We received some saddening news last night. One of our friends, US Army specialist Joshua Dingler was killed in Iraq this week. Joshua believed in the freedoms we enjoy in America, and he believed those freedoms were worth fighting for. I remember before he left for Iraq, he was excited to go and lend a hand in the freeing of the people of Iraq. My friend Randall Goodgame wrote the line “sometimes soldiers die setting people free / that’s more like Jesus than I’ll ever be”, and I’m just now really starting to appreciate that line.
So here, on this little spot on the internet, I make this post, hoping that all my fellow Americans who read this take a moment to think about the freedoms they have, the freedoms this man died protecting. This man, Joshua Dingler, is a real American hero, and I’m proud to have known him.
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i met Josh my freshman year in high school in JROTC. He was smiling (like always) and introduced himself to everyone. I spent three years under his command on the drill team and competition color guard. I grew to become fond of Josh, as he always had an encouraging word or a joke to lighten the mood during our competitions. we roomed together on one of our drill meets and we spent the night oiling our weapons and making sure our uniforms were in spec. after Josh graduated, i didn’t see him much. an occasion i’ll always remember was at target in hiram. he and kaitlyn were shopping and i happened to walk up on them. we said hello and caught up breifly, and, not wanting to break up their cherished time together when Josh could get home, i walked away… that was the last time i saw my war hero alive. we had always joked about going into the Marines and i teased Josh about joining the reserves. i ended up delaying my enlistment due to a lung condition and i will be joining the Marine in 2007. I only hope that i can touch half as many lifes as Josh did. We (the entire paulding county community) buried him the day before my 18th birthday. Josh brought me to christ in his death and I cannot wait to thank him for that as i am welcomed into the kingdom.