"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." John Wesley
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
Good: “that can be relied on” Merriam-Webster
“I thought about [my job], what I would do before I bled out. That I would change the world in those three minutes, I’d do everything I could to get my guys out safely before I died.” That was Staff Sergeant Robert Gutierrez' response when he was asked by Michael Auslin, of Fox News, what he thought about after realizing he would probably die. It was during a seven hour firefight in Afghanistan when Sgt Gutierrez, an Air Force combat controller, was shot in the chest. Despite entry and exit wounds the size of a baseball, multiple broken ribs, and a collapsing lung, Sgt Gutierrez refused to leave the fight. Only after he lost the ability to breath effectively did he call a medic for help. When the medic tried to remove his vest, Sgt Gutierrez resisted, realizing that he was the groups only chance of survival, and insisted on keeping his vest on so that he would be able to communicate with the aircraft he was using to call in ground strikes on their enemy. As a result, without any anesthetic, the medic had to inject a seven inch syringe into his side and into his lung to re-inflate it. Meanwhile, the Taliban fighters fought to within 10 yards of their position. Sgt Gutierrez knew he had to do something to get the others to safety. As he faded in and out of consciousness, he simultaneously directed A-10 gun strikes on the Taliban fighters, called in air rescue support for his companions, and directed the others where to be picked up. The gun strikes he called in were so closed that they blew out his own eardrums, but after three passes, they successfully silenced the Taliban fighters. After that, Sgt Gutierrez suffered another collapsed lung and finally passed out. He had lost half the blood in his body, but was rescued in time for his life to be saved. As a result of Sgt Gutierrez' actions that day, no Americans lost their lives. I think it's safe to say, most of us would have given up and sought rescue after being shot, but Sgt Gutierrez disregarded his own life for the sake of others. Fully expecting to die, he sought medical attention, not to save his life, but to extend it long enough to save the lives of the others. Let's be thankful there are people in this world like Sgt Gutierrez, who are ready and willing to die for the sake of others. He exemplified the US Air Force Core Values of, “Integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.” We may never be called to give our life, but we all have the ability to live to the standards of those core values. I challenge us all to start right now.
Daily Journaling Questions:
How did I help someone today?
What act of kindness did I perform today?
What did I learn today?
Who did I love today?
What about today do I want to remember forever?
What are my goals for tomorrow?
This message was written referencing articles about Sgt Gutierrez by the Air Force Times and Fox News. As always, thank you for reading.
Jake
