The Guy SEAL Team 6 Relied On

Even though he fought side by side with one of America’s most elite and aggressive counter-terrorism Units, Michael Strange wasn’t some Terminator-dude chiseled from Mount Rushmore who loved the smell of napalm in the morning. According to those who knew him best, he was a funny guy, and above all else, a loyal and dependable guy. 

Michael Strange deployed with SEAL Team 6 and underwent the training and learned his skills out of a simple sense of duty. Not everyone can be a cryptographer. Not everyone can be strong enough and fast enough and smart enough to go on direct action missions with a Tier 1 Unit. But Michael Strange was, and he knew it. And so he went.

He performed his extremely complex responsibilities flawlessly on dozens of missions around the world, tracking terrorist communications in-close with the assaulters and snipers of SEAL Team 6. on  August 6, 2011 Michael went on his last mission with those legendary fighters. 

Around midnight, the call came in. A Ranger mission had put the enemy on the run- SEAL Team 6, along with Michael and his spy gear, were tasked with hunting them down. Michael would be needed to intercept and track the enemies communications as they attempted to escape and coordinate a counter-attack. This was real Mission:Impossible stuff, and it required the ability to utilize complex communications and encryption technology in the middle of intense firefights and other high-risk combat operations. 

Tragically, as they flew through the night to support the Rangers, an enemy rocket shot down their chopper and Michael and 37 other U.S. servicemen made the ultimate sacrifice. No one is saying Michael Strange was a Saint, but he is surely by St. Michael’s side now. 

For his incredibly valuable contribution to our nation’s defense Cryptologic Technician (Collection) First Class Michael Strange was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, and other campaign and unit decorations. 

For more information on this extraordinary young man and his legacy, check out these websites:

https://www.facebook.com/MichaelStrangeFoundation

http://www.michaelstrangefoundation.org

https://www.facebook.com/pages/RIP-Hero-Michael-Strange/213091625406268

and for more inspiring stories of the Spirit of Michael in action:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Spirit-of-Michael/319058918294735

The Saint of 9/11 - Father Mychal Judge

It is a hard truth that dozens of men who bore the name Michael lost their lives as first-responders  in New York City on 9/11, and in time we will honor each and every one of them.

I commence this solemn responsibility by bringing attention to the first official fatality of that terrible day, and one of the finest Michael’s to ever walk the earth, Father Mychal Judge. 

Long before his heroic death Father Mychal was already recognized as a special person filled with a unique Holy Power. In his role as a Franciscan priest he was one of the first to minister to AIDS patients in the 1980's, long before the rest of society came to terms with the disease and its victims. In the same manner he was also a great friend to the homeless before their struggles became widely acknowledged. He would listen to them with the same care and compassion he brought to every troubled soul, as his faith dictated. 

After becoming appointed an FDNY chaplain he took up those solemn duties with the same commitment he brought to ministering the afflicted and the poor. Surely Father Mychal saw in all firefighters a kindred spirit, men and women who like himself had been drawn to a life of service and sacrifice.

Through his presence and prayers in their times of need He became a true and beloved member of New York’s Firefighting community. It is said he wore his firefighters helmet and gear with the same reverence he held for the collar and the cassock. He was a true New York City character, a cool, popular, respected and loved fixture on one of the world’s biggest stages. 

On September 11, 2001, Father Mychal didn’t hesitate. He rushed to the World Trade Center which had just been hit by the hijacked planes. At the scene, Father Mychal was immediately recognized by a relieved Rudolph Giuliani, the Mayor of New York City who had also rushed to the site. The Mayor asked him to pray for the city and its victims. 

Father Mychal immediately took up his duties, kneeling down and administering the Last Rites to victims lying in the street. Then, with fire and debris raining down, he entered the lobby of the World Trade Center North Tower. He continued offering aid and prayers for the rescuers, the injured and the dead. 

When the South Tower collapsed at 9:59 am, debris went flying through the North Tower lobby, killing many inside, including Father Mychal. According to numerous eye-witnesses, he had been praying to God on behalf of others at the moment of his death. 

Now awe-inspiring yet objective stories are beginning to circulate out of the New York City metro area of people praying directly to Father Mychal and receiving in return what can only be considered as miraculous results. If your life is currently burdened with more obstacles than you can overcome on your own, you might consider asking Father Mychal for help.

Teach Your Children About These People

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is one of the greatest examples in human history of dignity and courage in the face of a horrendous reality. The moral fortitude of those Jewish fighters is a guiding light that will shine for all eternity- teach your children about these people. 

    It all began with the Nazi’s surprise blitzkrieg attack of Poland, the official beginning of World War II. The Nazi invasion of Poland was cold and brutal even by their standards, particularly for that nation’s long-suffering Jewish population. At first the Nazis relocated all of Poland’s Jews into small urban ghettos in three major cities, primarily Warsaw.

There, over 300,000 people were packed into a small walled-off neighborhood. Then the Nazis began deporting the ghetto residents to what at first were believed to be slave labor camps. When Poland’s Jews realized the truth, and learned about the extermination camps, they resolved to fight to the death in the Ghetto. They organized militias, made weapons, and laid out plans for their defense. 

One of the key figures in the Uprising was a young man by the name of Michael Klepfisz. 

Michał Klepfisz was described by those who knew him as a tall and thin young man with a calm and laid back manner. But despite his unassuming appearance, this Michael is considered one of the greatest heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Michael began his transformation from a chemical engineer to a murderous warrior and Protector of His People by an act of almost-unbelievable selfless heroism.

Michael was one of the unfortunates who had been swept up off the street in the Warsaw Ghetto by a roving patrol of Nazi SS Soldiers. 

He was loaded onto a train, a train bound for the Treblinka Extermination Camp.

As the train rumbled through the night, Michael managed to kick out the bars covering a small window. He jumped off the moving train and found himself all alone, deep in Poland’s ancient and dark forests.

Instead of taking refuge in the wilds, Klepfisz made his way back through Nazi-occupied Poland and snuck back into the Warsaw Ghetto. Yes, you read that right. He was free, having barely cheated a horrible death, and he returned to Warsaw. To help. By fighting and killing.

After making sure his wife, daughter and sister were safely hidden outside Warsaw, Michael took charge of the Jewish Combat Organization’s bomb-making Unit. With guile and ingenuity he amassed the raw materials to start producing explosives. In the basement of an abandoned factory he created powerful bombs, artillery shells, land-mines, hand grenades and other explosive devices. In other basements, other Jews built, rebuilt, and repaired old rifles and loaded cartridges with Michael’s home-made gunpowder.

When everything was as ready as could be hoped, the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto launched a surprise assault on the Nazi forces stationed within and around the Ghetto.

The stunning series of attacks killed large numbers of Nazi troops and allowed Warsaw’s Jews to seize a huge cache of weaponry.

More importantly, the Jewish Fighters expelled the Nazis from the ghetto, halting the deportations to Treblinka Extermination Camp. The shame and disgrace of the defeat was immediately felt all the way back to Berlin. 

The human monster known as Himmler personally replaced the Commander in charge of the ghetto with a man of unquestioning viciousness. The Nazis were forced to bring in extra troops from every theatre, weakening their lines and exhausting resources on every front.

Michael and the other Jewish Fighters resisted so fiercely, the Nazis were forced to bring in yet more troops and resources. The Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto fought back with such intractable tenacity the Nazis were left with only one option.

Moving from building to building, they methodically leveled the entire Ghetto.

The Jews continued to fight back, contesting every house and basement, fighting to the last man and woman.

Michael Klepfisz died in direct combat, in a gunfight with a cohort of Nazis. In a final act of heroism, he drew their fire and killed several, allowing the rest of his squad to escape and continue fighting.

This resourceful, brave, and selfless warrior lived a life suffused with the Spirit of The Archangel.

A Hero From The Old School

The village of Landres-et St. Georges is a typical farming villages in the North of France, an area also known as “The Argonne” for its dark forests. Here, near the borders of Belgium and Germany, well-maintained fields and orchards encircle ancient towns built of stone, and even today daily life is dictated by the seasons and the crops. 

However, this otherwise nondescript locale has been witness to some of humanities mightiest armies and fiercest battles. Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, Napoleon, and generations of other soldiers have all fought here. 

In the fall of 1918, in the heart of World War I, history was again repeating itself. 

The orchards had long been blasted to splinters, and the green fields had been carved into black trenches. Now both the Allies and the Kaiser’s forces were moving troops into the area in anticipation of some very large battles.

On October 14, 1918 The US Army’s Company I, 165th Infantry, 42d Division was moving position towards the village in preparation for a major advance. One of the men in I Company was a former boxing instructor from New York City by the name of Sergeant Michael Donaldson. According to the 42d’s official history, repeated gas attacks, very high casualties, and rumors of a coming armistice had all worn down the soldier’s morale. Things got so bad that the 42d’s very active and decisive Chief of Staff, Colonel Douglas Macarthur, had recently issued orders forbidding the use of colloquial terms in officer’s official reports such as “Company shredded to pieces”, and any talk of peace or an end to hostilities was strictly forbidden. Against this backdrop of despondency and desperation, I Company followed orders and headed down the road. As they approached Landres-et St. Georges, they turned off the road, and began ascending a hill to take up a position on the crest.

     

Unknown to them however, a detachment of Germans had already taken possession of the hilltop. The German troops were dug in with their usual tactical precision. Several machine guns had a commanding view of the road and interlocking fields of fire. 

As the Americans approached the ridge, the Kaiser’s men unleashed the ambush. The Germans achieved total surprise and the assault was extremely effective. I Company was forced to hurriedly fall back to a safe position down the road to reorganize. 

In the confusion I Company left six men wounded on the hill amongst the dead. 

On his own initiative Sergeant Michael Donaldson, the former boxing instructor, now ran back through the ambush in plain sight of the enemy. 

As the machine guns blazed down at him, he sprinted back up the hill to the first injured man. Grabbing his wounded comrade by the shirt collar, he dragged the soldier back down to safety as bullets kicked up everywhere around them. 

Not content with just one incredible act of heroism, Sergeant Donaldson ran back up the hill five more times, each time in the face of withering enemy fire. Incredibly, he successfully rescued all six wounded men. 

This was truly the Spirit of Michael in action. For his selfless and outstanding bravery Sergeant Michael Donaldson was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Medaille Militaire, France’s highest Military Award.

Michael would go on to live a long and happy life, counting several U.S. Presidents as friends. He was well-known and well-regarded around New York City as he always remained active in Veteran’s groups.

Here is a slice of Sergeant Michael Donaldson’s extraordinary life in his own words: http://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=278620

A War In Heaven

Though it was by no means the first time the Spirit of Michael fought against the forces of evil, The Archangel Michael of the New Testament is for many people the ultimate and iconic example of Michael, the Soldier of Light. On behalf of God, this Michael was called to fight the Devil himself. Why did Lucifer rebel? Was it jealousy towards Man, or Jesus, as some have suggested? For millennia,  Lucifer was an exalted angel, trusted by the Creator and given sacred responsibilities. But it wasn’t enough.   He wanted to be like God. For this Holy War, God named the Archangel Michael his Chief Commander, and all the other good angels and spirits lined up behind him. Lucifer had his own forces as well, the first souls of many he would seduce to The Dark Side. These were former angels, now turned into demons. Michael and Lucifer crossed swords, and the battle was engaged, a battle for the Universe. According to many legends in many different countries, the earth still bears the scars from the tumult. As their great armies clashed, Satan took the form of a Black Dragon and attacked Michael. With the unstoppable rage of the righteous, Michael smote The Dragon with the Sword of God. The Fallen Angel was cast down into Hell, where he resides to this day. From that moment on the name Michael has forever been linked with brave souls who risk their lives to protect the innocent.

Greetings!

Greetings! I am establishing this blog to explore and document my interest in the Archangel Michael. Through his own acts as The Soldier of God as well as his ability to inspire incredible heroism and sacrifice in us mere mortals, I believe Saint Michael is a true and awesome force for good on earth. If any readers have examples from their families or communities of people acting in the Spirit of Michael, please let me know so I can share them through this blog.