American Hears 'God's Call' to Leave Home and Fight Against ISIS
A 49-year-old American living in Costa Rica decided to heed God's call on his life and join the fight against ISIS.
Dean Parker, formerly from Florida, joined the Lions of Rojava, a group of fighters linked with the Kurdish People's Protection Unit in October. He felt called to action after seeing ISIS persecute the Yazidi people and trap them on a mountainside.
"Women and children rushed in and started piling into the chopper," Parker told Mail Online. "The cameraman filmed this one mother holding her 10- or 11-year-old son. He was dressed for school it seemed. She was crying, holding him. He was looking at the camera and that look of sheer terror in his eyes overwhelmed me with emotions I have never felt before. I actually became physically ill and crying uncontrollably."
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Eventually, he decided to tell his family about his decision but not before safely arriving in Rojava, a small town near the Turkish border. Parker did so via a Facebook post but knows now that he is doing the right thing by taking up arms against ISIS.
"The only way to explain this, is that I heard God's call," Parker posted online. "The Kurds are the most amazing people, I'm so very blessed. I'm in very good hands."
The biggest difficulty facing Parker is not knowing the Kurdish language, but thankfully he is embedded with a few other English persons who are able to help translate. Since arriving in the Turkish region, he has tried to keep everyone posted of his movements and updates on the Kurdish fight against ISIS.
"Merry Christmas Everyone. Thanks so much for all the supportive messages. Please say a prayer for all the brave YPG/YPG fighters who have made the real sacrifices in the past week of heavy fighting here. They are OUR HERO's [sic] Long Live YPG/YPJ Long Live Kobani. Long Live Western Kurdistan," he posted on Dec. 26.
The Kurds have been targeted by ISIS for their beliefs, and even though several Americans have joined ISIS forces, Parker's story is a rather unique one given that he has decided to fight with the minority.
