07/24/2007

In case you are wondering, this is what Nick and I do on date night. I'm the person in the orange suit. Yeah, right! I would have to be offered an incredible amount of money or have my life be otherwise endangered to be persuaded to jump out of a helicopter or plane. But, the good news is, I've never had to do so. I'm grateful. My brother Kyle, however, is signing up for this sort of thing. He officially swears into the Navy's Special Operations (Search and Rescue) on Thursday. Friday he is taken to the Great Lakes Naval training facility for 7-8 weeks of 'boot camp'. After that he will begin special forces training in Pensacola Florida. Kyle enters the Navy Special Forces as an E-2, which, for those of us not up-to-date on our military-speak, means that he is slightly more 'elite' or 'advanced' than most new recruits. He had to take various tests to prove himself at E-2 status, but this will save him some headaches and hassles during boot camp. So, what is this SAR (search and rescue), anyway? They are...as the joke goes...the guys who go rescue the Marines when they've gotten in over their heads. The fewer...the prouder...the SAR! The above picture is actually a SAR unit...not Nick and me. Surprise! And this blog is about what they do!

The next picture shows the type of operation that SAR forces might be involved in: rescue post-natural disaster. Although this is not the primary purpose of the Navy's search and rescue, they are occasionally called to assist in these types of circumstances. This sort of involvement is more likely to be shared with the public than the SAR's more typical covert missions. The secret kind. The dangerous kind. The kind where the test is simply pass or fail (which I suppose is at least more clear-cut.) The kind where your family doesn't know where you're going...because they don't even know you left. The kind they don't write about in the NY Times...at least not until it is OVER! But, anyways, the picture below is SAR involved in a disaster of some kind in Pakistan.

And, of course, being in the Navy implies water. The SAR also has divers. I don't know if everyone learns to be an expert in this area or if there are just a few specific divers, but here they are: Thumbs up! Ready to go!
Oh, and since they are a combat unit, they have more than just your typical Red Cross supplies on board their aircraft. They are often flying in and out of combat zones...fighting their way in and out, that is. They are trained in militant skills just like all other forces. With SAR, the actual rescue often isn't the difficult part...it can be the approach and exit that hold the most challenge.
I think this is 'beautiful' in a way. Working together. Supporting each other. When I pray for Kyle and his time in the Navy, I often think of those other, unknown soldiers on the rope. The unknown soldier in the cockpit. The soldier, possibly using a gun, who is protecting MY soldier. I hope that Kyle trains hard, learns to be one of the best at what he does, and lives to be an old man sharing stories of his Navy days. I pray the same thing for those soldiers who will stand with him...looking down on the same landscape...facing the same enemy...sharing common danger and showing selfless courage. May they learn something about Jesus and the enemy He defeated as they walk this road together. If Jesus commands the hearts in the SAR, then they have already found victory in wars yet to be fought. I'm proud of you, Kyle! I'm worried for you. A big chunk of my heart is joining the Navy.