After the Dogfight Forgiveness Heals

The irony of war is that enemies can eventually be tight friends. If there is a moral lesson to be had, then it is this: forgiveness heals all wounds.

In April 1972 the war in Vietnam was still raging – not just on the ground, but also in the air. On the morning of the 15th Dan Cherry of the United States Air Force was flying a F-4 combat jet over enemy territory near the city of Hanoi. He spotted a Soviet-made MiG jet and obtained a full system lock-on. He fired a missile, which in a moment successfully hit the target, blasting the right wing. As the enemy plane went down the pilot ejected. Dan Cherry had to steer his jet away from the parachute.

A red victory star was placed on Dan's jet to represent the successful downing of the enemy.

Skip thirty-two years later. In 2004 Dan Cherry paid a visit to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. On display was his old F-4 jet, complete with its red victory star. As Dan stared at his old airplane, his brain was flooded with memories. He began to wonder about the fate of the enemy pilot attached to the parachute.

What happened next is best told by Dan Cherry himself. Below is a CBS News report:

Watch CBS Videos Online

This amazing reunion story with Hong My is NOT finished. Here is Part-II:

Watch CBS Videos Online

For a very well-written full report of this pilot reunion, see the Smithsonian's Air and Space Magazine (May 1, 2009): "Above and Beyond: My Enemy, My Friend"

Dan Cherry has published a recent book about this reunion experience entitled, My Enemy, My Friend.

*****Devotional Thoughts*****

Seldom do we encounter stories where enemy soldiers have the opportunity to befriend each other. The story of Dan Cherry and Hong My is a great applied example of the ideals taught by such religious leaders as Mahatma Gandi and Jesus:

It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business.
Mahatma Gandhi

Matthew 5:44
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

In LDS scripture we are taught:

D&C 64:9-10
9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.

10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.

The atonement of Jesus was designed to forgive everyone. In a way, when we fail to forgive others we have repudiated the effectiveness and infinite nature of the atonement.

Life has its vicissitudes. Occasionally, we may fall into our own version of a dogfight. Even when occasional, such fights are often damaging. We are saved by grace when we actively remember that forgiveness heals.

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Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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