Dad Was a Soldier

I can't think of Veteran's Day without thinking of my dad, who passed away a year ago. He gave his youth to the service of his country. World War II was just winding down and he was just fifteen when he tried to enlist. The Navy wouldn't take him without a birth certificate, but the Army would require only a parent's signature.

Most of the men in his unit were much older, or so it seemed to a young teenager. But they bonded with him, if nothing else but to look out after such a young recruit. Dad never talked much about his time in Japan until a few years before his death. I had no idea, for instance, that he came very close to being in the thick of the Pacific arena. As a matter of fact, his ship was headed for duty in that part of the world when the atomic bomb was dropped. So instead, he was part of the occupation forces that tried to repair some of the damage. Obviously, it was still a very dangerous duty. The Americans were seen as the enemy by the populace for quite some time.

I even learned recently that he had seen numerous dead bodies in a river over there. I had always thought it odd growing up that Dad would never attend funerals of even close family members. But I believe now that he was just very anxious about seeing dead bodies again. It took the fortitude of a true soldier to attend his own wife's funeral, just a few months prior to his own. To see her dear face again in a casket was, I'm sure, the hardest duty he ever had to perform.

But like all duty, when it is driven by love--whether love for country or love for a spouse--God provides the strength. So I'm praying this Veteran's Day that we all have the strength to face the hard duties in our life. God didn't just promise us eternal life and freedom from sin, but also strength and power and peace of mind. So while we are thinking of our vets, who have and are sacrificing so much, let's also take hold of all that Jesus offers, as a result of His sacrifice for us...and our duties will seem much lighter.