Refined by Fire: A Family's Triumph of Love and Faith [Paperback]

Brian Birdwell (Author), Mel Birdwell (Author), Ginger Kolbaba (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 21, 2004

2005 Gold Medallion Award finalist!
When hijacked American Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, LTC (RET) Brian Birdwell was only 15 to 20 yards away. He stepped out into the corridor and was instantly engulfed in flames—burns consumed 60 percent of his body, with almost 40 percent of them third-degree. Thirty-plus operations and countless physical therapy sessions later, his recovery has truly been remarkable, and spiritually he and his family are stronger than ever before. Brian and his wife, Mel, tell their captivating story of God's grace and sovereignty.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Using vivid first-person narration, the Birdwells describe how Brian suffered second- and third-degree burns over 60% of his body when terrorists crashed a jet into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, and how the family's Christian faith brought it through Brian's recovery. Birdwell spent three months in the hospital, enduring more than 30 surgeries, daily debridement (removal of unhealthy tissue) and physical therapy. The account alternates between the perspectives of husband and wife, and also incorporates the experiences of their son, Matt. The technique works well throughout; it is most gripping when Brian faces death alone in a flaming hallway and when Mel scrambles through gridlocked traffic to get to the hospital. Details set this book apart. The Birdwells relate Brian's horrific injuries and treatments in a way that might turn some stomachs (skin coming off with his wedding ring, a staph infection that covered his body with green pus). They also expose their own shortcomings: Mel feels guilty about leaving her son and berates some hospital staffers, while Brian expresses anger toward the terrorists. Such confessions lend credence to the Birdwells' belief that only a sovereign God could bring them through their ordeal. This memoir's striking descriptions of the Birdwells' pain, failures and faith against the backdrop of 9-11 will fascinate many readers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell is a survivor of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. After American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, just yards away from his second floor office, Brian was thrown to the ground and engulfed in flames. Of the burns that consumed 60 percent of his body, nearly half were third-degree burns. After having undergone more than 30 operations and months of multiple skin grafts, burn treatments and therapy sessions, Birdwell has made a remarkable recovery. Despite some physical limitations, he testifies not only to his physical healing, but also to his spiritual healing--the ultimate miracle of grace.

Birdwell is married to Melva Collins of Davis, Oklahoma. They have a 14-year-old son, Matthew, and live in Manassas, Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; Ex-Library edition (June 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0842386033
• ISBN-13: 978-0842386036
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #325,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overcoming tragedy by turning to faith, September 3, 2004

By 

FaithfulReader.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Refined by Fire: A Family's Triumph of Love and Faith (Paperback)

Many of the books written about the tragic events of 9/11 center on what happened at the World Trade Center or the field in Pennsylvania where Flight 93 crashed. Comparatively less has been written about the Pentagon. I always thought that this was because the Pentagon is a military installation and the levels of security there kept these stories quieter.

The fire from the crash in D.C. found victims there without regard to age, rank and serial number just as it did in New York and Pennsylvania. REFINED BY FIRE is the story of one of these victims, LTC Brian Birdwell, who survived the plane's impact by chance --- he was not in his office when the plane hit, but rather in a hallway outside. His two co-workers died at their desks.

The story is that of Brian's courage through thirty-plus surgeries, endless skin grafts and raging infection. While this was happening with great speed and accompanying stress, Mel was beside her husband, fighting for his dignity and sharing a strength and resolve to maintain both his honor and his position. The faith of the Birdwells is clear. God had His hand on their shoulders from the moment that fire hit. Both Mel and Brian turned to Scripture and prayer when many others might have collapsed from despair and anger. Scripture took on new meaning to Mel as she read passages and related them to their lives.

Mel read Scripture to Brian even as he lay unconscious. Instead of questioning their misfortune, she focused them on moving toward healing. They could not run through it, they could not hide from it. Instead, they needed to draw strength for each new step from God and each other.

I love the title of this book. These three words define so much about the Birdwells. They were refined. Their faith was refined. Their family spirit was refined. And through their battle they emerged not tarnished, but rather polished and shining in a new level.

A few personal notes about this book. I had the opportunity to meet Brian and Mel in June at a publisher's conference. I was walking from aisle to aisle when I spotted them with their publicist, who is a friend. We started to chat without my knowing who they were, or their story. After this brief conversation, there was something about their quiet resolve and sense of mission that drew me to read this book. It was like they were personalizing to me the healing that this country has been going through since 9/11.

I truly feel that we hurt more and needed to grieve more than we actually did for these events. Their horror was so overwhelming that the media backed off from the story, feeling people needed to move beyond it. But there are moments when I still wonder if much of the discord and polarization in this country right now comes from the way we were led to "move on" after these events when in reality the "safe" world we all knew came apart that day and its implications hurt more deeply than we may even know.

While I saw Brian's scars when talking to him and Mel, their pride and their humility exalted them in my eyes; they were more stripes of honor than of disfigurement. By the way, I know that pride and humility are two strange words to yoke together. However, in Brian's carriage and Mel's quiet grace, I saw that they understand that they have been tested and came through better for it, but they are also humbled as they know that theirs is just one story of this day that fortunately ended as well as it could. Their mission is to minister to others and speak and share their story.

I, who normally speed read, instead read REFINED BY FIRE in small chunks over the course of about two weeks. Each morning I found myself reading a chapter or two before getting out of bed. I found myself thinking about what the Birdwells had endured --- and risen above --- as I moved throughout my day. Part of the reason I feel I "rationed" this book is that reading about the painful effects of Brian's burning was tough reading. Also, I truly think that when we remember the effects of this tragedy with personal stories, we all grieve and then heal a bit more. Which is a healthy thing.

As we commemorate the third anniversary of 9/11 in September, reading REFINED BY FIRE is a fitting way to reflect and remember.

--- Reviewed by Carol Fitzgerald

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Remarkable Experience of One Family as They Meet God, July 20, 2004

By 

COL Richard B. Lakes "USAR Pharmacy Consultant" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Refined by Fire: A Family's Triumph of Love and Faith (Paperback)

This is truly a heartwarming and awakening story of one family's quick and abrupt encounter with God. From the moment that tragedy struck The Pentagon on September 11, 2001, Brian and Mel Birdwell both knew that there was a reason he was spared while others lost their lives. This is a time-line recollection of the day of the attack and the weeks and months that follow but more so, it's a story of belief and faith and finally a story of their willingness to share their feelings, their anger and their experience with both the reader and with the world through their outreach and personal ministry to other burn victims and wounded military members whereever they go. This is a great buy. You will never be sorry you read this faith-oriented story.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Story of Inspiration and Hope, August 16, 2004

By 

S. Hayden "usaf wife" (USAFA, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Refined by Fire: A Family's Triumph of Love and Faith (Paperback)

I love the way the story is told from both Brian and Mel's experiences. I can underatand many of the descriptions of the military as my husband is an major in the USAF. What a testimony to God's love and sovereignty. Their story will help put life into perspective as to what is truly important. What a great gift the Birdwells have given us.