Sara Horn spent her twenty-sixth birthday aboard the Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman off the coast of Iraq, among 5500 sailors and Marines waiting for a declaration of war by the Commander in Chief. On Sara’s birthday, March 19, 2003, they got it.
Though her husband Cliff was in the Navy Reserves, Sara saw herself more as a journalist than a military wife. Sara’s mission during her ten-day stay on board was to find and report stories for Baptist Press. She wasn’t disappointed. She met a fighter pilot who prayed for his leaders and clothed himself with the armor of God (Ephesians 6) along with his flight gear. She even witnessed the first baptism take place on board using a joint direct attack munitions (JDAM) crate filled with water. “This is normally used to end life, but we’re using it today for the beginning of life,” the chaplain had said.
In November 2003, Sara traveled to Baghdad to cover more stories for a book she wrote with Oliver North, A Greater Freedom. There she talked with an American sniper who, six hours after recommitting his life to Christ in Baghdad, encountered fire on a mission. While taking cover behind a metal gate, Sara recalled what the soldier had told her. “He distinctly felt God tell him, You’re not safe, you need to move. So he did. When the firefight was over, he went back to that gate. The sides were riddled with large bullet holes. But where his chest had been, there were thirteen dents. He told me, ‘I put myself in a place to die but God pulled me out.’”
The trips were life-changing for Sara. “Faith is so important in life and death situations,” she said. “God is all you have sometimes. And when it comes down to it, God is all we need. That trip was a real wake-up call for me.”
It was also the beginning of Sara’s call to minister to military families, especially through the written word. In addition to A Greater Freedom, Sara has written dozens of articles for military wives and authored the book, God Strong: A Military Wife’s Spiritual Survival Guide (Zondervan, 2010).
“War serves as a reminder that we need God,” said Sara. “A lot of people have forgotten that.”
Lord, remind me how much I need you; help me depend on you alone.
“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.” (Zephaniah 3:17a)