Wow

Today I experienced one of those moments. A wow moment. A moment of clarity where all of a sudden someone says the perfect thing and you just go "oh my gosh, wow." It happened in third period in the library. I sat and listened to veterans of the Vietnam War share their experiences in combat and how they felt and each of their own stories. What I got out of it though was so much more than war stories or a glimpse of history.

As I listened to the second veteran that spoke's story of battle I couldn't help but be moved. He showed the group his battle wound on his arm where he had been shot. That sight alone was enough to give me chills, let alone the stories he had to go with it. He shared a story about how he got one of his wounds, and how he had to watch several of the other men in his group die, right there in front of him. Someone asked how it felt, coming out of a war like that, with plenty of wounds but unlike so many others a full life ahead of him. "I don't feel guilty for the lives lost. I can't. To feel guilty about it would be to go against God's will. God had a plan for me- I should have died." Wow.

This really amazed me. I was sitting there listening to a man who had seen absolute horrors. The worst sights and experiences anyone could imagine, and after all that his belief in God and His plan was strengthened- reaffirmed. Wow. I feel like wars and tragedies and anything bad that happens immediately makes people question. Makes people doubt. And here is this veteran who came out of one of the worst wars in history with an even stronger assurance that God has a plan for him and that he knows he lived for a reason and a purpose. So cool.

Throughout all the speakers I was continually amazed at the amount of passion and dedication these men have to their country and to God. The really believe in what they did and what they fought for, and that is so inspiring to me.