Shining in spite of the scars

I read an incredible article the other day about this soldier.

Spc. Logan Burnette

He was sitting in the back row of 30 seats on Nov. 5, waiting to see a doctor for a final review. Hurry up and wait. Just another day in the Army.

Out of nowhere he overheard {who we now know was} Major Nidal Hasan shout

"Allahu Akbar"

before he began firing on a building of unarmed soldiers and civilians.

In an attempt to thwart Hasan, Spc. Burnette stood up and threw a folding table at the shooter. In response, Hasan aimed at him and a bullet tore through his left hip,

his abdomen and upper and lower intestines.

Burnette took another bullet to his right hip. Which is still there to this day.

The article stated that Burnette didn't know if or where he was shot and tried to stand up.

More bullets came and he got hit in the left elbow, knuckle and pinky finger.

Burnette fell again and crawled to a nearby cubicle.

He continued to drag himself across the floor and finally made it to the front door

and low-crawled five meters up a hill to another building.

Burnette made it to the front door, and a staff sergeant – he wishes he could remember his name – grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into an office.

The staff sergeant locked the door and performed first aid.

Burnette could still hear gunshots exploding in the nearby building.

There were a lot of heroes that day, Burnette said after tearfully recounting

his experience to the Killeen Daily Herald.

"By no means did my actions take precedence over anyone else's", he said.

He even added matter-of-factly:

"There are a lot of heroes still in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Here's what really struck me about this incredible story...

When asked what his goals were, Spc. Logan Burnette replied,

"Recover and return to duty as soon as possible."

I am so struck by the profound sense of loyalty and duty

our men & women in uniform show each and every day

of their lives.

Let's remember to smile at them.

Let's remember to thank them.

Let's remember to find ways to honor them as the holiday season approaches.

And most importantly, let's remember to pray for them and their families.

This event was a violent reminder that none of us

gets to choose how we die in this world,

but we do get to choose how we live.