You have probably never heard of Sgt. Paul Statzer, and until recently, I had not heard of Sgt. Statzer either. He has not been on the cover of Time, Newsweek or People. However, he is a civic virtue “invisible” hero. Unlike highly-visible celebrities like Jerry Lewis and Oprah who have, in the interest of the common good, raised millions of dollars for charities, Sgt. Statzer is more of an “invisible” example of civic virtue.
Sgt. Statzer is from Butler, Pennsylvania and served in the United States Army National Guard in Iraq. He has been in the Army National Guard for sixteen years. Before that, he served his country for several years in the United States Navy. In pursuit of the common good of protecting freedom around the world, Sgt. Statzer jeopardized his individual interest of health and personal safety. While in Iraq, on March 29, 2005, he was severely injured in a convoy explosion. As a result of the explosion, half his face and skull are completely destroyed and are now under reconstruction. What is not destroyed is his love for his God and his country.
On October 4, 2005, I interviewed Sgt. Statzer, who is presently being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. During the interview, one thing he said to me that stood out was, “I was standing almost two feet from the equivalent of a 155 mm. artillery round.” As an analogy, his father, James Statzer, said, “If a 155 mm. artillery round dropped in the middle of an average-sized house, you wouldn’t have a house left.” Amazingly, Sgt. Statzer’s legs and arms were barely touched by the explosion, and not even a vein was broken in his arms and legs. His father had to tell me some of this because Sgt. Statzer could only speak in sentences about four to six words long. He cannot speak for very long because half his voice box (larynx) is gone and because he gets very weak.
Another amazing thing his father, James Statzer, told me was that he was not even scared his son might die because he knew his son was prepared for death. Because of his daily intake of Bible doctrine, Sgt. Statzer was ready to go to heaven.
Following the explosion, Mr. Statzer received a phone call from nurse in a hospital where Sgt. Statzer was being treated. The nurse told Sgt. Statzer’s father that his son was like a vegetable, had half a face, and was on a respirator to keep him alive. The nurse did not think he would live. Following this phone call, Mr. Statzer said to his wife, “I’m going to get my hair cut ‘cause I know I’m going somewhere.” The minute he got to the barbershop he said a prayer. His prayer was the following: “Lord, if Paul can’t study Bible doctrine anymore, and if you don’t have any meaning or purpose for his life, then take him home. If it be your will, then it’s your timing. If you don’t have a purpose for his life, take him home. Amen.” About, five minutes after he finished his prayer, Mr. Statzer’s wife called and said, “… Paul made it through the night.”
Sgt. Statzer was recently interviewed by CBS News for a news report on skull surgery. He has several major surgeries coming up, and he is in many people’s thoughts and prayers. Sgt. Statzer’s interview has not yet been on television, but it probably will be soon. Although he has experienced a lot of pain, Mr. Statzer said his son has never once complained. Sgt. Statzer said, “It is my responsibility to serve in the military. I owe my country my time for my freedom.” Sgt. Statzer considers it an honor to serve his country.
Until very recently, I had never heard of Sgt. Statzer. After interviewing him, I know he is a very visible example of civic virtue. He sacrificed his health and safety for the common good of freedom. The once invisible civic virtue hero is now very visible to me.