Independence Day: What we can Learn from an American Eagle and a Liberating Warrior - The Warrior's Journey®
Patriotism

Independence Day: What we can Learn from an American Eagle and a Liberating Warrior

Author: The Warrior's Journey Team, Team

Freedom Horns. Photo by Marines is licensed under CC By 2.0

Independence Day has been celebrated in the United States for more than 200 years.

Sgt. Caleb Sims, with the Marine Corps Base Quantico Ceremonial Platoon Color Guard, presents arms during the opening ceremony of the Healthy Lifestyle Expo at the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center, May 16, 2014. The Expo was the beginning of this weekend's Marine Corps Historic Half events.As Americans, we highly prize freedom, not only for ourselves but for everyone, everywhere. We understand that the freedoms we enjoy were fought for and won by countless warriors who bravely battled not only for themselves but for all of us. It’s no wonder that the July 4th holiday has taken on a larger than life status in America.

When an American comes across a captive, any captive, we instinctively want to liberate them. That was true of Jason Galvin, a two-tour Afghanistan Army veteran who encountered a most unexpected captive while on a 4 of July weekend bait run last year. The captive wasn’t human; it was a young American Eagle, caught upside down on a rope high in a tree.

The narrow branch that held him was far too high to attempt an ordinary rescue. According to Galvin’s wife Jackie, local authorities were aware of the situation but had no idea how to free the bird. “They just couldn’t get up there high enough and they just unfortunately deemed this was going to be a loss,” she said.

Finally, local authorities authorized Galvin to do something a bit out of the ordinary because of his experience as a warrior. Using a Ruger 10-22 rifle, Galvin systematically cleared a path below the eagle before cutting the branch with a final shot. In all, he expended 150 rounds.

Lower branches on the white pine and extensive undergrowth beneath provided a soft landing for the symbolic bird. At last report, the eagle was rapidly recovering at the University of Minnesota Raptor Center.

“(It was the) Fourth of July, you know, that’s our bird. I can’t let it sit there.”

“It was very windy and I was just waiting for the right shot,” said Galvin. “It was a good weekend for it to happen,” Galvin said.  “Fourth of July, you know, that’s our bird. I can’t let it sit there.”  Although it might have been an inconvenience, Galvin never thought twice about his effort. “It was slow precise shots. When it was perfect, I’d take the shot and then I’d wait, take the other shot.”

Later, Phil Mohs of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said, “He told me he was a veteran in the service and he wouldn’t do it if he couldn’t do it safely,” Although unorthodox, they gave Galvin the go-ahead to start shooting, because they knew the eagle would die in the tree if left captive.

Mohs watched Galvin’s progress through a pair of binoculars.  “I was like, wow, he’s an excellent shot.”

The Galvins have dubbed the bird “Freedom” and hope it will once again find its home in the area. “There was a lot of tears,” Galvin said. “When it finally came down, it was breathtaking.  It was a beautiful moment.”

RUSH CITY, Minn. - A army veteran of two tours in Afghanistan has again picked up a weapon on behalf of freedom. On Thursday Jason Galvin took shots from a .22 caliber rifle to free an eagle that had become tangled in a rope, hanging upside down from a tree 75 feet off the ground. “It was very windy and I was just waiting for the right shot,” said Galvin who spent 90 minutes firing roughly 150 shots while mowing down three branches, and finally the rope, holding up the eagle. Other branches on the white pine and the underbrush below helped break the eagle’s fall. The bird is now recovering at the University of Minnesota Raptor Center. “It was a good weekend for it to happen,” Galvin said. “Fourth of July, you know, that’s our bird. I can’t let it sit there.” Galvin was on a bait run in his pickup, when he spotted the bird above a gravel road about a mile from his family's cabin, upside down and struggling. By then the eagle had already been hanging more than two days, as neighbors called the Minnesota DNR and the Rush City police and fire departments, only to be told there was nothing the agencies could do. Galvin's wife Jackie began making calls too, with similar results. "They just couldn’t get up there high enough and they just unfortunately deemed this was going to be a loss." "Right then I thought, 'Man, that just doesn’t look good.'" Jason Galvin said. As he assessed the situation Galvin joked that he might have to shoot the eagle down. His wife responded in a more serious tone. "Yup, that's what you're going to do." Before pulling the trigger, Jason Galvin cleared his idea with Phil Mohs, a conservation officer with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. "He told me he was a veteran in the service and he wouldn’t do it if he couldn’t do it safely," said Mohs, who gave Galvin the go-ahead to start shooting, already having concluded the eagle would die in the tree if left alone. Mohs watched Galvin's progress through a pair of binoculars. "I was like, wow, he’s an excellent shot." Each time he fired, Galvin said he could see through the rifle scope the eagle staring back at him. "It was slow precise shots. When it was perfect, I’d take the shot and then I’d wait, take the other shot." . Once the rope was severed and the bird had safely fallen, Mohs placed it in a kennel and started the drive to the Raptor Center. "It rode in the front seat with me and the whole time his head was up and he was alert. It looked good considering it had been hanging there for two days," the conservation officer said. As of Friday evening, a raptor center veterinarian said the eagle was eating and drinking, while its long-term prognosis was still being assessed. The Galvins and the their neighbors have started calling the bird "Freedom" and hope it will eventually be released in the area it was rescued. Jason Galvin said the eagle's rescue was an emotional experience. "There was a lot of tears," he said. "When it finally came down, it was breathtaking. It was a beautiful moment." The truth is that many warriors today are held captive by the things they’ve seen and experienced in war. They are imprisoned by their own personal demons. Like “Freedom” the eagle, they feel trapped, too far out of reach from those around them to expect any rescue. Sometimes the pain is so severe and debilitating, they remain stuck in their captivity waiting to die.

Long, long ago, Israel’s King David faced a similar set of circumstances. He understood first-hand the price of war. At one point, his own family was held captive by his enemies. He fought valiantly for their freedom. Though the cost of battle was high, he fought on. Later, David wrote:

We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!

Psalm 124:7

Who did he credit as his liberator? God! Verse eight says: “Our hope is in the name of the Lord.” Though David fought the battle, his strength came from God.

Lance Cpl. Jordan D. Taylor, right, and Cpl. Miguel A. Ruelas provide security during an endurance course Jan. 12 at the Jungle Warfare Training Center on Camp Gonsalves. Both Marines are riflemen with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, currently assigned to 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, under the unit deployment program. It’s obvious what might have happened if Jason Galvin hadn’t seen the eagle caught in that tree. Left alone, the bird would have died in captivity. The difference was that as a warrior, Galvin wasn’t content to let that happen.
Warriors are like that. Seeing someone held captive gets under their skin. There is an immediate desire to step in and change reality!

Many warriors find themselves held captive by the past. It’s possible that you feel held prisoner by the things that happened to you and those around you while deployed. You can’t seem to escape the memories and wounds left by war.

“Every captive can find true freedom…”

Rescues take time. Liberation doesn’t come cheaply. But, your freedom is something that other warriors are committed to ensuring. Why? Because through Christ every captive can find true freedom.  Just know that there are fellow warriors willing to come along side you, who will stick with you until you discover freedom once again. They can point you in God’s direction so like David, you can find new strength and ultimate victory.

A 325th Fighter Wing F-22 Raptor performs a vertical take off at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., March 31, 2017. The Raptor performs both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions allowing full realization of operational concepts vital to the 21st century Air Force.It begins with a conversation between you and God. You can pray the prayer below, or click one of the response buttons if you’d like to be contacted by a fellow warrior willing to do anything it takes to help you escape from what holds you captive.

Prayer

Jesus, it’s true. I feel like a prisoner held captive by my past. I need help. Please be my liberator. Please free me from what holds me back. I acknowledge that I can’t do this alone. Help me reach out to other warriors who’ve stood where I stand. Help me to move forward again. I choose to follow You and Your command in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!


http://www.kare11.com/news/army-veteran-rescues-an-eagle-in-incredible-way/262062212

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