Day 11:: A Life That Ended Too Soon

They were not together more than a few weeks, nevertheless, it felt like they had know each other for years.  My brother's unit combined with another unit and the crew chiefs were flying on the same Black Hawk.  On this particular day, however, they were on two different birds.  The wind in the Middle East commonly whipped up without notice, and the helicopters weighing so little, were taken into the subjection of the gust.  My brother's helicopter made it out without to scratch, but the other was not so fortunate.  Along with varying degrees of injuries, the full helicopter suffered a couple of casualties.  Cote was one of them.  

In his early 20's, Cote had recently had a baby that he had not yet met.  They were just a couple of weeks away from returning from their deployment.  This was a very great loss for my brother and the men that had the privilege of serving alongside him.  

My brother had the opportunity to share about his time with this young man at our church.  He mentioned the rapport that the two men built in such a short period of time.  He also mentioned that he was not certain of what he shared with Cote, whether or not he was able talk to him about eternal things.  He could never have imagined how brief the time would be with his friend.

This year marked 5 years since his passing.  We thank him for his service to our country and pray his family.  May his life inspire us to share that blessed message with those around us. 

...whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

 James 4:14 

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