When he was still in the U.S. military, "Black Hawk Down" survivor Sgt. Jeff Struecker never thought that he would shift careers and become a pastor, but God has a funny way of making things work.
His story of survival inspired the movie "Black Hawk Down." Looking back on the ill-fated 1993 raid in Mogadishu, Somalia, and the subsequent rescue mission on the Special Forces teams that took part in the raid, Struecker said what changed his life for good was not the terror he and his fellow soldiers faced when Somalis swarmed their Humvees and unleashed withering fire at them.
Struecker shared during his speech at Liberty University that it was the testimony he gave his comrades about death and the afterlife that really made an impact on his life, according to God Reports.
"It changed my life forever," Struecker said. "I would still be a sergeant in the Ranger regiment today if it wasn't for what I saw the morning after the firefight. It wasn't really the blood and the bullet holes that had an impact on me. It was back at the base the grown men, some of the toughest warriors on the planet, with tears in their eyes. They said, 'Jeff, what happened to my best friend who just died last night? Jeff, what happens to me if I get on a helicopter or a Humvee tomorrow and I don't make it home?'"
His friends wanted answers and comforting, so Struecker provided them with some hope and solace when he shared the word of God. "Almost all of them were saying, 'Jeff, there was something different about you last night, and I want to know what it was,'" he said. "For the next 24 hours, I had guys lined up to ask me about Jesus Christ because they could see the difference that He makes when you're getting shot at and when the bullets are flying."
That night of sharing meant so much to Struecker that he later became the chaplain for his Ranger buddies in the 82 Airborne Division, and he has now held the position for over a decade.
"Before that night, I thought you could transform the world through military prowess and national power," Struecker said. "But I realised something in Mogadishu, Somalia: There is only one force great enough to transform the world, and it is the Holy Spirit of the Living God through his Son Jesus Christ."
