READY TO DIE
His wife called
him her Renaissance Man. James Dunckley
was first a Marine Sgt. and later an Army Sgt. He was a patriot and a military
man, a loving husband, a devoted father, a counselor and confidant to young
people. He was a medaled black belt in karate, a martial arts and self-defense
teacher. He loved young people and they
loved him. He brought joy and laugher
wherever he went.
Death held no
fear for James. His motto was “Ready to
die”. Why was he unafraid of
death? The answer started with a
decision. As a boy James memorized Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” One morning, he
came to his mother saying, “I am a
sinner, and I know that I am going to go to hell. I need Jesus.” That day he repented of his sins, and asked
Jesus to be his Savior. He received what God promises in Romans 6:23. “The
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord.”
At age 14 in Bible camp, he decided on the
motto ”Ready to die”. He shortened it to
RTD 7, seven being God’s number of
perfection. At age 17, prompted by some
parents, he started a self-defense class for teens who were being bullied in
school. The first night of class, he told them that the only way to be a
fearless fighter was to be unafraid of death and to be “Ready to
die”. James used the biblical example of, his hero, King David. David was a fearless warrior who was not
afraid of death, pain or loneliness. He told them that they could be a fearless
warrior like King David if they knew the secret to overcoming fear.
Fearless and “Ready to Die”
What
was James’ secret to overcoming fear? “Fear not them which kill the body; but are
not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both
soul and body in Hell” Matt. 10:28. James’ message was what he had
learned - that fear has three sources:
The Fear of Death – the remedy for death is salvation in Christ. The Bible
says, “The
wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ the Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
The Fear of Loneliness – the remedy for loneliness is the
promise of God’s presence. God says,
“I will never leave thee,
nor forsake thee. …we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not
fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews
13:5,6).
The Fear of Pain – the remedy for pain is having God’s strength. “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God
is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever” (Psalm 73:26).
A warrior who has no fear of pain, death
or loneliness is a valiant soldier, one who can go into battle unafraid because
he is ready to die. Christ is willing to
give a person that source of strength.
When 9/11
happened, it changed the world and James’ life.
He was 19 and he joined the Marine Corp. the following January. He wanted to fight terrorism and keep his
family and country safe.
In September of
2002, James was married, and by January of 2003, he was in Iraq and soon in the
middle of battle. James was a marine scout reporting on enemy positions and he
was in most of the major firefights. This time he came through unscathed with
his unit receiving a special medal, the Presidential Unit Citation.
Returning home
that May, he soon informed his family that he and his wife were expecting a
baby. Becoming a father excited him, but
there was also sadness. His unit would be in Afghanistan when the baby would be
born in March.
A NEW BATTLE FRONT
But James did not
make Afghanistan, as he had a different and more personal battle to fight. His infant son was born on Christmas day,
three months early. Weighing only two
pounds, Joshua was, in intensive care for almost nine months. James was able to
be stationed near Joshua so that he could be there with him, helping him fight
for life. Based on God’s Word James had a certainty that if Joshua died, they
would be together again in Heaven. This certainty gave James and his wife the
strength they needed to see Joshua through his battle for life.
That Thanksgiving, James penned these lines, “Besides the normal things that everyone is thankful for, I am thankful
for the things that most people are not:
rain, hurt, pain, and death. The
Lord has shown me the beauty of these things.
Until you are truly happy with the bad, you can never really appreciate
and be thankful for the good.”
Now James’ four
years in the Marines were done. He was home with his family, but he felt that
his job as a soldier was not done. After
much consideration and prayer, he reenlisted in the Army. Once again he was Sgt.
James Dunckley, back in Iraq, this time serving as a sniper, and then as a
squad leader.
During Operation
Beach Yellow the enemy opened fire, and in the ensuing fire fight, James was
shot through the heart. In an instant he
stepped from the presence of the enemy to the presence of the Lord. The men serving with him were
devastated. They said that he was always
calm and cool under fire, concerned about his men, and always using humor to
break the tension.
James was
prepared to be with his Lord, and because he was sure of his eternal
destination, death held no fear for him. He told his wife that if anything were to
happen to him that no one was to wear black at his funeral. He was going to be rejoicing in heaven, and
he didn’t want any one on earth sorrowing for him.
Over a thousand
people came to his funeral. The church
was filled with people, young and old, military and civilian. All of them
people who were befriended, counseled, led, taught and loved by him. All of these
lives were touched by a man who was “Ready to Die”.
James’ purpose in
serving his country is best expressed in his own words:
“ The one thing I believe in above all else is love. I love my Savior, my family, my freedom and
my friends. Most people view love as a word
of emotion. I view love as an act of commitment. My act of love is my service in the military
protecting and preserving all the things I believe in most, so that my
children, family, and friends can enjoy true freedom. I’ve seen war first
hand, and have met people that have never known any of the freedoms we take for
granted and I never want that for the people I care for most. Semper-Fi”
ARE YOU AFRAID?
As the parents of
this young soldier, we would like to share with you the same message we shared
with our son so many years ago. You don’t have to be afraid. You don’t have to
be lonely. God loves you very much and has laid out a plan of hope. You can be “Ready to die” like our son, if
you understand and accept God’s message.
You must start where James
did, knowing you are a sinner. Each of us has made choices that have fallen
short of what God would have us to do.
Lying, cheating, stealing, anger, jealousy, immoral sexual behavior, cursing
God, and other sinful acts all come easily to people. Because we are sinners
and God is holy, God has to separate Himself from us, but because of God’s love
for us, He created a plan to restore our relationship to Him. That plan was
Jesus Christ. He was sent to earth to die as payment for our sins, and to live
again that we might have eternal life with Him. John 3:16 for God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
Now that our sins are paid for by the death and resurrection of
Christ, what we have to do is believe that what Christ did for us was real and
by faith accept His amazing gift of love that was given to us by Jesus Christ
and tell Him that we want Him to change our sinful ways. The Bible says in Ephesians
2:8-9 For by grace are you saved through faith.
And that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
We know that we will see our
son again in heaven, we want to see you there, also. You can receive Jesus Christ as your Savior
and be forgiven right now. You do this
by turning your back on your sinful ways, and placing your faith in Jesus and
in the sin payment He made for you when He died on Calvary’s cross. Christ conquered death, pain, and loneliness,
so that you could conquer the fear of them, and have eternal life. You can talk to Him right now, just tell Him
in your own words that you know that you do not meet His standard of holiness,
that you are sorry for all the wrong things that you have done, and that you
want to leave your sinful ways and follow Him.
Ask Him to forgive you, tell Him that you believe that Jesus is God and
thank Him that Jesus paid the penalty for your sin by spilling His blood on the
cross, and that by dying and living again, Jesus conquered death so that you,
too, could conquer death.
If you are willing to turn
from your sinful ways, have asked God’s forgiveness, and have accepted His
payment for your sin, you are now a member of God’s family.
Now you may ask what is the
next step? How does this decision to accept Christ’s offering affect me? You are now a child of God freed from sin to
serve God with all of your being. How do
you serve God? Learn his Bible, understand it and apply it to your life. It is
our instruction manual for living. As the Scripture says,
And that he (Christ) died for all, that they
which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died
for them and rose again, …therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. — II
Corinthians 5: 15,17
We suggest that you start
reading the book of the Bible called Romans. It will give the basis and foundation
for your new found faith. We encourage you find a church that will teach you
more about the Bible. If you would like more information or for help in finding
a church please contact:
Bible Tract Inc.
