country free of terrorism than of his own life. This truly exemplifies the caliber of the warriors sent to stamp out insurging agents of terror and fear.
What makes one of God’s own children lay down his life, for truly this was an act of Gospel dimension? It matters not how religious the Marine may have been in life, when the time came to think of another’s life as more significant than his own, he showed the depth of his love by making sure his Iraqi brother-in-arms was pushed to safety.
What follows now is that e-mail message: “Four wounded Iraqis came to our BAS (Battalion Aid Station) this week after suffering blast injuries from an RPG-7 (rocket propelled grenade).
One of them was in tears and kept saying: “He didn’t have to do that, why did he do that?” over and over. We brought in our Arabic translator to calm him down and he told his story.
He and the other Iraqis had been participating in a joint patrol through Fallujah with a Marine unit. As they walked along the streets, insurgents began to drop fragmentary grenades down on top of them from the rooftops. The coalition forces moved to the sides of the road to disperse and get away from the grenades.
As they approached the buildings that lined the streets, the buildings began to rumble and collapse. They had been rigged to explode. The Marines and Iraqis then ran back into the center of the road to avoid debris from the collapsing buildings.
Just then, an insurgent with an RPG jumped out from an alley ahead of them and fired his rocket straight at the Americans and Iraqis. One Marine saw the insurgent launch the rocket and shoved the Iraqi soldier he was talking to onto the ground and out of the way.
The Marine was killed when the RPG impacted him directly, while the Iraqi sustained minor injuries and blast wounds. The Marine had saved his life.
As you can imagine, the Iraqi soldier was distraught, and he couldn’t imagine why the American had shoved him to safety instead of diving away to save his own life. This is what warriors do for one another. It is a testament to me about the camaraderie that has developed between Americans and coalition forces and the Iraqis who fight by our side.
Warfare brings out the absolute worst, and the absolute best in human beings. Life is such a precious gift which God gives to us.
The Marine in this story, in a godlike response, by giving his life back to God, gave life to another of God’s children who went from being a stranger to him to a comrade-in-arms and perhaps even as a friend or as a brother.
I believe that the “absolute best” that is brought out by warfare doesn’t depend on skill but on those values so commonly uttered in speeches or invocations, which oftentimes are nothing but mere clichés thrown out to enhance a particular moment.
But true honor, true courage, and true commitment happened in the flash of an RPG. The Corps suffered a blow and a valuable loss, but for that questioning Iraqi, who now lives another day, and though he may not comprehend those values, such truths will forever resound in his being.
Oftentimes the media tends to glamorize and exploit an incident which can have a tendency to bring shame or dishonor on the efforts of the American warrior. Few are the times that a story such as the one above may even reach a back page or an “oh, by the way!” column. I can only hope that this one will reach many readers back home.
Warfare that brings out the worst falls upon, not only the ones who’ve made mistakes or misjudgments, but also upon those who’ve failed to enlighten the whole “out of pocket” world of the meritorious and exemplary conduct of a dedicated peacekeeper who selflessly lays down his life, because there is no greater love than this.
Good post, saquin. Beautiful story.
bump
God bless this fine Marine.
Inspiring story MLT. The chaplain has recorded an episode that does prove the penchant toward self-sacrifice that is so common in our military.
We have the "world's best" helping to protect our nation. They deserve our prayerful, vocal support directed at winning the war and overcoming the enemy.
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