MIAMI — Nearly three decades after a helicopter crash in Ecuador nearly cost him his life, retired U.S. Air Force Col. John Alvarez says prayer and faith helped sustain him through a painful recovery and a journey back to the cockpit.

Alvarez, a South Florida native and the son of Cuban immigrants, was a U.S. Navy lieutenant when he was assigned to an exchange tour with a special operations unit with the Air Force.

On Sept. 19, 1996, Alvarez was in Ecuador on what he described as a counter-narcotics training mission. He was a passenger aboard a Gazelle helicopter when it crashed into a dense jungle river.

The helicopter’s pilot died on impact. Alvarez said he and a United States Navy SEAL’s member aboard the aircraft were engulfed by the fast-flowing water.

Seriously injured, Alvarez prayed for his life.

“You can have my legs, Lord. Take both of my legs, but just bring me back to my girls,” Alvarez said.

His prayer was followed by a rescue effort that pulled him from the river and transported him to Quito, Ecuador’s capital, for emergency surgery. Days later, he was flown to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.

During the flight, Alvarez saw a U.S. flag covering him.

“When the flight nurse, when they put me onto the C-141, I see the big U.S. flag hanging on me. Yes, I’m going home. Thank you, God,” Alvarez said.

But he soon learned the flag carried a more sobering meaning.

“I didn’t realize that the flag was there to drape my body if I died on the flight home,” he said.

To help calm his fears, an Air Force captain gave Alvarez three items and told him to deliver them to his family.

“He brought me two teddy bears, one for each of my daughters, and a rose for Shelley,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez recalled the captain’s instructions.

“He said, ‘you hand deliver this to your kids,’ do you understand?”' Alvarez said.

It was the first thing Alvarez did after arriving at the base.

His wife, Shelley, was waiting for him. She clutched the rose in one hand and placed her other hand on his forehead.

The crash left Alvarez with devastating injuries. His left leg was amputated, while his right leg was held together with screws.

Despite the injuries, Alvarez said his faith remained intact.

“I got the two for one deal,” he said. “He let me keep one leg and I got my daughters and my wife back.”

For Alvarez, the experience became a story of loss, faith and newfound purpose — one that would ultimately lead him to defy expectations and pursue his goal of returning to flight.

“There are things that are more powerful than you know, and it’s the power of prayer and faith,” Alvarez said.

His journey continues beyond the crash and recovery.

Part two of Alvarez’s story includes his return to the cockpit, a new addition to his family and a special tribute from his daughter, Lisette.

If you‘d like to read about Colonel John Alvarez’s courageous journey, the book “Walk, Run, Fly Again” is available for purchase.

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