May You Hear, Recognize, Understand and Respond when God Talks to You!
It is easy to get caught up in the things about this life that we don’t like, especially for some of us. We tell ourselves and others that listen that we have ‘high standards’, yet in reality, we are … very intolerant of those that don’t think the way we do. To tolerate those ‘fools’ is unthinkable, yet in reality, the only one losing sleep and peace over those fools is … the foolish one. Here’s another way to look at other people and life.
Read moreThis article appeared in the Erie PA Morning News the Summer of 1980, after the author visited me at my parent’s home for an interview.
Read more: Erie Morning News, Summer 1980By Bill Welch, Erie Morning News Staff reporter, (Late May/Early June 1980)
While Americans have been frustrated with the continuing crisis of the hostages in Iran, Navy Lt. Andrey Swystun didn’t feel that frustration while aboard the U. S. S. Nimitz in its 144-day patrol in the Indian Ocean.
“We could at least look at the map and say ‘We’re going to do this, or we could hit them here.'” Swystun said Friday night at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Roman Swystun, 3664 Meadow Drive.
“I think as far as frustration goes, I was better off being out there planning than being here in the States not knowing what was being done,” the 25-year-old radar intercept officer said.
The eight helicopters in the aborted April 24 mission to rescue the hostages flew off the Nimitz.
“We were very excited when they launched. We felt very good,” he recalled. “We were very apprehensive because of what they would be going through in the next few hours.”
“We were all in for a big letdown shortly thereafter.”
When one of the helicopters returned, there was a lot of speculation on the ship, but no solid explanation about what happened.
“We really didn’t know for a few days what happened, but then we learned pretty much everything I read later in Newsweek,” he said.
Swystun came home Friday for a weekend leave following a cruise aboard the Nimitz that started in September and ended only Monday, the longest cruise for a Navy ship since World War 2.
His job aboard the Nimitz is to man the radar, communications and weapons equipment in the back seat of an F-14 Tomcat fighter, the most sophisticated fighter in the world.
Had his plane and the others on board been reeded in the aborted rescue mission, they were ready to go.
“That’s what we’re paid to do,” he said.
“We all flew an awful lot compared to what we normally fly, about twice as much,” Swystun said. Fortunately, the weather in the Indian Ocean was perfect flying weather nearly every day.
The 90,000 ton carrier, its men and planes were in a high state of readiness at all times during the 144 days.
“That shows on men and equipment. Some stood up to it very well and others not very well,” he said, obviously one of the ones who did take it well.
To relieve the tedium, the ship sponsored athletic events, such as volleyball, basketball, running events, “just about any athletic event you can do aboard a carrier,” the lieutenant said. There were also monthly picnics when hamburgers and steaks were grilled on the flight deck and about 100 movies for the sailors to watch, including the movie “10”.
“When we flew in to Ocean field (in Virginia on Monday), we were hoping the band would play ‘Bolero,'” he said with a laugh.
Swystun was also kept busy flying patrols around the American battle groups in the Indian Ocean. Regularly, Soviet reconnaissance aircraft would be met and escorted as they took a look at the Navy ships.
“They never got in without us knowing it,” he said confidently. “We never lost sight of them.”
It was a slightly different story with Iranian aircraft, though. They rarely appeared.
“They were afraid. No, that’s not well put,” he corrected. “They respected us too much to go out. We weren’t too concerned about them being able to get away with anything.”
Swystun said no Iranian F-14s were ever spotted while he was there, noting that the planes were without spare parts and the American technicians to keep them maintained.
Had there been an air mission into Iran, he is confident that the Iranians would not have put up much of a fight.
“They know us too well. They know us (fliers). I got my wings with some Iranians. They know what we can do. If some of them did happen to get the fervor to die for Islam, that’s just what they’d do,” he stated matter-of-factly.
Bill Welch wrote this article after interviewing me at my parent’s house when I returned from a cruise that included the aborted hostage rescue attempt back in 1980.
Please comment and/or respond to what you heard inside of you as you read this! Let’s share!
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It was a long time ago when I stood in front of dozens of people and said these words. It was an honor, a privilege, and a gift to be there.
Read moreFor so many people, it is important to live life in such a way that God will love them more. They also want God’s respect, as well as self-respect. To have God be proud of them, to get God’s “seal of approval” is very, very important to them. Let’s face it, they know, as I do, that they have “fallen short of the glory of God” and they want to fix that. It’s a very commendable way of looking at God and at life.
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Most believe Jesus was crucified on Friday afternoon and arose on Sunday morning. That is what we have been taught over the centuries. However, in Matthew 12:40 Jesus says that he will be in the ground for 3 days and 3 nights! As you will see below, what we have been taught doesn’t line up with what Jesus said would happen. I propose here a possible solution to this dilemma.
Read moreHow often have we heard that this is the most important part of the Bible? Christians hang on it very strongly, and rightly so. As in my post about scripture mistakes, I want to go over this deeper. People need to dig into what it says, and then live by it. There is no arrogance in it, yet people become arrogant when they read it. Sad, isn’t it?
Read moreLook at these pictures. You and I probably don’t see these kinds of things every day, but we have seen them. There are people in these circumstances and God has brought them to your attention. I call these “God appointments”, which in our eyes are “unscheduled”. Sometimes, you and I have been too busy to notice.
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Anger hurts others and ourselves. Yes, I have apologized afterward yet it would have been better if I had controlled my temper. This reminds me of that. Yes, I need reminding! Here’s an analogy by Audrey Wittrup.
Read moreI was an F-14 Tomcat radar intercept officer, and one of my many jobs in the plane was navigation. I needed to know not only where we were but also where our carrier was. If we were close enough to reach land, it was also my job to know if there were any alternative airports that we could use in an emergency. It is easier to do from an airport that doesn’t move and has landmarks around it. What did I need to do if I was lost?
Read moreThis is not my usual type of post, it is however proof that I am human. I confess I don’t have peace inside at the moment. This struggle will probably last for more than a day or even a week. I am not the only one so rattled by the news, so are many others. While my head knows God is in control, my heart has apparently completely forgotten.
Read more(Back after 2 weeks of COVID and recovery!) Are you a Christian? If so, you were chosen/drafted by God to be in His army. Not everyone in an Army is on the front lines, and there is no shame in not wanting to be. The Army needs supplies (prayers), instructors (pastors), medical staff (healers), morale officers (K-Love Radio and Christian Music), and more. Just as a body has many different parts all working together without criticizing each other.
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Well I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?
Well it goes like this: The fourth, the fifth,
the minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Read moreWhen I first read the story about the Golden Calf in Exodus 32, it was very easy for me to judge both Aaron and the people. I could not believe that anyone would be that stupid. I was a very immature Christian at that time. Since then I have realized that there is a powerful story there for both you and me. So, I share this with you.
Read moreI was not there to witness this event. A few weeks later, as I was home for my grandmother’s funeral, my mother shared this with me. She was awed by the event, and by the telling of it as well. Careful, you may find yourself awed as you read it!
Read moreWhat if God’s #1 angel wrote a book about the Creation in the style of “The Book of Acts”? How do things look from His point of view? I was inspired to write this after reading C. S. Lewis’s “The Screwtape Letters”. That book is a great read. I was told to read that book every 3 years, to see how much it changed each time. It was not the book that had changed, I changed so much I felt like I was reading a different book each time! Remember, this is written from Satan’s point of view, as I speculate it to be.
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