Capt. Mark McDowell perished a few weeks ago when his F-15E Strike Eagle crashed in Afghanistan.  His WSO, Capt. Thomas Granith, was also killed in the crash.  McDowell’s grandfather noted his call to flying:

(Flying) was his life. He died doing what he wanted to do. He wanted to fly. He was called to fly…God called him to be a pilot.

His memorial service was recently held at First Baptist Church of Belmont in North Carolina.  Much of the service focused on “Mark’s strong faith in God.”

“Mark was always seeking to know more about the Scriptures…”

The service concluded with a powerful message on faith in Jesus and an invitation for everyone in attendance to accept him. Stan McDowell said he wants everyone to share his assurance of salvation.

“What is God’s plan in all this? I don’t know,” his father, Stan, said. “What I do know is that God is in control. I know that Mark is safe in heaven with God, and that one day, I also will be in heaven reunited with my son.”

His mother recalled the strength of his faith: 

[McDowell] will also be remembered for his intelligence and his strong Christian faith.  “He knew the Lord very well and he was not alone in the cockpit that night,” his mother said. “Mark is with Jesus in heaven…”

Capt. McDowell was a 2005 US Air Force Academy graduate.  Based on his graduation date, he would have been promoted to Captain a little more than a month prior to his crash.  His widow, Katherine McDowell, is a 2006 USAFA graduate.  Lt McDowell was deployed to Iraq while her husband was in Afghanistan.