The Longest Day
I started this post about 8 hours ago. I wrote about 500 words talking about how horrible my week was last week and how everything hit the fan on Thursday, which felt like the longest day ever.
I was almost finished with the post when I got distracted by fighting children and had to run upstairs for a few minutes. When I came back down, Matt was on the computer and talking to his brother.
It is now 10pm and in the hours that I was away, it become abundantly clear to me that the things that seemed so stressful last week are a mere drop in the bucket compared to the trials that lay ahead for a soldier I just returned from visiting.
His name is Matthew and he survived an IED blast in Afghanistan a few days ago. He lost his foot and sustained injuries to his other leg. He was flown to Landstuhl for surgery and he will continue on to Texas tomorrow to begin his recovery process at a military hospital there. He is a Wounded Warrior. A hero. A survivor. And it was a complete honor to meet him today.
Matthew is a friend of Matt's brother, and when Gray heard he was going to be treated here in Germany he asked if we could visit him. We were prepared for the worse and so relieved that Matthew is doing so well.
Words cannot describe our time with Matthew. It was humbling. In the time we had with him he talked about staying in the Army, going back to Afghanistan, and he was worried about where his platoon was and how they were doing. He was still a little bloody and dirty from the blast and he was already thinking about how to get back with his team.
Self-less service. Duty. Honor. Sacrifice.
We had a chance to pray with him, for his recovery and thanking God for protecting him and we were so happy to learn that he is stationed in Fort Lewis. After he finishes his recovery in Texas he will return to Fort Lewis for at least a short period of time. He said he would come over for dinner. I do hope to see him there in a few months.
Praying for his recovery, physically, emotionally, and mentally.
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