USA (MNN) — It’s been almost a week since former US President Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt last Saturday at a political rally. Trump is currently the Republican candidate in this year’s US presidential election.
Trump was shot in the ear in the attack. Additionally, two rally attendees were seriously injured, and one was killed. The person who died was Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter who was shot while shielding his family.
Donald Trump ushered off the stage by US Secret Service after taking a bullet through the ear. (Photo courtesy of Evan Vucci – Original publication: https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-photos-secret-service-rushing-blood-ear-2024-7Immediate source: https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-photos-secret-service-rushing-blood-ear-2024-7, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77350262)
For American citizens, the incident was a shocking event. However, for military service members, law enforcement officers, and veterans, the attack had a unique and profound impact.
Steve Prince with Warriors Set Free, a division of Set Free Ministries, recalls, “I got a notification on my phone, and I was in a grocery store and I was highly upset…. At that point, we didn’t know if he was dead or hit or not. It was an odd moment for me because people that hadn’t heard were in this ‘everything’s normal’ state.
“I know that assassinations have started World Wars. So I immediately go into a combat mindset of, okay, what could happen next? If this is a coordinated attack, are there other people attacking other places in a 9/11 scenario? It instantly brought me back to a tactical mindset of evaluate your environment, look around, make good decisions, and expect the worst and prepare for that.”
Available evidence points to this being a lone-wolf attack. But more information continues to emerge about the leadership and security lapses that allowed the attack to occur.
“We’re all trained to think like the enemy,” says Prince, a veteran himself. “If we were to get an attack, where would we set up? You put your mindset in the enemy’s head of like, ‘If I knew what I knew about us, where would I set up?’ Then you go and you take out that opportunity.”
Prince says through the ministry of Warriors Set Free, he often talks with veterans and law enforcement who struggle in the aftermath of events that end in tragedy or near-tragedy — due to either personal error, red tape from leadership, or other circumstances outside of their control.
The weight of guilt, trauma, and grief can sometimes be too much to bear. Warriors Set Free steps in and bears up these veterans, law enforcement, and military personnel with the unwavering support of biblical truth while helping them create a support system.
(Photo courtesy of Martin Jernberg/Unsplash)
Prince says, “I’ve been in houses with intoxicated veterans with firearms on the table, and we’re having the conversation. In that moment, I get to be a part of that person’s personal protection team. I’m there to protect them from themselves and God shows up and the Holy Spirit has given me words to say in an effort to be that guy who lays my body in the way in an effort to save a brother”
Amidst conversations surrounding the shooting of President Trump, Prince says it emphasizes the critical need to pray for our law enforcement and military personnel who put their lives on the line to confront evil.
“It’s our responsibility and their responsibility to fight that evil nose-to-nose…. When most people run from the gunfire, first responders and military run towards it,” says Prince.
“When we pray for law enforcement and you think about the worst places that the worst times, that’s where they have to be. Pray for divine protection, pray for divine decision-making, [and] pray for them to be alert.”
Please also pray specifically for Comperatore’s family as they grieve his loss. Ask God to surround and comfort them.
Connect with Warriors Set Free here.
Header photo courtesy of Israel Palacio/Unsplash.
