Service & Sacrifice: A Father's Sacrifice and a Son's Service

He lost his dad more than thirty-years ago but only now can Dr. Jim Lewis pick up a book or magazine and read the details about his father's death.

"Even though you try to rationalize it, there is nothing rational about it," said Dr. Lewis.

Jim Lewis was just nine years old when he lost his dad.  His father was a Special Forces pilot on a secret hostage rescue mission.  Capt. Harold "Hal" Lewis was killed during an attempt to rescue fifty-three American hostages in Iran back in 1980.  The mission turned tragic on a dirt airstrip in a middle eastern desert.  In its early stages the mission suffered several setbacks but then came disaster.  Bad weather and a frenetic push to scrub the mission both lead to a US helicopter to slam into the airplane piloted by Capt. Lewis during a refueling stop.

"The (news) showed images and I had a bad feeling about that and voiced it to my mom.  The next thing I knew we were being picked up form school and the house was full of military people and friends.  That's when I found out," said Dr. Lewis.

A military colonel who knew the eight men who died in the "Desert One" disaster wanted to ensure their children wouldn't be forgotten.  He helped establish a scholarship for all seventeen children impacted by the crash. 

Jim Lewis took advantage of that help.  He went to college and majored in biology at Florida State.  After finding academic success in his undergraduate work, he moved on to medical school.  Dr. Lewis is now an oncologist at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.  His entire education was paid for through the Special Operations Warrior Foundation Scholarship.

"The average person coming out of medical school has $200,000 in debt," said Dr. Lewis.   He left school with zero debt.

Dr. Lewis says he thinks his father would be proud.

"I think he'd find it hard to believe.  It is hard to believe that a nine year old kid can evolve into someone that is fortunate to be taking care of people who fight their own struggles with cancer everyday," said Dr. Lewis.

So far the foundation scholarship has now helped more than eight hundred children earn a college degree.  It averages about one hundred every year.