Stories of Faith and Courage From World War II (27 page)

Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller. (U.S. Marine Corps)

With two Navy Crosses already to his name, Puller was destined to earn three more before his career was over. His units were called on for the toughest assignments, and Puller put himself in the most dangerous places to best direct the action. In training and in combat he demanded every ounce of effort from every man and was unrelenting in his drive to successfully complete every mission. He was hard on his men, but he was also hard on himself.

Chesty Puller was undoubtedly a natural soldier and a great fighter. His men respected and feared him, but amazingly, they also loved him. This is because he looked after them like a father. He was ruthless with junior officers who took advantage of their “privileges.” He was often seen standing in chow line with the men and eating with them. He pushed them to the limit on forced marches, but was usually seen helping carry machine guns and mortars to give those men some respite. Of commanders on Guadalcanal, he alone wrote personal letters to the wounded who had been evacuated. Sharing every danger and privation, he made his men feel like he was one of them.

Puller made a lasting contribution to the unique style of leadership that became firmly imbedded in Marine Corps tradition. It was not a “rank has its privilege” model. It was fundamentally a “servant” model. Every Marine officer learns, almost as a religious principle, that the needs of his men come before his own. The true prototype of this model is of course Jesus Christ. Service and sacrifice were the hallmarks of his life and ministry on Earth.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.

—Philippians 2:5–7

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AY 10

Chaplain Controversy

Chesty Puller was not known as an outwardly religious man. Nevertheless, he took an active interest in the religious welfare of his men and made sure frequent services were held, especially for his troops in the front lines. He wanted the chaplains to do their jobs and to be with their men. He became incensed when his Protestant chaplain remained in a rear area during an extensive patrol into enemy-held areas. The chaplain protested that he thought he could do more working in a medical station caring for the wounded. Puller shouted, “ You weren’t up where the fighting was. I think I’ll prefer charges against you for being absent from your regiment. Your place was with the fighting men—your battalion.”
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Due to this incident and others not known, Puller formed some strong opinions about chaplains and their denominations. He complained that, “ In all our fighting I’ve known only a few Protestant chaplains worth their rations. ” After the war, he made another pointed comment to his Episcopal bishop in Virginia: “ I can’t understand why our Church sends such poorly prepared men as chaplains when fighting breaks out. The Catholics pick the very best, young, virile, active and patriotic. The troops look up to them.”
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Chesty Puller’s opinions on clergy reflect his own experience, and I don’t know how generally true they were. I cite his comments only to point out that his priorities were in the right place, for himself, his officers, and his chaplains. We can’t effectively lead our families, employees, or congregations from a distance. We need to be “in the trenches” where the problems and frustrations can be understood and dealt with.

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

—1 Peter 5:2–3

Marines man a machine gun in the jungle. (National Archives)

Worshiping in a jungle chapel. (National Archives)

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AY 11

Manila John

Sgt. John Basilone is a Marine Corps legend. Nicknamed “Manila John” by his men, he single-handedly held a key position defending the line on Guadalcanal against an all-out Japanese assault on October 24, 1942. Noticing one of his machine-gun positions silenced during the battle, he carried another gun and tripod, weighing about ninety pounds, across two hundred yards of fire-swept terrain and took up the fight by himself. During the night he retraced his steps to get more ammunition, holding his position all night under repeated attacks. For these feats he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was awarded the Navy Cross for heroism on Iwo Jima, where he was tragically killed in action on February 19, 1945.

In between these battles Basilone returned to the United States, where he traveled the country, speaking on behalf of the war effort. The Marine Corps offered to commission him an officer and to assign him to stateside duty. His response, “ I ain’t no officer, and I ain’t no museum piece. I belong back with my outfit.”
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Before returning to duty in the Pacific, he found time to pen a thoughtful prayer for publication in the
Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Prayer Book
:

Prayer by a Marine Corps Sergeant

O God, I confess that I did not really appreciate the value of religious freedom until I was wholly certain of the righteousness of our course. Born of humble parentage I was not endowed with a spiritual expressiveness. Since my exploits I was uplifted by the power of Christ. It was He who watched over me with an unmistakable sign of divine guidance. How I ever was spared from the Great Beyond only the Lord knows. I pray each night for my comrades who paid the Supreme Sacrifice and I know that they are triumphant inhabitants of heaven white flowers of a blameless life. I now carry the riches of God in my heart something that I shall forever be thankful for. Almighty God, I ask for your continued guidance. Please redeem and purify humanity, for thine is the power forever and ever. Amen.
¹⁸⁰

Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.

—Job 14:1–2

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AY 12

Munro

Coast Guard personnel were an important part of the amphibious forces assembled for the Guadalcanal operation. Many of them came from lifeguard stations and their experience with small boats in rough seas was invaluable. They proved to be seasoned coxswains for the all-important landing craft moving men and supplies from ship to shore.

Douglas Munro was one of these Coast Guard sailors. He distinguished the Coast Guard and himself by heroically rescuing a group of Marines in trouble on Guadalcanal. The Higgins boats used by Munro in this action were thirty-four foot plywood craft with no protection for the crews. The story is best told in Munro’s Medal of Honor citation:

For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty as Officer-in-Charge of a group of Higgins boats, engaged in the evacuation of a Battalion of Marines trapped by enemy Japanese forces at Point Cruz, Guadalcanal, on September 27, 1942… Munro, under constant risk of his life, daringly led five of his small craft toward the shore. As he closed the beach, he signaled the others to land, and then placed his craft with its two small guns as a shield between the beachhead and the Japanese. When the perilous task of evacuation was nearly completed, Munro was killed by enemy fire… By his outstanding leadership, expert planning, and dauntless devotion to duty, he and his courageous comrades undoubtedly saved the lives of many who otherwise would have perished. He gallantly gave up his life in defense of his country.
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Douglas Munro grew up in the small town of Cle Elum, Washington. He showed an early aptitude for music and was a leader in his high school and college bands. In 1939 he was twenty years old when he felt the call to serve his country. He picked the Coast Guard because “ it was dedicated to saving lives.”
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By putting this mission before his own life, he became the only member of the U.S. Coast Guard to receive the Medal of Honor.

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

—John 12:24

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AY 13

Why?

On the night of October 13, 1942, a group of Marines on Guadalcanal had a special celebration for a young private who they affectionately called “The Kid.” That afternoon a rare delivery of mail had brought news that the Kid’s wife had finally had her baby.

Sgt. Jim O’Leary, one of the toughest noncommissioned officers in the unit, was especially excited, as he had taken a special interest in the expectant father over the weeks of anxious waiting for this news. He organized a party and led the celebration on a night seemingly blessed by the absence of the usual air attacks.

Later that night, however, the Japanese launched a frenzied all-out attack on the Marine lines. During a lull in the fighting a Navy chaplain went forward to help with the wounded. In the darkness, he found Jim O’Leary wandering in a daze, his face streaked with tears. When O’Leary recognized the chaplain, he yelled:

“The Kid’s dead… he’s gone. What the h ___ good are your prayers and your religion? Did they stop the shrapnel that tore half his head off? Why wasn’t it me instead of him? If there is really a God and He had to have a human sacrifice, why couldn’t He have been satisfied with O’Leary, instead of taking a kid with a young wife and a brand new baby who’ll never see his father? Why should anyone believe and trust in Jesus or Mary when they’ve allowed a crime like this to happen? Why did it happen, Padre? Why? Why?”
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Knowing it wouldn’t help much at the moment, the chaplain softly replied, “ We must take God on faith. ”
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Books have been written attempting to answer this apparent riddle. If God is good and all-powerful, how can he let such bad things happen? The answer lies in how God created human beings and the universe. It was his plan that humans have the freedom to do good and bad, and that nature should create and destroy according to properties that he established. He doesn’t cause our pain, but he knows that we will be blessed by it if it brings us closer to him.