66. The approximate number of Coalition fatalities since I have arrived, 56 of whom came from the United States. These numbers are substantially lower than in previous years, through the number of suicide attacks is at its highest point of the conflict. Our enthusiasm for the lower number of fatalities must be tempered by the fact that each soldier had his own story, his own place at the family table. Every week that I have been here, two soldiers have died and two seats have gone empty. The numbers can be found at http://icasualties.org/oef/.
3. The number of soldiers who ran the final race I coordinated this morning in the bitter cold (myself included). Also the number of minimum pull-ups required of female Marines, of which less than half could actually attain that minimum this past year...so they suspended the standard. Of the three of us who ran today, one was an Army chaplain, another one an Australian NCO, and finally...you guessed it...a female Marine. In between each lap, we did either 20 push-ups, 15 sit-ups, or 8 pull-ups. The female Marine did great. The Marine Corps believes that safety dictates being able to do at least three pull-ups--to scale a wall, climb a rope, carry ammo cans, etc. My teammate here could easily meet that standard. As for the rest--they should be suspended, not the standard. Men and women should become stronger to join our nation's military; our military should not be made weaker to accommodate those who cannot keep their battle buddies safe.
9. The number of months that my son will have enjoyed outside of the womb by the time I return. I was there for about four weeks of the first nine months. He can Army-crawl faster than Face Time can keep up, has learned the Charlie Brown-grin that I bore when I ran into a wall as a little kid, becomes more clever and keen at problem-solving by the day, and can stand while holding something for indefinite periods of time. About the time he starts to run, I should be there to catch him. May the time that soldiers lost with their families be added to the lives of their children, for whom they served.
17. The years elapsed since I finally bent the knee to the Lord who reigns over me, by His grace alone. In that time, a number of friends and many more admired acquaintances have died. Yet, unlike so much else, this period of time cannot really be quantified. No collection of numbers can alter the only equation that matters: Jesus=life. What incredible love it is, that God would send His own Son to live perfectly amidst the cruelties of this world and then die in my place. What did I do to deserve this? Nothing. The only appropriate response is gratitude.
God's servant, Zechariah, put it this way: On that day the LORD their God will save them, as the flock of his people; for like jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty! (9:16-17)
5. The number of years I will have been married to my precious wife, within a few months of my redeployment. She planned a wedding across country while holding down four jobs while I left her for three months of initial Army chaplain training. In our first year of marriage, she would wake up well before dawn to start work at Starbucks, then pine for me as I worked late into the night at Books-a-Million. She helped me finally choose the ministry over politics and added encouragement and conviction to every other decision made--from denominations to work balance to children. After our trip to Malawi, she endured a family crisis while I was training with the Army in California. We got pregnant soon after and then passed through an incredibly scary surgery that place both her and our unborn son at risk. She cried when she realized she would lose me for the first year of our son's life, but drew upon the strength that only God can give to persevere. I can hope for 50 more years, but am truly content and at peace with the gift of these first five.
If anyone would like to support a charity in honor of CPT Dave Lyon, the information can be found here: http://daveanddana.weebly.com/updates.html
