The sniff. The hiss. The slow, body-length, nose-to-skin inspection. In his long-perfected impression of a two-hundred pound Komodo Dragon, Uncle Chris lumbered from kid-to-kid, all lying prone on the carpet and trying their darnest not to react.

A shriek? She was out. Uncontrollable giggles? He crawled away, too. One-by-one, children caved to the creepy dragon nosing their ears or ribs or backs of knees until only the most intrepid child remained.

Usually, a four-year-old.

Two generations of kids loved the game—including mine. Played it with their own children.

And they loved Uncle Chris.

Two weeks ago, their favorite muscly dragon was driving his 35th Edition Mustang Cobra on the freeway when a blood vessel burst in his groin. At the guardrail, the car rolled, and elite warrior Chris Soto began the fight of his life.

A week later, he won.

His wife (the beloved sister I talk to daily) and his brother Scott (also a military pilot) said this about Chris in his obituary:

A week after a ruptured aneurysm and a subsequent car crash, Christopher C. Soto, a warrior veteran of the United States Air Force, slipped his final bond of earth, danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings for the last time, and climbed the high sanctity of space, where he met the Savior he chose to trust in his last days.

The son of Arthur and Barbara Soto, Chris grew up in Tucson Arizona. He was the oldest of four brothers, including David, Scott, and Nick. Born May 28, 1952, Chris attended Rincon High School where he graduated in 1970. He received an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy “Best Alive” class of 1975. Chris earned a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in history, and was commissioned a second lieutenant upon graduation.

Chris distinguished himself in various assignments during his 25 year career. As a First Lieutenant Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) in the 561st “Wild Weasel” Fighter Squadron, during takeoff on a daily training flight, his F-105 Thunderchief aircraft—aka “Thud”—failed to respond to nose-up pitch commands and could not be stopped on the remaining runway. Traveling at 235 miles per hour, the aircraft overran the perimeter road, crashed through a fence, hit a small hill, tore off the landing gear, and exploded.

With the fire spreading, Chris quickly egressed from the aircraft only to realize his pilot was unconscious and couldn’t escape the burning plane. Without hesitation, Chris rushed back to the aircraft, raised the canopy and pulled his pilot out of the cockpit to safety. His act of valor and self-sacrifice resulted in the Secretary of the Air Force awarding Chris the Cheney Award and Airman’s Medal for Heroism.

In another incident, as a Captain and Flight Commander in the 90th “Wild Weasel” Tactical Fighter Squadron flying the F-4G Phantom II, Chris and his pilot were on a routine air combat training flight when the F-4G got into an unrecoverable spin. Realizing the plane was in peril, Chris commanded his crew to eject. The pilot was found within an hour, but it was several hours before Chris was located in the jungle mountains of the Philippines.

At Chris and Jan’s house, as family waited for words from the rescue helicopters, Jan could be heard saying, “He’ll be OK. He is too tough not to be.”

After eight years in combat operational squadrons, Chris took the path to the “dark side,” or what is more formally referred to as “The Black World,” where he participated in, and managed, numerous highly-classified programs and operations requiring the highest security clearances.

Even when he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2000, Chris was not finished. He traded his Air Force blue suit for contractor gray and protected our country and the warfighters defending it with his accountability and integrity. No one knew what he actually did in that job, since he would say, “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” He finally retired from defense contracting in 2018. 

His hobbies included challenging the local pros in racquetball, reading Clancy-style techno-thriller novels, engaging robo-callers, taking family vacations, improving their rural Virginia land, and sunbathing on Mexico beaches. True to his rich sense of humor, the first time Chris watched Home Alone, he laughed until he cried.

Whether escorting his daughter on the homecoming court, catching reptiles to bring home for pets, supervising his children during summer days at the pool, playing Komodo Dragon with kids, or riding motorcycle with his son, he was always present with his family.

Watching their children develop and grow, Chris and Jan recognized the importance of helping all children who needed a forever home and acted upon that belief by fostering and adopting many. He stood up for those kids, gave them opportunities to heal, encouraged their dreams, and taught them to honor family. His boys remember him saying, “We’re the thorns and Mom’s the rose. We protect the rose.”

Chris is survived by Jan, his wife of 44 years; their children Adam T. Soto (Becky), Chrisjan C. Soto, Mica E. Soto, Crissy D. Lowe, Delzar A. Soto, Denesha T. Saul (Brian), Darrell C. Soto, Genesis B. Soto, DeWayne N. Soto, Malaysia R. Soto, Renato H. Soto (Nora); and 21 grandchildren.

Services will be held on Monday, Nov 04, 2024 at First Baptist Church, 13600 Minnieville Rd., Woodbridge, VA.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations will be welcomed at the charity of your choice.  

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Just wanted you to know.

Chris will surely have more stories of rescue to tell when we meet him again. Especially his last one.

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Meanwhile, from my recent trip to NW Washington’s San Juan Islands, a few pics and thoughts for you.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

—Psalm 27:1

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“O storm-battered . . . troubled and desolate! I will rebuild you . . .”

—Isaiah 54:11

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“The LORD, the Lord, is my strength. He makes my feet like the deer’s . . . “

—Habakkuk 3:19

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“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

—Revelation 21:14

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Amen.

Shifting gears to BOOKISH STUFF:

The WINNER of Susan Meissner’s To Mimi’s House We Go is . . .

CINDY MERRILL!

Congratulations, Cindy! Please reply with your snail-mail address, and I’ll send the book to you later next week.

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And now . . . the GIVEAWAY OF THE YEAR!

Entries won’t officially begin until November 4, but if you’re reading this, you can sign up early.

Here’s the gist:

All you have to do is enter your email for a chance to win! That’s it!

** ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY IS SIMPLE – Sign up with your email for a chance to win one of FOUR fantastic prizes:

Prize #1: Wonderland Book Bundle #1  including 13 fiction and nonfiction books (worth $250+)!

Prize #2 Wonderland Book Bundle #2  including 13 fiction and nonfiction books (worth $250+)!

Prize #3: $200 Amazon Gift Card

Prize #4: $200 Amazon Gift Card

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE:   https://kingsumo.com/g/3z9qzem/a-readers-wonderland-giveaway

—or click the image below.

** Want to increase your chances of winning??  For additional entries, return to the link anytime before NOVEMBER 11 to FOLLOW, LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO the participating authors. You’ll see the list when you enter.

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IMPORTANT! The Reader’s Wonderland Giveaway runs 11/4-11/11. Random winners will be selected via KingSumo on 11/12 and notified within 48 hours. This giveaway is not sponsored or endorsed by anyone but the bunch of us. By entering the giveaway you agree to receive emails from the contributing authors as part of their email list, but feel free to unsubscribe at any time. All winners must confirm their emails via KingSumo’s confirmation email. We reserve the right to make sure each winner’s email address is valid. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. US Residents only. Must be 21+ years of age to participate.

Thank you for entering!

(This is a good one, friends. Share this with your book-loving friends? )

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In closing . . . I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Michelle Rayburn on her Midlife Repurposed Podcast. We talked story-telling, mid-life choices—and other topics I trust you’ll enjoy.

Michelle has a conversational knack . . . and extracts what matters.

She posted our interview Wednesday. If you haven’t heard it yet, click the image below or HERE to listen.

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By the time you read this, Blake and I will be in the air, flying to the east coast for my brother-in-law’s memorial. As we remember him, I’ll imagine my him healed—and that grin of his—as he views his coffin from on high. “Now who’s thinking outside the box?” I bet he’d say.

Love,

Cheryl

Watching Nature, Seeing Life: Through His Creation, God Speaks.