I just wanted to take a minute here on the blog to remember Joshua Dingler.  Today marks the 3rd year anniversary of the day Joshua was killed while fighting for freedom in Iraq.

We remember him often.  May we never forget.

Today was a great holiday.  We got up and went with some friends to Baldino’s in Marietta for lunch.  It seemed appropriate to have the #25 “American Army” which is one of the top 2 sandwiches I’ve ever eaten.  (The other is #24, the “Italian Battalion”)

Then we made a trip through Harry’s.  It was my first time through Harry’s, and I was pretty impressed.  It’s one of those supermarkets for hippies and tree huggers, but I did enjoy it.  And we got some really good fresh produce.

Then this afternoon I mowed about 80% of the lawn, grilled some chicken, played games with the kids and just enjoyed the evening off from our regular routine.  Now the kids are in bed, the fireworks outside are lighting up the sky, and this fine Independence Day is winding down.

On a day like this, when we’re free to do so many things (and free from so many things), it’s hard not to remember the brave folks who died to make days like this possible.  One of those fine men was our 19 year old friend Joshua Dingler, who made the ultimate sacrifice while defending freedom in 2005.  May we never forget the price paid for the freedom that we enjoy.

I am probably the last person you would ever expect to make a post about the newest Karen Kingsbury book. My wife is a big fan, but other than hearing the name a few times, I didn’t really know much about Karen Kingsbury until recently.

Many of you will remember reading my posts about how our good friend Joshua Dingler gave his life serving our country. This past Wednesday I found out that Kingsbury’s latest release, Ever After, is dedicated to Joshua’s memory.

From what I’ve been told, the character in the book is a lot like Joshua - even down to some smaller details. That’s even more interesting when you learn that the book was (mostly) written before Karen learned of Joshua. Go buy a copy of Karen’s book. It’s available pretty much anywhere. My wife said it was really, really good.

I’m thrilled that there are people like Karen Kingsbury who are helping to keep the memory of our 19 year-old friend alive. She has set up an online memorial for fallen heroes here. My posts about Joshua are here.

Be thankful for what you have, and be grateful for those who gave it to you.

It was one year ago today that our friend Joshua went home. I still think about him often. My life is different now.

I was driving home from South Carolina on Sunday, and some words of Sandra McCracken’s song “Age After Age” stood out to me:

First, the chorus:

Age after age
of heroes and soldiers
it gives me sight and makes me brave,
standing on their shoulders

And also this verse:

To the ones left behind who are picking up the pieces
of planes, bombs, and buildings of innocence and evil
‘Cause when the news and noise and flowers die,
and you still wake up alone
There is a God who knows every tear you cry
and this world is on His shoulders

This morning I spent time with my son not once fearing that anyone would force their way into our home. I worked in a yard that, for the past 3 years, I have called my own. Never in the 3 years I’ve been here have I been concerned that someone would try to forcibly take my house. I bought supplies at a Home Depot and didn’t have to wonder if the guy next to me in line was wearing a bomb. I bought groceries in a store where I wasn’t ridiculed and singled out because of my race or religion. I spent time with friends over cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and baked beans. We never feared an air raid from US enemies.

A lot of “Monday” holidays are (I’m convinced) just an excuse for government offices and banks to have a 3-day weekend. Memorial Day, however, is a good one.

Today when I was moving rocks around my back yard, I thought about what Memorial Day has always meant to me. I’m sad to say that it always hasn’t been more than a brief showing of appreciation to a few living veterans followed by a day of not working. All the veterans I had ever known were old and couldn’t fit into their military uniform if their lives depended on it (Hi, Reed), so I never had experienced first-hand the sacrifice these soldiers (and their families/friends) make.

All of that changed in August when our friend Joshua Dingler was killed in Iraq. Now the face of that 19 year-old kid has become, in my mind, the face of the good people who gave their lives for all that freedom I enjoyed today. May we never take that freedom for granted.

Randall Goodgame wrote (speaking of a pair of camo pants he bought at a thrift store):

I said they’ll never fit me, and I guess they never will.
I ain’t never cleaned a gun; I’ll never take any hill.
Sometimes soldiers die setting people free.
That’s more like Jesus than I’ll ever be.

To all of you folks who might be reading this that ever served our great country, I thank you. And to all the families who weep a little harder on Memorial Day as they remember their family members, know that this free citizen has learned to truly be grateful for your family’s committment to this country. I will gladly remember the men and women who died to make and keep this land free, whether it be just another day of working in the yard or the last Monday in May.

The AJC (usually not worth the paper it’s printed on) has a nice memorial for some of Georgia’s fallen soldiers, including family friend Spc. Joshua Dingler.

The tribute is here. You’ll have to register to get the content.  (sorry…I couldn’t find a way around the registration, but if you put in bogus info, it will work).

Today we said a final farewell to our hero soldier. Yesterday we saw him one last time at the funeral home, and hugged on his family again. We were doing ok until Josh’s mom told us that he kept a picture of himself with our son Brett in his locker. I don’t know if this is the same picture, but it’s a good one:

The service today was an emotional one. It started with slideshow images of Josh, friends, and family. There was singing, crying, rejoicing, crying, preaching, crying, and some more crying. Fox 5 of Atlanta was there; kudos to them for showing up and broadcasting it on the 10:00 news in a way that was honoring to Joshua.

I held together pretty well. I’m not usually an overly-emotional person anyway. I was straight-faced on the outside, but I was crying like a baby on the inside. It wasn’t until the 21 gun salute at the grave site that I really broke down. Then the reading of awards and presenting them to his parents really got me, too.

This was the first military funeral I’ve attended. Even more than that, it was the first I’ve attended for a man who gave his life in combat. It was humbling to watch grown men break into tears, hands over their hearts, as that flag-covered coffin was rolled down the church aisle.

I’ve done a lot of thinking this week. My friends, the Dingler family, have been in the forefront of my mind for the better part of the past 6 days. I’ve known their son, Joshua Dingler, for about 3 years now. When we moved to the Atlanta area, one of the first families we got to know was the Dingler family. They treat and love my family like their own, and they mean a lot to me.

Joshua was about 16 when I first got to know him. We worked together some in church activities, and I got to know him more as I was moving into the sound booth at church. Joshua was always willing to help a friend. I remember one time he helped me move a desk. I don’t even remember why I had to move it, but I remember him going out of his way to be available to lend a hand. He always wanted to help.

I suppose that his servant’s heart and his approach to life is what led him to join the Army. He wanted to help the people of Iraq. Joshua went to Iraq this summer, not as a soldier with orders, but as an American excited about lending a hand in the freeing of a nation.

This week Joshua gave his life for that freedom. He is a hero to America for the freedoms he was protecting, and he is a hero to the people in Iraq for the freedoms he was fighting to give.

Dealing with this loss of a friend has been hard for me. I don’t really feel bad for Joshua; he’s in a much better place and in much better company. My heart breaks for his parents and his brother because of the times they are going through. And the hard part in dealing with this is that I’m not sure what to do about it. I talked to Tommy (Joshua’s dad) the other day and felt like an idiot because I didn’t have anything to say. I just said that we were praying for them, and that I’m available if they need me for anything. Anything more than that just seemed too trite to say.

I think about my life between May and August, and how much it hasn’t changed. This week, when I go to the funeral home to see Joshua’s family, and then when I go to the funeral, I’ll pay a well deserved “thank you” to a fallen hero, and I’ll say a painful farewell to a friend. And I’ll make myself available to a family of friends whose lives are forever changed. The more I think about this, the more speechless it leaves me…their lives are changed forever because Joshua was willing to pay the ultimate price so that my life wouldn’t change. That sounds like the Gospel to me.

Thanks, Joshua.

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.