This One Fought Like San Miguel Himself

On August 9, 2005, a detachment of U.S. Army soldiers from 1st Battalion, 76th Regiment, 3d ID was in the middle of a critical mission as part of America’s efforts to get Iraq back up on its feet after Saddam Hussein’s disastrous reign. They were escorting a group of Embassy personnel and Coalition VIPs to an extremely important meeting for the future of the long-suffering nation. The convoy would pass through some of the most dangerous zones in all of Baghdad. There was just no other way.

One of the U.S. Army soldiers protecting the dignitaries that day was Miguel Carrasquillo, a tough Puerto Rican who had grown up in Chicago. Like so many other Michaels, Miguel was a leader and symbol of strength for his family and friends his whole life.

Predictably, there were many malignant groups in the country who did not want that meeting to take place, and they were prepared to go to any lengths to stop it.

Throughout human history, many armies and nations have turned to suicidal troops as a desperate bid to stave off defeat. And it’s no wonder- as westerners we may recoil from the thought, but suicide bombers can have a devastating effect tactically as well as psychologically in war. In one form or another, Militant Islam has always taken advantage of weak-minded souls in this manner to advance their aims, and on this day they would do so again.  

As the convoy rolled onto a main road, one of Miguel’s fellow soldiers spotted a vehicle bearing down on the embassy limousine surrounded by Humvees. 

The vehicle refused to stop, and it’s intent was clear. Despite the danger to himself, Miguel unwashed a torrent of machine gun fire at the vehicle as it sped past.

Instantly the automobile exploded, far short of it’s intended target, The Embassy Personnel, but right next to Miguel’s vehicle, killing him instantly. 

The Protector is an ancient and eternal role for the Spirit of Michael and Miguel Carrasquillo shall always be known as a True Michael, un Miguel Verdad. 

Here are some very touching letters attesting to Miguel’s importance to his family and to his combat heroism.

The Incredible Story of St. Michael's Cathedral in Shandong Province, China

Located where the famed Yellow River meets the Ocean, the Province of Shandong in East China has played an extremely important role in Chinese and world economic and political history.

However, Shandong is also justifiably famous as one of the world's great cradles for spiritual and religious ideas.

Shandong’s beautiful and imposing Mount Tai is Taoism’s most revered and holy Mountain. Here beautiful monasteries clinging to the cliffs, the incredible and ancient Temple of the God, and the awe-inspiring Heaven’s Gate all underscore the Mountain’s religious importance for over 3,000 years.

Shandong’s Jinan Buddhist Temples are amongst the foremost examples of Chinese Buddhist Architecture, and Jinan is also home to The Mountain of a Thousand Buddhas, where thousands upon thousands of Buddha’s have been carved into every bit of exposed rock.

Shandong’s city of Qufu is where the great philosopher Confucius was born, and that city remains the center of world-wide Confucianism today. His ideas of virtue centered around duty and family are enjoying a modern resurgence.

So perhaps it should come as no surprise that there is a splendid Catholic Cathedral in the Shandong city of Qingdao.

This is how it happened…

Shandong’s location as a political and economic center of Chinese Civilization caught the eye of all the Western powers, including Germany. 

Germany was able to negotiate the lease of a small “economic zone” in the province of Shandong, centered around the city of Qingdao.

The German’s were able to integrate their interests with those of the people who had been living there for many thousands of years and the trading community flourished.

German catholics and protestants alike moved to the area, and many Chinese converted to Christianity as well. 

To serve Qingdao’s growing congregation, German Missionaries undertook to build a magnificent cathedral, and in 1931, building commenced in earnest. 

On October 28, 1934, the beautiful, Romanesque-inspired cathedral was completed and 

officially consecrated to Saint Michael The Archangel.

Choosing Saint Michael as the guardian for the cathedral was an excellent decision as China and the world was enduring a very challenging and tumultuous period in history.

Over the next several decades St. Michael’s Cathedral in Qingdao was faced with a world-wide economic Depression, The Japanese invasion of China and seizure of the Cathedral, China’s Civil War, and Communist seizure of the Cathedral, and finally, The Cultural Revolution, where the Bishop and all the priests were imprisoned, and the Cathedral was stripped bare and used as a warehouse.

Through it all, the rather large and imposing Cathedral at the top of a hill in Qingdao’s Old City remained intact, and so did the local Catholic community.

In the modern era the Chinese Government completed an extensive restoration of the Cathedral and today the Bishop of Qingdao and a staff of priests hold Daily Mass and Special Holiday Masses for the area’s more than 10,000 Catholics!

For more great stories about the Spirit of Michael in action, check out this Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Spirit-of-Michael/319058918294735

A Warrior Prince Named Michael

According to some psychologists, the visions of horror and death that can haunt our individual dreams are actually collective memories of real events that have been seared into our DNA. If that is so, then many of us probably see the hideous visage of a man named Sennacherib when we are gripped by a nightmare. 

Sennacherib was the son of the great and horrible King Sargon II. Sennacherib hated his famous father and dedicated his life to outdoing him in savagery and conquest. 

I think it is very inspiring that even in these most ancient times people valued their freedom and liberty as much as we do today. And just like us, they were willing to fight for it-

Because all across his vast and powerful empire, Sennacherib’s subjects rebelled against his brutal reign.

Instead of talking it out, he raised a massive army of over 200,000 warriors and went on the march to violently force obedience from all the nation’s that had been under his yoke.

He commenced his murderous quest by attacking Babylon. 

He completely destroyed that most ancient and beautiful city, reducing it to ashes and rock piles for today’s archaeologists to sift through.

Over 100 more rare and unique kingdoms and their cultures were completely obliterated, with the communities destroyed and any survivors sold off into slavery on the frontiers.

These were some of history’s first city-states, our first humble attempts at civilization and living together under a common law.

Eventually, Sennacherib set his evil eyes on the Kingdom of Judah- the Land of the Jews.

His Evil Army had only grown stronger with each conquest as he added the sons of the vanquished to his marauding forces. The horde descended like a black storm onto the shepherds and farmers of Judah.

They came from the North, and they wrecked 40 walled towns, laying waste to the farms and fields that surrounded each.

This is the time when the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel disappeared from history.

Finally, he arrived with his blood-soaked armies at the Gates of Jerusalem. 

Behind the walls of the world’s most famous city, panic and fear reigned.  

Hezekiah and the other High Priests of Jerusalem prayed fervently and openly to the Lord to be saved from Sennacherib, but things looked truly hopeless. 

But God heard their prayers.

At this point a young and aggressive-looking Prince named Michael stepped forward and assumed defense of the Sacred City. 

Was this the Archangel himself, or a real person named Michael granted extraordinary powers by Yahweh during a moment of extreme danger in the History of the Jews? It’s hard to say- this is a time when both True Heroes and supernatural beings regularly walked the Earth.

Whoever he was, this Michael, a true and ancient Warrior Prince, rallied his troops and the people of Jerusalem. He had a bold and aggressive plan that would require an unblinking and methodical cruelty if it was going to work. 

In the predawn hours of a harsh and cold morning, Jerusalem’s old and infirm citizens quietly opened the Main Gate.

Everybody else, anyone strong enough to hold a spear or a club, crouched in the dusty thoroughfare behind The Warrior Prince Michael.

Michael and the People of Jerusalem swarmed silently into the darkness, descending on Sennacherib’s sleeping Army.

They had died their clothes and faces black, and waited for the darkest night of the month.

The Protector and the People of Jerusalem commenced a mighty slaughter, killing thousands of the dumbfounded and disorganized invaders as they stumbled from their tents.

The killing raged throughout the night. 

Even as Sennacherib’s Army realized what was happening, they were unable to mount a defense. Too many King’s, Princes, Dukes and Generals already lay dead, and the silent killers continued to break across the ranks in eerie, fast-moving waves. Now it was Sennacherib’s turn to panic.

By the time the sun rose high enough to illuminate the walls of Jerusalem, one of the most feared and hated Armies in the Annals of Man had been broken to pieces. The survivors were fleeing through the desert for their lives.

Michael and the People of Jerusalem attacked one of history’s most fierce and feared military powers, and destroyed it completely.

The Bible records that 180,000 enemy soldiers were killed.

The vanquished Sennacherib and the other survivors limped back through the desolation they had caused, and his Great Empire would never be the same. 

This is the Spirit of Michael in one of its oldest and most potent forms, The Righteous Avenger, The Michael who kills other men with God’s blessing.

Some Guys Are Just Good At Fighting Evil

Most of us can anticipate meeting one or two extraordinary people in our lives, the kind of people that leave us challenged and inspired to do better. Mike Curtin was that guy for a lot of people.

Without a doubt there are hundreds of incredible stories surrounding the extraordinary life and times of Mike Curtin, but there are three incidents that were all grim watersheds in our nation’s history where Mike was present, a man doing his job amidst the darkest tragedies. 

After serving in the Marines for twelve years and rising to the rank of Master Sergeant, a period of time that saw him fight in Desert Storm and other hotspots, Mike returned to his native New York City and became a NYPD officer.

Some guys are just good at fighting evil. 

In 1993 Mike Curtin unintentionally brought attention to himself for his actions when Islamic Terrorists attacked the World Trade Center with a truck bomb.

In some respects this attack has been overshadowed by the horrible events of 9-11 but at the time, it was an extremely harrowing and challenging environment for New York City’s First Responders. 

A 1,500 pound truck bomb was detonated in the North Tower’s basement garage, instantly knocking out electricity and phone service to the building and sending smoke into the stairwells and air shafts as high as the 100th floor.

Instantly, thousands of people were trapped inside the building in a chaotic and dynamic environment, including the elderly, pregnant women, physically challenged citizens, and even many children. In fact, an entire kindergarten class was trapped in one of the elevators for over five hours.

Mike was one of the many rescuers who distinguished himself that day by continually returning to the building despite the hazards and uncertainty until all of the civilians had been safely evacuated.

In April of 1995, as a NYPD officer assigned to the Emergency Services Unit, Mike found himself one of the hundreds of elite rescue operators who were hastily dispatched to Oklahoma City to participate in rescue and recovery efforts there in the wake of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. 

Just like two years earlier, this was an extremely dangerous and unpredictable environment. Several times in the first few days all rescuers had to be evacuated because of collapsing debris. Tragically, one rescuer would die when she was hit in the head by falling concrete.

It was in this environment that Mike personally spotted a shred of fabric amidst the destruction that he instantly recognized as part of a U.S. Marine Corps Dress Uniform. 

Despite the dangers Mike requested and was granted permission to stage a recovery of the remains of U.S. Marine Captain Randy Guzman who had been killed in the blast and buried in the rubble. Captain Guzman had died while manning his post, as the Officer in charge of the USMC Recruiting Station located in the building. It took over six hours but Mike and other Marines on site that day never left their comrade’s side until they had recovered him. Mike organized an Honor Guard and the body of his fellow Marine was properly escorted as he was removed from the site. It was a moment those who saw it will never forget.

These two incidents and many others had firmly marked Mike Curtin with legendary status amidst the rarified world of our nation’s most accomplished and highly skilled rescue operators when he was called to his final emergency on September 11, 2001.

The NYPD ESU Heavy Rescue Trucks are extremely impressive vehicles with a wide array of capabilities to respond to emergencies. They are famous in their own right well beyond the borders of New York City. 

As Sergeant of NYPD ESU Heavy Rescue Truck 2, Mike Curtin and his crew were one of the first Units to respond to the World Trade Center Attacks. Rescuing victims from building collapses and other high-risk situations is a primary ESU responsibility.

ESU Teams went up each of the Twin Towers stairwells as high as they could, helping hundreds of civilians safely evacuate. Mike’s team went up one of the North Tower stairwells. They perished together executing their mission when the building collapsed. In total, 14 ESU officers lost their lives that day.

Mike’s remains were not located until March 6, 2002, approximately five floors down from ground level. His service weapon was by his side.

Immediately, calls when out across the city. 

Marines and ESU Officers from every borough solemnly descended on Ground Zero. The Police Commissioner arrived as well, as did Mike’s wife Helga and one of his treasured daughters. Soon hundreds of NYPD Officers, Marines and City Dignitaries were on scene to pay their respects to one of New York’s Finest.

The procession ascended out of the wreckage with great ceremony and care, complete with an enormous American flag. Mike’s body once again found itself strapped into ESU Heavy Rescue Truck 2.

Lights flashing, dozens of ESU Trucks and NYPD Patrol Vehicles escorted “Truck 2” and Mike across the city to the morgue. Motorcycle Cops stopped traffic at every intersection and saluted. As the vehicles passed, New Yorkers of every stripe took a moment and bowed their heads in respect to a tremendous individual named Mike Curtin.

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