It was an event Eielson Air Force Base (Alaska) will never forget: a hangar full of airmen and soldiers getting to see President Bush up close while we hosted his refueling stop as he traveled to Asia on August 4, 2008. Air Force One landed at Eielson on time to the minute; however, when he left less than two hours later, the president was fifteen minutes behind schedule. Here’s why.
On December 10, 2006, our son, Shawn, was a paratrooper deployed on the outskirts of Baghdad. He was supposed to spend the night in camp, but when a fellow soldier became ill, Shawn volunteered to take his place on a nighttime patrol. As the turret gunner in the lead Humvee in the convoy, Shawn was in the most exposed position. He was killed instantly with two other soldiers when an IED ripped through their vehicle.
After the president’s speech, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a White House staff member. She asked me and my wife to come with her, because the president wanted to meet us.
Stunned, we grabbed our two sons that were with us and followed her back into an empty conference room. A short time later, the Secret Service opened the door and President Bush entered, walked up to my wife, pulled her in for a hug and a kiss, and said, “I wish I could heal the hole in your heart.” He then grabbed me for a hug, as well as each of our sons. Then he turned and said, “Everybody out.” Not even a Secret Service agent remained.
“Come on let’s sit down and talk,” he said. He slumped down in a chair, completely relaxed, smiled, and suddenly was no longer the president; he was just a guy with a job, sitting around talking with us like a family member at a barbeque. For the twenty minutes, he put everything and everyone on hold to meet with the family of a Private First Class who gave his life for his country. The President shared his private self with us in the process.
What an incredible lesson on service. We weren’t on the itinerary and Air Force One was late because of it. If the president of the United States is willing to drop everything on his plate to visit with a family, surely the rest of us can do it. No one is above serving another person, and no one is so lofty that he or she can’t treat others with dignity and respect.
Lord, show me where I fall short of showing others the respect they deserve.
“Show proper respect to everyone.” (1 Peter 2:17a)