Dakota Meyer is a true hero. He was a Marine corporal in Afghanistan in 2009 when he and several others were pinned down under enemy fire for five hours. No help was coming for them. He was surrounded by men who had been shot so he made the dangerous decision to get them out if he could. One by one Dakota carried five men to a safer place. One was his lieutenant, Michael Johnson. Another was Gunnery Sgt. Edwin Johnson. A third was Staff Sgt. Aaron Kenefick. Still another was a Navy Corpsman, James Layton. A fifth was an un-named Afghan soldier they were training. All five of them were dead or died in the process. Dakota Meyer is receiving the Medal of Honor for his actions. It is well deserved. He did what he could.
It is heart-warming to note who they were: a commanding officer; a ranking enlisted Marine; a Navy corpsman; and even an Afghan soldier who he probably didn't know by name. It really didn't matter that much to Dakota Meyer. He did the best he could for each one, knowing if their bodies were abandoned the enemy would take them and no word would ever come to families of their whereabouts, or if they were dead or alive.
In a far different way for sure, there is a word to we who are "soldiers of the cross". Our loving hands should reach out to those who might be, as the Bible says, "dead in trespasses and sins".It is not our main job to feel their spiritual pulse or diagnose their injuries. We are simply to reach out with a plan to rescue them.
Are all our rescue efforts successful? Far from it. Many I shared the good news with died without being rescued. My responsibility was to offer safety, not to make it happen.
Those who work in Vacation Bible Schools and mission trips share with many who will never be rescued.....but some will be. You are still deserving of God's medal of honor.
