Fighter Pilot’s Family Finds Solace in Faith

The widow of US Air Force Capt Eric Ziegler, killed in June in a crash due to G-LOC, has demonstrated a calm reliance on her faith.  When asked about knowing the circumstances of her husband’s death, Sarah Ziegler said she found them “kind of irrelevant.”

“I’ve always believed, and still do, that everything happens for a reason and a purpose, and so I didn’t need a source or object to blame or anything like that,” she said.

While there is still grief, faith can help people deal with such loss.  Why?  Knowing there is an ultimate purpose, and the grief is temporary.  Sarah understands the fact that she and her husband had — and still have — a platform for Christ: 

“I think it’s part of God’s plan for all of our lives,” she said. “And it’s I think so others can learn from it, whether it be pilots or just people looking at Eric’s life, and maybe his story can just be an inspiration to a kid in West Fargo who might want to fly airplanes.”

Her final paragraph is moving:

“He was a man of faith, character…humility…” Sarah said, wiping away tears as she watched their daughter play. “And I think above all he just loved to have a good time and live life to the fullest, whether that was flying an F-16 or…playing on the floor with Anna. Just getting the most out of life.”

What legacy will you leave?