The Battle
by Gregory Hetzer
Authors' Tranquility Press


"When it comes to doing God's work and saving babies' lives, efficiency is very imperative and must be a priority."

Hetzer's memoir depicts his incredible transformation from a me-centric life to one dedicated to serving the Lord. On an otherwise ordinary Labor Day weekend in 2008, Hetzer is enjoying his yacht and contemplating how material success has come at the expense of church time and service. A series of losses punctuated by the death of his father furthers the realization that God is speaking through the grief. The author's search to find himself leads him to the Knights of Columbus, bringing him one step closer to his ultimate goal: protecting the unborn children of God.

With clarity and elegance, Hetzer shares a series of "coincidences" that can be viewed as nothing short of a miracle of God's hand in what transpires. What begins with the author inciting an argument with his wife evolves into one of the first miracles of happenstance. After Marie leaves following their fight, Hetzer goes to find her at church and instead runs into a homeless woman who needs $400 to pay her family's rent—the exact same amount as Hetzer's dinner tab with friends the night before that sparked the argument. Fittingly, it was later that day that Hetzer's "why" would reveal itself to him: the Ultrasound Initiative Program.

Central to Hetzer's message is the idea that when a mother-to-be can see and hear her baby's heartbeat, the sensory experience prompts the mother to reconsider her decision to abort. The process of integrating a new machine at different centers is a multifaceted one, but Hetzer meticulously ensures smooth functionality and ultimately, efficiency and complete awareness. The author's zeal for this mission is unmistakable; he sincerely believes that his work is the medium through which countless children of God will eventually have a chance at their earthly lives rather than being terminated in the womb. Whether it's "A Baby's Image" or the "Water Blue Pregnancy Center," Hetzer, in collaboration with the Knights, is relentless in bringing this technology to the forefront.

Interestingly, intuition plays a central role in the author's life and the various near-death experiences faced by himself or his family, whether that be car rollovers or explosions at centers Hetzer frequents. With his commitment to the initiative, his own business takes a hit: it goes from five trucks to one, and that one gets into an accident. Nevertheless, Hetzer's resolve remains undeterred. Adopting a Viktor Frankl mindset from Man's Search for Meaning, Hetzer pushes on, knowing that he can persevere through business losses, but he cannot let down God's unborn children. Further, there are undeniable near misses, like when his eighteen-year-old accidentally lets off an arrow that misses the adjacent room—and his fifteen-year-old son—because of a three-quarter-inch copper pipe. More than anything, the author sees these events as an acknowledgment of God working through and watching over him and his family.

Digging deeper, Hetzer's mission is to put out kindness, compassion, and empathy, thereby turning all centers into an Elizabeth House, a nonprofit sanctuary for pregnant women in need. Throughout his narrative, he never wavers from his calling and distills his experiences and efforts through the written word in a manner compelling enough that the message resonates even with the layman.

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