He was born Michael B. Crawford and he is my dad. He served in Vietnam, inwhich he volunteered as a OV-10 pilot. His job was to fly at extremely low altitudes to locate enemy transports or hideouts. He didn't have a gun to protect him, only the Lord! He was shot at many times, but never shot down. Praise God. One story he shared was when he flew over enemy territory with complete cloud coverage. As far as the eye could see, only clouds floated below him. He wasn't able to tell where he was, because he had no point of reference. Fuel was getting low and he was going to have to make a decision soon; to take his chances and land. He wasn't sure if it was over water, mountains, or forest. Finally, he started his decent, as he approached the cloud cover he noticed a tiny hole in the clouds. It was small enough for his plane to fit through and that was it. He took it, and dropped through the clouds to find himself right over the place where he had taken off. Of all the miles he thought he had flown, somehow he was brought back right where he needed to be.  It is a reminder that God is always there, He was there for my dad, who came home safely from the war and raised three boys and myself, his princess. He was married to our mom for 45 years, and watched his 6 grandchildren grow, but was taken home to be with the Lord on June 26, 2002. Strange thing is, he was thought to of contracted the cancer that slowly invaded his body by the Agent Orange chemical used to wipe out the forest areas in Vietnam. Knowing that he volunteered to go makes me think that he didn't have to contract the cancer, that it could of been avoided. But God had another plan, to show my dad that indeed He is even in the skies over Vietnam. Dad accepted the Lord days before he passed on, but he lived the example of Christ everyday here on earth. I miss his laughter, his hands and hugs, but every now and then when I stop my busy life and think about them, I hear and feel him in my heart. He would of given you a hug, he did to all of my friends, whether or not he knew them. Yep, dad gave a lot, heart and soul, and today I wanted to honor him and say thanks dad! I love you,

Donna Do

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Posted by debdillon

and tell your dad "thank you" for me.

Deb

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Posted by military

And even though he stood over 6 feet tall and I am only 5'2" I can assure he that he gave some of the best hugs! He was a wonderful man and I thank him for his sevice, wisdom and mostly...his daughter, whom I love very much!

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Posted by Sonya

I was touched by your comments about your Dad. What a wonderful blessing to pass on that history of your Dad to your children.
Blessings,
Sonya

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Posted by ams

I am sorry to hear about your dad. He sounds like a wonderful man. How fortunate that he knew the Lord and how awesome that he is sitting at the feet of Jesus. I pray the same for my mom and dad. My dad is over 80 and my mom is 80. Unfortunately neither one knows the Lord and there isn't much time left. All l can do is pray. They live in San Diego and I live 3 hrs away from you in Ellensburg. Looking forward to reading more posts about your life homeschooling older children! I'll be praying for you in your time of loss.
Antoinette

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