When tragedy strikes

As many of you have heard, our squadron lost a C-17 this past week and all four crew members that were on board. This past week has been the longest and hardest emotional roller coaster I have been on and John for that matter. First there are the feelings of gratefulness when you come to the realization that it wasn't your husband that was on that plane, and then there is the overwhelming loss you feel when you realize it's your friend's husband who was. And as the calls come in asking, "Is everything alright?" your so thankful to say, "John's okay, he's flying tomorrow," yet you know that someone else does not get to say that, and you realize how easily that someone else could have been you. Through all this, I have learned that the Air Force truly does take care of it's people. And it's not the Air Force as an institution, but the people of the Air Force who take care of it's people.

As we move on from this tragic event, feeling a little more fragile and a little less invincible, we remember that our hope is not in the pilots, who like us are only human; our hope is not in the plane, which up until last Wednesday has never crashed; but our hope is in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Please keep the families of Capt. Jeffery Hill, Maj. Aaron Malone, Maj. Mike Freyholtz, and Sen. Master Sgt. Tom Cicardo in your prayers. All were husbands, all were fathers, and all served this country with strength and dignity. We are all proud of the legacy they leave behind.