Stories of Faith and Courage From World War II (46 page)

They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men’s souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.

Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.
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Tomorrow, the president’s prayer is continued for the nation.

You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong.

—Psalms 5:45

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UGUST 22

D-Day Prayer for the Nation

After asking for God’s protection over the servicemen in danger on the beaches of Normandy, President Roosevelt continued with his prayer, asking God for unity and courage throughout the nation. With this heartfelt plea he completed his radio broadcast on June 6, 1944, the night of D-Day:

And for us at home fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.

Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

Give us strength, too strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen
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But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. Lead me, O L
ORD
, in your righteousness because of my enemies make straight your way before me.

—Psalms 5:78

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UGUST 23

This Is Your Daddy

Jerry’s father joined the Army in 1944, a few months after she was born. After basic training he was sent to the war zone in Italy where he served for two years. Jerry had memories of getting together with other service families and playing with the other children. She also remembered her mother’s letters that she always sealed with a freshly applied lipstick kiss. On one occasion Jerry was allowed to wet her own mouth with orange juice and apply an “orange juice kiss.” She had generally pleasant memories of her wartime experience because her mother was so good at sheltering her from the tension and anxiety that she experienced. She did clearly remember the day her father came home.

At last the day arrived when my father was due to come home. Yes, he had survived combat and the attendant challenges of being away from home and family for so long. I was staying with my grandparents while Mom went to the train station to pick him up. When they arrived, I was upstairs in my grandparents’ bath tub. I remember hearing large footsteps bounding up the stairs two at a time, followed by this tall, young man entering the bathroom. To this day I can vividly hear my grandmother saying “This is your daddy.” He grabbed me out of the tub, and we began our bonding process that had been delayed for more than two years.
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We know that there were many unhappy endings to family separations during this and every other war. That fact is what makes this heartwarming story of reunion so uplifting. We have a little reminder from history, if we need it, of how precious our families are. We should look at them every day with the eyes of a returning soldier and a long-separated daughter.

The jailor brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God he and his whole family.

—Acts 16:34

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UGUST 24

It’s Too Hard

Myra Strachner continued to write her boyfriend, Pvt. Bernie Staller, even after he was reported missing in action. Her last letter was written on April 18, 1945, the day before news of his death arrived.

Today I cried again. I haven’t since the day the president died. I was lying on my bed in the afternoon today and I found my lips forming words, “It’s too hard! It’s too hard!” over and over again, and when I realized what I was saying I started to cry quietly. Then I went into the den and played some of the songs that mean something to us and I cried hard for a little while…
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While it is often said that the Lord doesn’t give us more than we can bear, I’m sure this woman and countless others mourning the loss of loved ones felt inadequate to deal with the pain of their loss. Even those of us who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior are not promised a pain-free life. When Jesus walked this earth, he allowed his good friend Lazarus to die and be buried by his grief-stricken sisters. The pain was real, even though three days later Jesus brought Lazarus back to life for the glory of God and so that many people’s faith would be increased.

Today, God does not choose to reveal himself through resurrecting the dead. Instead, he is glorified when his children experience trials and suffering and yet remain faithful to him. In the midst of Job’s epic suffering, Job’s wife told him to “ curse God and die” rather than continue to live with the physical and emotional pain (Job 2:9). But Job refused, and God was glorified. (JG)

[Job] replied, “…Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

—Job 2:10

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UGUST 25

Dear John

Cpl. Samuel Kramer wrote to
Yank
magazine in September 1943 to claim the shortest “Dear John” letter ever received in the European Theater. His letter was duly published, to the amusement of countless readers: “Mr. Kramer: Go to hell! With love, Anne Gudis.”
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This “loving” couple met in 1942, before Sam was posted to England. There followed a stormy three-year correspondence, reaching a climax of sorts with this letter. They continued writing, however, often with similar acrimony. Over time, amazingly, the situation improved. In June 1944 Anne would write, “All I can do is tell you how very much you mean to me and how I long for the day when we can be together again.”
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After the war, they did come together and were married in 1945. A long, successful marriage with three children followed.

This is a story of perseverance that should inspire any married couple. Relationships do become stormy at times, and one or both partners say things that wound the other. The lesson here is clear: keep talking. In this case, the couple kept on writing, which eventually accomplished the same purpose. They worked through their self-inflicted wounds to recapture those things about each other that attracted them in the first place. My mother’s advice was to never go to sleep on an argument. This can sometimes be difficult to do literally, but the basic advice is the same: keep on talking until you resolve the problem. And every time you take the first step to reconcile, remember that Jesus himself is on your side, for in every situation, “Blessed are the peacemakers”(Matthew 5:9).

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

—1 Corinthians 14:33

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UGUST 26

Candlelight Service

In 1943 a group of women in Brooktondale, New York, began printing a newsletter called the
Brooktondale Bugler
, with information about local events and their hometown servicemen stationed around the world. The paper carried an article about a special service held on December 30, 1944:

At the morning service of the Nazarene Church in Brooktondale, Dec. 30
^th
, a candle lighting service was held in honor of those in Service of our Country from our community. Dr. Howard Miller delivered the message in conjunction with the service. His subject was, “The relationship of Home, Church, and Country.”

A row of nineteen candles was placed in front of the Altar and as the Pastor, Rev. Stanford Ernest read the name of the man or woman in service, the mother, wife, or sister, lighted a candle in his or her honor. Rev. Ernest offered a prayer for their safe return and Miss Betty Miller very impressively sang “Keep the Home Fires Burning.”

Two beautiful flags, the American and the Christian, were presented to the Church by Dr. Howard Miller and Mrs. Miller.
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The 2007 population of Brooktondale was 2028. It may have been smaller or larger in 1944, but probably not by much. Nineteen young people serving in the armed forces represented a large portion of this small town. This prayerful and thoughtful community support had to be encouraging and uplifting for those doing their duty away from home. We pray that so many will never again be involved in a war, but that, whatever the number, those who go into harm’s way for us will always be so honored. As the popular World War I song says, “Keep the home fires burning, while your hearts are yearning…”
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Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

—John 15:13

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UGUST 27

Letter to MacArthur

Mail service and information from the Southwest Pacific theater was slow and sporadic. A Chicago woman, Mrs. Nels Neslund, could not get news about her wounded son, Robert, and finally went to the top for help. On January 1, 1945, she wrote a letter that was part entreaty and part prayer directly to General MacArthur:

This is the first prayer of nineteen forty five, that our boys come home safe and sound. It is written on the first minute of the new year and if God ever listened to a prayer I hope it is this one…

Please take care of my boys, let Robert get well, let him stay in the hospital till he is… and please God hold your healing hand over the mind and spirit and physical well being of all the soldiers in the Philippines and all over the world, for if each one of them has a mother or a wife whose prayer joins with mine this first hour of 1945 I am sure the strength of it, the strength of all the combined prayers of this day will be able to move mountains…
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Unfortunately, General MacArthur’s response to this appeal is not known. He must have been moved by the eloquence of this distraught woman appealing to him and to God at the same time. She may have had little faith in the Army, but the depth of her faith in God shows through in her inspiring appeal to God and other mothers. This is the kind of faith that brings individuals and families through difficult times and enables them to deal with whatever worldly crisis besets them. God freely offers the same spiritual protection and support to his people whenever we turn to him for it.

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

—Psalm 62:12

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UGUST 28

If You’ll Sort the Socks

Hours after stepping off his landing craft into knee-deep water, Smith Shumway looked down at Omaha Beach from the high ground. Below him lay an amazing scene. Ships and landing craft stretched as far as he could see. Many were still circling offshore and others were coming into the beach. Airplanes were roaring overhead, and shells were bursting everywhere. The beach was littered with men and machines. It was a sight he would never forget and, unfortunately, one of the last sights he would ever see.