Truly I tell you they have received their reward

by Pastor Tim White

And when you pray do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray in the synagogues or standing on street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you they have received their reward in full.

Matthew 6:6

Washington Cathedral is celebrating the life of Colonel Erskine Austin United States Marine Corp. Erskine passed on to heaven Monday night while his dear wife Melinda and their three adult kids Julie, Kate and Marine Brigadier General Eric Austin were looking through Erskine’s old pictures, laughing and crying. Erskine was a Marines’ Marine. And as a Christian and Pastor he wasn’t for show he was for go.

Erskine and Melinda met in college at Oregon State University where Erskine was in the Officer Candidate School. If you look at a picture of them, they were and have always looked like a cute couple. Melinda, as you know, is one of the sweetest people on earth. Many of you may say Erskine was a sweet person but I think he would rather be remembered as a Marine. A sweet, tough Marine.

Erskine served two tours in Vietnam where he witnessed a lot of heroism which would make him tear up when he tried to talk about it. As a Major, Erskine lead the Presidential Support Detail at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California, that hosted President Nixon when he visited the Western White House for a year. He was a squadron commander of VMO-2 based in Camp Pendleton as a Lt Col (1979-80), then the Group Commander of Marine Aircraft Group 39, the higher headquarters of VMO-2(1987-88), as a Colonel. He finished his Colonel Command Tour and was the Chief of Staff at Marine Expeditionary Force for his last job - retired in June of 1990 - missed Desert Storm by about 60 days! MEF was central to the Marine effort in Desert Storm, and it pained him to be watching it from home!

Once on returning from a vacation in Hawaii he was wearing a huge shark tooth around his neck. When I asked him about it, he told me that while he was snorkeling in the ocean a shark was trying to get some kids, so he swam out and fought the shark and brought the kids to shore safely. The Coast Guard shot the shark and gave him the necklace with a tooth. I was thinking, “Dang! Erskine has all the cool stories.” I was getting ready to share the story with the congregation when Melinda walked up and told me Erskine was just joshing me.

He accomplished so much as a Pastor on staff, in fact, it was during his time as Executive Pastor that we reached 6,000 in attendance at the Meydenbauer Center Christmas service. He took a lot of young people under his wing, and many of them are rock strong Marines today. The amount of praise that has been pointed his way since his death is overwhelming. God blessed the whole world through Erskine and his family. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

There will be a Memorial Service for Erskine at Washington Cathedral and we will let you know when we know the exact date this summer.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White