A Soldier’s Final Gift

This story came out last week, but I think it’s timeless. Definitely a good read.

Danielle Burkhart, a mother of three in a small town in western Tennessee, never met the man who helped give back an active, healthy life to her 13-year-old daughter, Jessica.

The man, Army Sgt. 1st Class Gregory S. Rogers, had given a wonderful gift to them — complete strangers.

She hoped one day to meet him and thank him in person.

It will never happen…

Read the entire story, the e-mail correspondence and view photos

The Story

The E-Mails

Photo gallery

Defending the persecuted is also an American ideal

UPDATE ON AFGHANI CHRISTIAN
Abdul Rahman's story spread like wildfire, even without his death. Countries all over the world demanded his release. The government gave in to the pressure, but Islamic fundamentalists in the country still threatened his life. He has found asylum in Italy.

I believe most Christians would agree that Rahman needed to be freed — we should never give up hope for the lives and safety of our persecuted family — but I think this is something worth thinking about from a strictly American perspective as well.

Our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution both declare that all men are created equal and have rights that cannot be taken away, among which are the rights to life and liberty.

Our Constitution even holds freedom of religion as a right free people are born with. We should ask ourselves, as Americans, can we pledge allegiance to a country that embodies these ideals and NOT stand up for this man? To write it off as, 'Well, that's THEIR law, and we shouldn't interefere,' is not just unChristian, it is unAmerican.

"We hold these truths to be SELF-EVIDENT (no defense or explanation is necessary) that all men are created equal with certain, UNALIENABLE (means transnational, no country can rightfully deprive a person of them) rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Proud to be an American