Here is a paraphrase of my moral update/thought for the day that I delivered at our weekly command briefing, consisting of about 15-20 soldiers.
Good Morning, Sir, Sergeant Major, and Staff.
This week a number of our soldiers were affected by the loss of CPT David Lyon in the VBIED attack nearby. A number of us either knew David directly, or knew his wife, CPT Dana Lyon, who served here at Camp Phoenix.
In a time like this, soldiers become profoundly aware of their mortality and the fact that we all must come to terms with death. In general, our culture flees from this concept of mortality, but as soldiers, we do not have that luxury. As with this past week, we often come face-to-face with our mortality.
But it is not enough to come to terms with our mortality, but to confront it.
I met David Lyon this past August, and learned that he had become a Christian as a young adult. He firmly believed that in this life and the one to come, he belonged to Jesus Christ. This knowledge brought him both hope and comfort.
His wife, Dana, shares this faith, and that has sustained her in this past week of hell, which included accompanying the body of her husband back to the States. She believes that David now resides with his Lord and Savior in Heaven. Through her constant posts, she testifies to her faith in Christ and provides as much comfort to others as she receives.
Both David and Dana were enabled to confront mortality. They asked deep questions and sought satisfying solutions. The answers they received enabled them to confront mortality, and we should follow in their footsteps.
We must not merely come to terms with mortality, but confront it. We must ask the questions and seek the solutions that will provide the truth by which we can have hope in the face of such tragedies. And more than ever, we are reminded to do this in light of what happened this past week.
That is my thought of the day, sir. Pending your questions...
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