Honor the Brave
“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ”. II Timothy 2:1-3
Today is the day set aside to honor the veterans of all the wars in which the United States has engaged to protect the freedom of its citizens and also citizens of other nations. My Dad was a veteran of WWII, serving in the South Pacific, specifically at Guadalcanal. This was the location in which a military campaign was fought between August 1942 and February 1943 predominantly by the U.S. Marines, but the U.S. Army, of which my Dad was a member, also played an important part. Guadalcanal is in the southern Solomon Islands, east of Papua New Guinea and northeast of Australia, a really long way from home for a country boy who had never been out of the southern U.S.
This nation has seen many wars since its founding, the major ones being the Revolutionary War, which was fought for freedom from the British, the War of 1812, also against the British, the Mexican American War, the Civil War, also known as the War Between the States, World War I, which was fought alongside much of Europe against Germany and likewise World War II, which was also fought against Japan, the Korean War, the Viet Nam conflict, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our nation has lost many young men and women in all of these wars. There is a war going on now between Ukraine and Russia which has caused much death and destruction, but as of yet, the U.S. has not involved our soldiers on the ground as far as we know. Most wars are fought over land or over the right to dominate another nation.
Scripture is replete with wars, particularly between Israel and a host of other nations who desired to subdue Israel and make Israelites subservient to their enemies. God allowed it to happen when Israel became disobedient, idolatrous, and abandoned Him. Today, Israel is a free nation, but is constantly threatened with annihilation from surrounding nations. It is for certain that peace will never reign over the earth until Jesus returns and rules. Thus, wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6-7) will be with us until Jesus returns, banishes evil, and brings righteousness upon all who follow Him.
In honoring the brave men and women who have fought to keep our nation free from those who would like to destroy our nation and the freedoms that we still enjoy, although many of our freedoms are slipping away, one by one, there are a few men and women who have made it their life’s goal to help as many of our military who have returned from war severely injured, both physically and mentally. The Wounded Warrior Project aids in the restoration of those who have seen and experienced things in war that we know nothing of. Those who keep statistics tells us that several military members commit suicide daily because they can’t cope with the transition from war to civilian life. Another great project is the Tunnels to Towers Project which provides specialized homes for those who have been traumatically injured, soldiers, policemen, and firemen, in the line of duty. One soldier said that his new home built for his needs was like heaven to him. In times of trouble, it is the ordinary, everyday folks who make life better for those who have suffered.
In previous wars fought many years ago, men injured as severely as those we see on television likely would not have lived because of the lack of modern medical advances that we have today. Those of us who have all of our body intact and have never been through what these brave folks have been through have no clue as to what they have to endure. The thing that astonishes me is that most of them say if they had to doit all over again, they would. That’s dedication! They say that “war is hell”, and I suppose it is the closest thing to hell on earth that folks experience.
I become angry when I see on television ungrateful, spoiled, ignorant, and selfish people burning the U.S. flag and criticizing America and patriotic Americans. I want to tell them that Delta is ready when they are! Brave men and women have died or given up healthy bodies, suffering severe trauma to protect and defend our flag and the freedom for which it stands, one nation under God. Let us never forget their sacrifices, while we endeavor to honor them every day and continue to pray for them, their families, and our nation, that the godly principles upon which it was founded would be restored by our leaders.