Don Osteen is a name that you should know and remember – he is a man that died a hero, in every sense of the word.

Don Osteen is an Army veteran and grandfather that loved his grandchildren more than life itself. This heartbreaking and tragic story show just how far he would go to prove that.

Osteen received a Purple Heart after fighting during the Vietnam War, and although that alone makes him a hero, it was what he did for his 3-year-old granddaughter that truly earns him the title.

Osteen sacrificed his life in order to save his granddaughter from a home explosion in Oklahoma on September 19, 2019.

The army veteran, 69, fought for his life days after the explosion but succumbed to a heart attack on September 23rd. It was a terrible tragedy that started so quickly, no one had time to think or react.

Osteen was preparing lunch, standing about 15 to 30 feet away from the front door. He lit a candle next to the gas stove and that’s when the giant and powerful explosion occurred

Immediately after the explosion, Osteen saw that the roof had fallen on his 3-year-old granddaughter Paetyn. He quickly ran to her through the flames.

Fighting his way through burning flames and thick smoke, Osteen was able to pick up his granddaughter and rush her out of the house to safety. His grandfatherly instincts surely kicked in at that moment.

“After saving my daughter’s life, he then hiked up a driveway that goes a quarter of a mile through the woods and through and back up a steep creek bed,” Don Osteen’s son, Brendon, told CNN.

Once the authorities were alerted of the explosion and fire, both Osteen and Paetyn were airlifted to Integris Burn Center in Oklahoma City, fighting for their lives.

The house had been annihilated in the explosion, destroying everything. Osteen was put in the ICU in critical condition. He had suffered terrible burns over 75 percent of his body, had a collapsed lung, and several broken ribs. As for the 3-year-old girl, Paetyn suffered burns on 30 percent of her body.

”Even with over 78% of Papa’s body covered with 3rd degree burns with flesh hanging off his body, a punctured lung and most ribs broken, he carried Pae down the road over 1/4 of a mile to find help,” the family said on their GoFundMe page.

Sadly, the heroic grandpa died from the injuries he suffered that tragic day.

What makes this story so incredible is the fact that Osteen was disabled due to a grenade explosion in Vietnam, so moving, especially moving quickly, was not an easy task for him.

“He was an old man who shouldn’t have been able to do what he did,” said Brendon Osteen.

But that day – he was somehow able to fight past his disability in order to save the life of his beloved granddaughter who certainly wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him.

“He knew that he did his job by saving the life of his Boo Boo Chicken,” Brendon wrote on Facebook.

“He loved my daughter beyond unconditionally. And he gave it all for her to live. He was a great God fearing man who impacted so many people. And he will be missed dearly.”

Osteen’s son set up a Facebook fundraiser that reached its goal in a matter of days. Read the full update on Paetyn below.

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https://www.facebook.com/brendon.osteen1/posts/2743303619015461

Source: Newsner