Last Tuesday afternoon, in the back room of Kelly’s Kitchen, the Russellville Civitan Club met as it does nearly every Tuesday to hear from an invited speaker.
Last week, the speaker was Reverend Jim Storie of First Christian Church in Florence. Storie’s purpose in speaking to the members of the Civitan Club was not to preach from scripture but to speak from his heart.
Reverends attempt to help and comfort those dealing with loss and sorrow on a regular basis, but in this area Storie has an experience unique to most pastors. Aside from being the full-time reverend at his church, Storie also serves as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Speaking to those gathered in the room, Storie recreated the scene from a horrible day that many have already forgotten, but a day that changed his life forever.
“This is a story that needs to be told,” he said.
On July 16, 2015, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez killed five and wounded two others when he attacked a U.S. military recruitment center and a U.S. Navy Reserve center in Chattanooga. Storie recounted, in detail, the actions of the lone-wolf terrorist Abdulazeez and told of the heroic actions of the Marines and sailors on the base that day.
Specifically, Storie identified the five victims–Sergeant Carson Holmquist, Logistics Specialist Second Class Randall Smith, Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Sullivan, Lance Corporal Squire “Skip” Wells and Staff Sergeant David Wyatt–who each died while returning fire, providing cover or otherwise attempting to protect others fleeing the scene.
“The actions and bravery of those five individuals and others, I believe, saved a lot of lives,” said Storie, who served in the National Guard from 1987-93 and became a Navy chaplain in 2008. “I tell the story because people should know these Marines were acting like Marines. They weren’t in Iraq or Afghanistan but here at home, and they were doing what they were trained to do.”
Storie, a Tennessee native, was not on the Chattanooga base the day of the attack, but he was sent to Chattanooga the following day to be there for those who needed emotional and spiritual support. For the next few weeks, Storie was there serving as chaplain for the men and women on the base and for the families of the fallen.
“I spent the next thirty days ministering to families,” he said, “I attended five funerals in five days in four states. Those few weeks I spent with the families were very special, and I can not describe the honor and privilege I felt to be able to talk to them and be with them during that time.”
After the attack, Storie participated in events honoring the fallen military personnel and helped set up memorials and monuments in their name, he said.
To this day, Storie continues to tell people about July 16 and about the actions taken by those on the base. Even though it was just two years ago, he said many people have already forgotten about it.
“Unfortunately, the nature of the news is something happens and then a day or two later, people forget about it,” he said. “My goal is to remind people that the men and women in our military aren’t just making sacrifices on the battlefields in different countries; they’re heroes right here at home, too."
