Dec10
I am humbled by this man
A military jet crashed into a San Diego house yesterday. I saw the headline but had not yet read the article. I wish I had because I would have read about this man, Dong Yun Yoon. He lost everything that was important to him when that jet crashed into his house. He lost his wife, his 15 month old daughter, his 2 month old daughter, and is mother-in-law. Yet he refuses to blame the pilot or the military for this tragedy. I am humbled by this man’s forgiveness:
A Korean immigrant who lost his wife, two children and mother-in-law when a Marine Corps jet slammed into the family’s house said Tuesday he did not blame the pilot, who ejected and survived.
“Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident,” a distraught Dong Yun Yoon told reporters gathered near the site of Monday’s crash of an F/A-18D jet in San Diego’s University City community.
“He is one of our treasures for the country,” Yoon said in accented English punctuated by long pauses while he tried to maintain his composure.
“I don’t blame him. I don’t have any hard feelings. I know he did everything he could,” said Yoon, flanked by members of San Diego’s Korean community, relatives and members from the family’s church.
Authorities said four people died when the jet crashed into the Yoon family’s house while the pilot was trying to reach nearby Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Another unoccupied house also was destroyed.
Yoon named the victims as his infant daughter Rachel, who was born less than two months ago; his 15-month-old daughter Grace; his wife, Young Mi Yoon, 36; and her 60-year-old mother, Suk Im Kim, who he said had come to the United States from Korea recently to help take care of the children.
Fighting back tears, he said of his daughters: “I cannot believe that they are not here right now.”
“I know there are many people who have experienced more terrible things,” Yoon said. “But, please, tell me how to do it. I don’t know what to do.”
I want to reach out to his man and help him but I am at a loss. How do I help? At this point, all I know to do is to pray for him that he finds peace in this horrific loss. I would imagine this would be an awful, faith destroying loss to some. But to Don Yun Yoon, his faith appears to be his his rock and instead of asking us to pray for him, he’s asking us to pray for the pilot, for Yoon fears he will be destroyed by the loss of innocent human life that resulted from his jet slamming into Yoon’s house.
As a mother to three blessings in my life, would I have the same strength as Yoon to face a loss as staggering as this? Would I have the grace to think of the pilot’s suffering and not my own? I don’t know. I just don’t know how I would react.
Michelle Malkin writes that this is what patriotism looks like. She is right. But this is what faith, forgiveness, love, and humility look like as well. May God bless and be with this man.
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NO Politics: I Prey for this Man, I prey that God will hold him in his loving arms, And help him threw this terrible tragedy. I honer him’ for his concern for the pilot’ whom I am sure’ is suffering deeply, From my on experience’ I know he will never be able to come to terms with his self guilt. I hope that’ the pilot and Mr. Yoon can together’ find some comfort, from the pain’ they will suffer together.
My heart aches for this man and I, too, am humbled by his reaction. I agree that this is more than patriotism. This is faith in action…a faith that God is bigger than any of our most awful circumstances, and can bring hope back to a life staggered by loss. I saw a video of this news conference and it was so heartbreaking. I will be praying for him – and for the pilot – who is no doubt drowning in guilt.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I saw the pictures of this horrible accident on TV yesterday and thought, “huh, the pilot survived…” Didn’t really give it any thought past that, but this has opened my eyes. This is genuine faith; I feel humbled as well. Man… It’s so encouraging to see the impact having God in one’s life can have on their spirit.