A leap of faith

Those words are a famous statement made by Winston Churchill.

Well, Jerry Wraa has been shot at and missed during the Vietnam War, but he thinks that perhaps jumping out of an airplane at 13,200 feet up is right up there in the exhilaration department.

How did it happen that Wraa, 70, found himself tethered to a parachute in June 2018?

The path to the leap of faith began with his involvement in helping injured veterans launch themselves from Lake Itasca’s headwaters for a journey down the Mississippi River in September 2017. Called the Operation Heartland Forward Momentum, two military veterans began their journey with the Veterans Adventure Group. The veterans were Daniel Schenstrom of Florida and Justin Matejcek of Tennessee, along with Troy Smith, also of Tennessee, serving as the support vehicle operator. The two on the river used paddleboards as their vehicle to float down the river.

Members of the Bemidji VFW Post 1260 and the Auxiliary worked to help prepare the journey’s launch from Lake Itasca. Volunteers for this included: Post Commander Bruce Malterud and his wife Janie, Auxiliary Treasurer; Past Commander, Sr. Vice President Dave Christianson and his wife Becky, Past Auxiliary President; Post Chaplain Jerry Wraa and his wife Lana, Auxiliary Jr. Vice President; and Thor Teiden. Teiden, his wife and brother cleared the channel of obstacles for the paddlers prior to their arrival, as the water level was low. Teiden is also involved in the Veterans Adventure Group.

At the headwaters, the Veterans Adventure Group presented Commander Malterud a handmade wooden American flag, with the initials of fallen Army Rangers from the war on terror.

The river paddlers chronicled their progress on Facebook daily. Wraa and Lana were able to meet the paddlers one more time along their journey and responded to their Facebook posts with encouraging words for the rest of their 1,000 mile journey. The paddlers made it to St. Louis and because of old war wounds coming to haunt them had to put off the rest of their trip until healed.

But that’s not the end of Jerry Wraa’s connection. He remained in touch with Schenstrom, Matejcek and Smith and numerous other members of the Veterans Adventure Group (VAG) as they continued challenging activities around the country.

As Wraa explained to me, the VAG strives to help restore the lives of veterans injured physically or emotionally during war. The VAG’s official mission statement: “It is the mission, duty, and purpose of Veterans Adventure Group to restore teamwork and purpose, provide support, guidance, and a strong network by building, training, and equipping teams of Veterans to thrive in extreme environments.”

The VAG is a non-profit organization formed in 2016 and is “comprised of a group of veterans determined to make a difference in the lives of other veterans.” The VAG missions entail having veterans participate in what they call “extreme” activities. These range from mountain climbing to skydiving. The idea, noted Wraa, is to “empower people to get back on the edge and push themselves past that limit again.”

One such skydiving event took Sgt. 1st Class Cory Remsburg to skydive in Arizona in the spring of 2018. Remsburg was an Army Ranger injured by an IED during his 10th deployment with his regiment. After the VAG saw the success of this adventure, they talked to Remsburg’s family, and started the “Remy Empowerment Jump” in Cory’s honor.

After a bit of coaxing, the VAG drafted Wraa for the second time in his life. The first time it was Uncle Sam’s Army calling. This time the VAG drafted him to be the first participant in the new Remy Empowerment Jump. Wraa was the person of interest in this case because of his encouragement of others involved with VAG activities. As noted by Schenstrom on the VAG Facebook page, “Chaplain Wraa holds a special place in the hearts of Justin ‘Jello Cups’ Matejcek, Troy Smith and myself since his VFW Post and family helped out so much during the first phase of the paddle trip. It is an honor to have Chaplain Wraa as our first jumper as he (is a) role model for giving back to both the veteran and civilian community….” Schenstrom called Wraa and told him he was picked to be the first jumper (other than Remsburg) in the Remy Empowerment Jump.

Remsburg wrote to Wraa: “I am thrilled you will be the second Remy Jump sponsored by Veterans Adventure Group. I will be looking forward to seeing the pictures and video of your jump. Thank you for all that you have done for our great country, and you continue to do with VFW as well. Wishing you a safe adventure.”

Wraa was not so excited about being in line to “push himself past that limit again.” Nevertheless, he accepted the challenge.

He said he prayed and then found comfort and guidance in Psalm 57:1 “… Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, ….” After reading Psalm 27:14 he was greatly encouraged: “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

He noted, “That solidified a spirit of calm that came over me and I knew this was right and all would be well, and I knew this was a promise of the Most High God.”

“The Holy Spirit descended upon me,” said Wraa. “My fear was gone.”

“Normally, I’m a chicken,” he said. But on the day of his jump, he had no fear. When he jumped, he said, “I could just about see Jesus.”

On June 23, 2018, Wraa boarded an airplane at Baldwin, Wis., with Skydive Twin Cities, a U.S. Parachute Association member. His dive was in tandem with master parachute instructor Kasey Matejcek, an Army Ranger veteran and cousin to river paddler Justin Matejcek.

Wraa said the plane climbed to 13,200 feet altitude. Strapped together with Kasey Matejcek, it was time to leap into the sky. They fell at 180 feet per second (120 mph) for two miles and then opened the parachute, gliding the last half mile to the ground. (To watch the video of Wraa during his first skydive go to: https://skydivetwincities.smugmug.com/Videos/Jerry-Wraa/)

Later that day, Schenstrom posted on the VAG Facebook page: “Today we took 70-year-old Vietnam Veteran on his first skydiving excursion. Something to further empower him to continue pushing forward. We are so happy for Chaplain Wraa and taking the leap into the vast blue skies. I don’t ever want to hear an excuse why you can’t do something, whether age or physical limitations, there is always a way. Remember, always be awesome.”

Wraa said that one of the purposes of the VAG is to help restore veterans damaged by war. He said suicide among veterans is at an all-time high. Events such as his skydive, he noted, help give purpose and help to reestablish a veteran from military service and war back to civilian life.

Wraa wrote to the VAG, “Thanks to all veterans, to the VAG and praise unto God who keeps us in the shadow of His wings. The Lord has a reason for this, the mission will continue, as we know God’s timing is perfect. Those of you hearing or watching this, take thought: The Lord has a purpose for each of us to make a difference for America, for our Veterans, and for the Kingdom of God. To God be the Glory in Jesus’ name.”