Stories of Faith and Courage From World War II (34 page)

This is a great picture to keep in mind when dealing with other people. That other person, no matter how unattractive or unappreciative, is in fact some mother’s son or daughter. That person may have different problems or even values than our own, but in most cases started out just as we did. A mother and/or a father loved them and had high hopes for them. This is even truer of our heavenly Father, who created every human being and loves us all as his own children. He may not like what we are doing at any moment, but he nevertheless has provided for the salvation of every soul. When we deal with others, we need this perspective. Instead of focusing on the differences, we should see first our common bonds as children of God.

Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?

—Job 31:15

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UNE 17

Ignorance Is Bliss

James Coyle spent his first night at the Italian front wrapped up in half a pup tent, trying to shield himself from a driving rain. The next morning he lined up with others at a chow truck for breakfast. When two German aircraft appeared and began strafing a nearby unit, everyone around Coyle scattered for shelter. He described what he did next:

I scooted and slid down to the chow truck, climbed up on it, and asked the cook, “Is it OK to get some coffee?” The cook said, “Take the whole d____truck. I’m getting out of here!” I can’t tell you how delicious the pancakes smothered with blueberry and strawberry jam tasted as I sipped my coffee and watched the enemy planes.
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There is a well-known paraphrase of a famous Kipling poem,
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“If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs… maybe you don’t understand the situation!” Here we see a novice displaying a nonchalance foreign to the battle-hardened veterans around him.

As a new Christian I have frequently made the same mistake in my attitude toward evil. When something goes wrong in my life, I usually suspect my own weaknesses and failures, ignoring the fact that there is an enemy in the world who knows me and is seeking to undo my efforts. Victory over this powerful force is more than a matter of self-improvement and takes more than self-will. It takes complete reliance on the power of our Lord and Savior. Ignorance of the presence of evil is not bliss.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

—1 Peter 5:89

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UNE 18

Hidden Danger

Ray Sadoski was not happy on the Anzio beachhead. The weather was cold and overcast, and the beach was a wide expanse of open ground, exposed to enemy observation. His officers ordered everyone to dig in for protection from incoming artillery, not sensing a more immediate danger:

We were set up just to the northeast of Anzio port. The Germans had pulled out so fast that they had left a 20mm Italian anti-aircraft gun sitting there. All our guys were horsing around, getting on the gun and the like. One of our communicators from the command post told me, “Go over to that Italian gun and get that phone wire that the Germans left behind, we can use it.” Well, instead of walking all the way out to the gun to unhook the wire, I just grabbed the wire and gave it a yank, and the whole d____ gun went up in a huge explosion. The Germans had rigged that thing to blow up if anybody broke the wire.
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Life is full of hidden dangers we don’t expect. We take precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of ourselves and families, but over time realize we can’t plan for every contingency. The stock market crashes, the other driver swerves, or the spouse misinterprets. Many events are simply beyond our control. When we accept this fact, we open ourselves to a great spiritual blessing. God waits for us to give him control of our lives. The sooner we rely on him, the sooner we will find true peace. When we seek his direction we have a chance to align ourselves with his purpose and the ultimate safety that only God can provide: a secure place in his family and his eternal kingdom.

Do not be anxious about anything… present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

—Philippians 4:6, 7

Infantry moving into the Italian hills. (National Archives)

Tenth Mountain Division at church services in Italy (National Archives)

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UNE 19

One of Three Results

One of the bloodiest battles of the Italian campaign was fought at the little town of Cisterna. The memory of it was a blur to Robert Appel. He knew that he was in the middle of “hell breaking out all around.”
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The air was a cacophony of eerie sounds from the metallic missiles that seemed to fill the air around him. He had some amazing observations about the experience:

I could actually hear the whirring and swishing sounds of shells whizzing by my ears. It was an unbelievable feeling to know you were literally walking through a labyrinth of metal that seemingly never presented you with an exit. It was a bewildering complexity, so real and so unreal for one to be caught up in and yet you knew the outcome would be one of three results. You would either be wounded, killed or with God’s protective armor plus sheer good luck, you could come through unscathed.
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This soldier was wounded during the battle, but, fortunately, survived to tell us this story. His analysis of possible outcomes accurately summarized what could happen to him physically at that time. It is interesting to note that the same outcomes are also possible in our daily spiritual struggles. Our weaknesses, the thoughtlessness of others, and the dedicated effort of the Enemy all seem zeroed in on slowing and stopping our progress toward God. Unless we are prepared, any of these pitfalls can hurt and even mortally wound us in our faith.

Fortunately, it is also possible that we can survive unscathed, and we are blessed to know that this outcome is not just a matter of sheer luck. The apostle Paul encouraged us to put on the “full armor of God” and place our spiritual safety in the hands of the one who guaranteed it through his own mortal wounds: our Savior, Jesus Christ.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.

—Ephesians 6:12–13

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UNE 20

Without Faith

Paul Curtis was a soldier on the deadly beaches of Anzio. In May 1944 he wrote to his brother, Mitchell, back home in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Mitchell had asked him to describe his feelings about being in combat, and Paul did his best:

I have seen some action a few hard, hard days in which I saw more than I imagined I ever would. I don’t think any man can exactly explain combat. It’s beyond words. Take a combination of fear, anger, hunger, thirst, exhaustion, disgust, loneliness, homesickness, and wrap that all up in one reaction and you might approach the feelings a fellow has. It makes you feel mighty small, helpless, and alone… Without faith, I don’t see how anyone could stand this.
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I am struck by two words in Paul Curtis’ letter: fear and loneliness. Everyone in combat experiences fear. This is a natural reaction whenever death or injury is a possibility. I don’t know if everyone experiences loneliness in combat, but I know that I found myself in this state frequently. As an officer, I never felt free to share my deeper thoughts with the men in my unit or with superior officers, and there were rarely fellow company commanders nearby. This left me alone on most occasions with my own fears and uncertainties.

Like Curtis, I now find it hard to see how anyone could stand combat or any other crisis of life without faith. With faith, fear of dying may still exist, but death itself is no threat when you have confidence in the reality of God’s eternal kingdom. Loneliness also becomes a non-issue when you have a relationship with God and are able to lift up your concerns to him in prayer. I regret that I did not have such faith while in combat. I would have been a more confident human being and a more effective leader.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

—Hebrews 11:1

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UNE 21

Why Do Men Do That?

Felix Sparks couldn’t stay in the rear. Wounded on Sicily and classified noncombat, he nevertheless hitched a ride on a B-17 bomber to Italy and rejoined his unit. After a period on the stalemated Gustav Line, he led his rifle company in the amphibious assault on Anzio. His unit bore the brunt of a savage German counterattack on February 16, 1944, and suffered severe casualties. He saw more than his share of action and was very emotional about the performance of his soldiers:

I was always amazed at how the American soldier responded in combat because it was a terrible, dirty business. The weather was awful. When you’re outside in December, and only have a foxhole to sleep in, and it fills up with water all the time it’s miserable and depressing. But our soldiers learned very fast how to adapt. I loved the rifle company because that’s where the action was. We were the ones who went first in any attack. But it always amazed me why do men do that? Every attack we made, my men knew some of their buddies would be wounded or killed. Yet, when I gave the word, they moved forward without hesitation. They were very good, brave men and I was very proud of them.
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There has been a lot of speculation about the motivation of soldiers in combat. Do they perform heroically from a sense of a higher calling or patriotic duty? Or is there a fear of being seen as cowardly? Most of those with combat experience agree that the predominant urge among soldiers is to support their own comrades. No one wants to let a buddy down or endanger him by not being at his side when it counts.

Our fellow Christians need the same kind of support. As we do God’s work we all face hard times when we need an understanding shoulder or a helping hand. At those times our brothers and sisters in Christ should not feel alone. We need to be there for them when it counts.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

—Romans 12:10

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UNE 22

He Was Not Alone

The 2
^nd
Battalion
fought desperately to hold Mount Battaglia from fierce German counterattacks. Sgt. Harold Flechter had to order his squad to fall back against the enemy onslaught as small arms and artillery fire blanketed his position. To cover the withdrawal of his men, Flechter jumped into a foxhole and began firing a machine gun. As his squad moved down the hill, some of them saw an artillery shell land almost on top of their leader’s foxhole.