Director of Children's Ministries
Today is a national holiday in the United States. It is called Veteran’s Day and we honor all who have served in our military through the years on this day. For me, this holiday has always been very special because my Dad served in both the Coast Guard and the Army. He fought in two wars – The Korean War and the Vietnam War – to protect our liberty and the freedom that we cherish today. I want to tell you a story about my Dad, one that makes me smile every time I think of it.
I was in second grade the year my Dad served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. We kept a map of Vietnam on our refrigerator and would put little red flags where my Dad was stationed. Once he moved to a different area, we would move the red flag and replace it with a yellow one. Pretty soon the map was covered in yellow flags as his tour progressed. My brother and I would pray for him and name the places where he was, trying to imagine what it was like and hoping he knew how much we loved him and missed him.
One day we received the horrible news that my Dad’s helicopter had been shot down behind enemy lines. He was Missing in Action and no other information was available. For more than two weeks, we did not know my Dad’s whereabouts and did not know whether he was dead or alive. Can you imagine how hard that was for my Mom and my brother and myself? I prayed so hard that God would keep my Dad safe and bring him back home to us. We placed a little green flag on the map where he had been shot down. It was hard to trust God, but I did know deep down that God was in control and would be with me however it turned out.
While I was at school, my Mom received word that my Dad and those under his command had escaped – he was alive! They had eaten nothing for a week and had barely survived. Their first meal upon returning to their home base was a feast indeed!
Years later my Dad would relate some of this experience to me and I have never forgotten this one part:
“I never thought it was my time to die, but, if it was, I knew where I was going. If God chose to take me, I didn’t need to fear, because I was going to be in heaven with Him. I kept praying and asking God to show me the way of escape. He didn’t show me the whole map – just where I needed to put my feet that instant. I had to trust Him minute by minute. When we were rescued, I thanked God first and the helicopter pilot second!”
My Dad’s helicopter was shot down two more times and he made his way back to safety both times praying the entire time. I have never forgotten his perseverance in his prayers and his trusting God step by step. It has been an example to me in my daily life to do the same no matter the circumstances. Like my Dad, I have accepted Jesus as my personal savior so I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will be with him in Heaven when I die.
My Dad, Reino Oksa, died in January, 2010 at the age of 81. I will forever be proud of him. I miss him every single day.
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