On the goodness of America

Jim Agnew submitted this wonderful tribute to his late nephew.
This is a reminder of the caliber of the people who guard our freedoms and the true meaning of the word "patriot."

Please take a moment to read this and offer a prayer for those in harm's way on our behalf and those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our way of life. - SEW


A Tribute to Zach

On Monday, April 12, my niece, Sarah, received a call that all military spouses and family members dread. Her beloved husband, Ensign Zachary Eckhart, was missing as a result of a Navy plane crash in the mountains of northern Georgia. Navy officials told Sarah about 9:30 that night that Zach’s plane had crashed in rugged terrain. She learned that three servicemen were confirmed dead and one was missing.

As family members received the news, we prayed fervently and searched the internet for any information about the crash, all of us holding onto the remote chance that Zach, somehow, had survived.

Unfortunately, we learned the next day that all four aviators had perished in the T-39 aircraft based at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. Sarah, married for a scant 18 months to the love of her life, was devastated by the news.

Zach was an ensign in the United States Navy and he was nearing the end of his Naval Flight Officer training at Pensacola. From the time he was a little boy, Zach wanted to be a Navy flier like his dad, Brad, a retired navy commander. Zach knew what he wanted in life and pursued it aggressively. After high school, Zach enrolled at Virginia Tech where he majored in aerospace engineering and marched with the Highty-Tighties, the regimental band of the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech. He excelled in his studies and as a leader in the Corps. He also met a fine young lady named Sarah, whom he later married in a beautiful ceremony at the War Memorial Chapel along the drill field at Tech.

On that gorgeous southwest Virginia fall Saturday, I had the pleasure of witnessing the union of two very fine young people in a simple, yet majestic military wedding. I was struck by the camaraderie of their friends, those who had endured the rigors of the cadet corps. They proudly wore their uniforms, some still in the uncomfortable looking cadet dress blues and others, recently graduated, in the uniforms of all of our armed services. I was struck, too, by the memorial to the seven VA Tech graduates who had won the Medal of Honor, an enormous number from one school. There was no doubt in my mind that Zach would uphold the honor of the Corps of Cadets and the names of those seven men on the wall of the chapel.

On the following Friday, we gathered with Sarah again, this time at the base chapel in Pensacola to say goodbye to Zach and the other three men who perished on the T-39. Family members and friends from around the country; Navy, Marine and Air Force aviators; and all the members of Zach’s squadron gathered to honor the memories of these fine men and to give solace to one another. Retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charles McDaniel, Marine Capt. Jason Paynter, and Marine Lt. Shawn Nice also gave their lives in the accident.

Navy and Marine speakers at the memorial service reminded us that members of our armed forces are incredibly stoic about the dangers they face. While their mission is perilous, their job is to complete that mission despite the dangers, despite the arduous hours, despite the toll on family relationships, and despite the distance from home. The assembled family members were stoic too; at least until a formation of Navy jets flew over us as a bugler finished “Taps”. When one of the aircraft peeled off in the missing man formation, we gasped simultaneously, and most wept openly.

While I feel a deep and intense sadness over Zach’s death, I know that he understood and accepted the risks of defending us, and I am greatly encouraged about the future of our country. The men and women I met in Pensacola are the very best the United States has to offer. It was an honor to have been in the presence of such fine, dedicated, and highly motivated patriots, people who consistently put themselves in harm’s way to defend the freedoms that so many of us take for granted.

My heart grieves for Sarah and Zach’s family, but I am comforted that so many young American men and women are willing to serve us. They and their families deserve our unending prayers and our undying support and respect.