Though an army besiege me, my heart will not
fear; though war
break out against me, even then will I
be confident. Ps. 27:3
There
have been wars since almost the beginning of time and shall be until the end
(Dan. 9:26). However, most have never experienced a World War. Some
fought bravely and many died in Korea, or in Vietnam, but as bad as
it was, the whole world was not at war since World War II. Many
people today do not even know what Patriotism is. They do not
understand why eyes fill with tears when saluting the American flag, or why
tears flow while listening to the song, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of
Liberty.”
The
word, ‘Patriotism’, means “devotion to one’s country”. Yet, how
little respect many Americans have for the United States and how
little for the ‘red, white and blue’. Those without respect for
country and flag are trampling on the graves of the hundreds of thousands who
fought and died for love of country. If only we could see
what America would have been like if it weren’t for those brave men?
Let
me tell you of one such man. He was young – just turned eighteen
when war with Japan broke loose. He lied his age to get in
the military and joined the army to see the world, but not in the way he
experienced it. After basic training, he was stationed
at Hawaii, a paradise for a small town boy. He left home with
the fear of God in his heart, but the world quickly drew him into its
snare. He partied in paradise completely oblivious to the fact that
paradise was about to be turned into Hell. He had a 3-day pass and
headed away from Scoffield Barracks early in the morning, on his motorcycle,
along with some of his buddies.
Suddenly
the sky was filled with planes, bombs dropping everywhere and fighter planes
riddling everything that moved with the staccato of thousands of rounds of
ammunition. The boys turned around their motorcycles and headed back
to camp. The young man grabbed an anti-aircraft gun of a soldier who
had fallen and he began shooting, not knowing or caring who the enemy was.
That
day, the news read like this:
“Early in the morning of December 7,
1941, Japanese submarines and carrier-based planes attacked
the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. Nearby military
airfields were also attacked by the Japanese planes. Eight American battleships
and 13 other naval vessels were sunk or badly damaged, almost 200 American
aircraft were destroyed, and approximately 3000 naval and military personnel
were killed or wounded. The attack marked the entrance of Japan into World
War II on the side of Germany and Italy, and the entrance of
the United States on the Allied side.” On December
11, 1941, Germany also declared war on the United
States. The entire world was then at war.
When
the young man went back to his barracks, it had almost been
destroyed. The water pipes were broken and many soldiers were killed
as they slept in their bunks, which left the floor awash with bloody
water. His bunk, an upper one, was riddled with bullet holes, which
went through killing the soldier beneath. Truly, it was by the grace
of God, he was spared.
From there he was
shipped out to the island of New Guinea where he fought the
Japanese for the next four years. He was gone from his home five
years to the day, when he returned. It wasn’t until he was in his sixties that
the U.S. government honored him for his heroism at Pearl
Harbor. He received medals and a flag from the state
capitol. He was extremely proud of his service to his
country. He belonged to an elite group called, “Pearl Harbor
Survivors”.
The horrors of the
things he experienced were to remain with him the rest of his life. Over the
years, he tried to drown the memories out with alcohol. He spoke
often of being a loner, who would take his camper out to isolated spots where
he would just sit by a camp fire and think. In his later years, he
dried out and became a pleasanter person, but his life style of alcohol and
cigarettes dissipated his body and at seventy-two, he passed from this
world.
How do I know all this
about the young man? He was my brother.
War does horrible things
to people. Some are affected more than others, but no one is ever
the same. My brother was much older than I was, but as a child, I
too was touched by the war. I grieved for the brother that carried
me on his shoulders, or played horsy so I could ride on his back. I
lost him when he left for the service and that loving, caring brother never
returned. He would forever be a stranger to me.
As we remember the brave
on Memorial Day, let us take a spiritual look at fighting in the service –
the service of the King.
“Finally, my brethren,
be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God
that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not
wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor
of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all,
to stand.” Eph. 5:10-13
The same spiritual
enemy, who worked through the World Wars, is still warring against
us. He wants to defeat us and drive us into a hopeless
lifestyle. He won’t give up, but the good news is, God has provided
for us, so we can stand against him. We don’t have to turn to the
things of the world. We don’t have to be blind, wretched and
naked. Not when we can put on the whole armor of God. Verse 18
says, “Praying always with
all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all
perseverance and supplication for all the saints…”
Today let us remember those who gave their lives for our country. Also,
there are multitudes of unsung Christian heroes and martyrs who have paved the
way for us. Let us hold their service dear to our hearts and be
proud to be a part of the Kingdom of God, which is the true “land of the
free, and the home of the brave”.
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