THE EXPLOSION
Sent shock waves through his body. The sound was absolutely deafening; The earth-shattering melody ripped his eardrums to pieces; he felt it through his entire being, and for but a brief moment, every ounce of his soul. And then it was over... the pain fleeting, swept away with the rush of adrenaline. Before he knew it, he was back on his feet, reaching for his gun. There was no time to rest now, no time to slow down. This was war, and in this moment, time lost meant life lost.
The thought came to mind of how odd it was he was not bleeding from the shrapnel, as he turned to his weapon, but he put it out of his head- no time to dwell on abnormalities and expectations. He had but one concern- the enemy was closing in. His brothers in arms needed him to stand again, to join in again the barrage of smoke and lead. So stand he did, his eyes desperate, scanning again for... his gun...
Seeing it tossed to the side of his body, he stretched for it, again that fleeting thought- why does everything seem so light, so surreal, so... quiet... but forcing such thoughts away, his hand finally reaching the barrel of his trusty firearm, flailing his hands in urgency as he tried to grip it. Anxiety suddenly made him pause, frustration in his limbs building. He could SEE his gun, but he could not TOUCH his gun. it was almost as though his hands didn't exist! Panic briefly rocketed through his brain, knowing any moment the harbinger of doom would peak over the horizon, muzzle flashing certain death...
Death.
And then, his eyes came to rest again on his body.
Lifeless.
Breath stolen from his lungs.
Blood soaked wounds illustrating the character of the man he was in life.
"Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends..."
Those were the words of Jesus. He remembered learning them so long ago in Sunday School back home. Home, a place he now realized he would not see again. Father and Mother, whom he would not embrace again. The woman he loved, whose eyes he would not gaze into again. For a moment, his heart shattered inside his ghostly shell, more powerful than the explosion that had taken his life. If he had eyes his tears would have steamed like rivers at the realization that shook his soul...
But only momentarily, as peace washed over him from above. Peace that showed him his life had purpose, his death not in vain, as the Divine brought to his mind the faces of his brothers spared from destruction by his own actions. Foresight flooded him as he saw the faces of his loved ones, sorrowful, yet safe. Hope overwhelmed him, as he saw the end of the battle, and the preservation of his people and his nation.
He looked down again at his lifeless body, understanding now the permanent condition of his sacrifice; and though his heart was heavy but for a moment, greater still was his reward- the reward of knowing that his love for his friends, for his family, his nation, would prevail and live on. And so he looked up, arms outstretched in one final gesture, leaving behind the broken shell in one final act that boldly proclaimed he would not have changed one thing in his last heroic seconds of his life, because
Greater love has no man than this...
And he loved well.
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to all who sacrificed everything so that we may live; may we learn to love like you.
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