Tragedy and Forgiveness

I read online yesterday that an F-18 crashed into a residential housing area near San Diego. My immediate thought was "How did that happen?" My next thought was, "I hope the pilot ejected safely and that nobody on the ground was killed." The pictures were horrific. I prayed for the pilot and whoever lived in the house that was hit. Unfortunately, people did die. The pilot ejected safely, however, 2 women and 2 children were killed inside the home.
When I heard I thought, "Tragic." Tragic for the family and friends of those killed and tragic for the pilot who was flying the plane. Tragic because he'd lost one engine and was trying to land and then lost the second and had no choice but to eject where he was. I don't know the pilot but am confident that in all the training they go through, if there was ANY POSSIBLE WAY to avoid ejecting over a populated area, he would have done so.

I read an article on CNN that interviewed Dong Yun Yoon, the man who lost his wife, mother-in-law, and 2 children in the house. Here is some of what he said:

"Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident," a distraught Dong Yun Yoon told reporters gathered near the site of Monday's crash of an F/A-18D jet in San Diego's University City community.

"He is one of our treasures for the country," Yoon said in accented English punctuated by long pauses while he tried to maintain his composure.

"I don't blame him. I don't have any hard feelings. I know he did everything he could," said Yoon, flanked by members of San Diego's Korean community, relatives and members from the family's church.

"I know there are many people who have experienced more terrible things," Yoon said. "But, please, tell me how to do it. I don't know what to do."

Amazing. Amazing that a man who has lost his entire family is asking others to pray for the pilot. Compassion. Saying he knew he(the pilot) had done everything he could do. Forgiveness. He doesn't blame the pilot and has no hard feelings. Grief. There are no words for that.

If they come to mind, pray for Dong Yun Yoon and for the pilot.