Stories of Faith and Courage From World War II (54 page)

British soldier reads D-Day message. (Eisenhower Presidential Library)

As we have seen before, national leaders were not reluctant to call their troops and nation to God during the crucial moments of World War II. D-Day was one of those times. The spiritual humility of America’s leaders and the prayerfulness of her citizens kept the nation focused on God, the true source of American unity and strength that had sustained the nation throughout its history.

I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the L
ORD
, the Maker of heaven and earth.

—Psalms 121:12

O
CTOBER 3

Creating a Bond

Bob Benvenuto enlisted in the Navy in 1943 as a seventeen-year-old. When he finished boot camp, he found his name on a roster of men heading to an unknown destination beginning an almost indescribable odyssey. It started, with more than a thousand others, on a waterfront pier in New York, where he waited for two weeks. Finally, his group was marched onto the

Queen Mary, which arrived in Scotland five days later. After another week he went by train to Southhampton, England, where he was herded into an open field early in the morning to wait all day in the rain for a ship to arrive. At 1:00 a.m., after his personal “longest day,” a large ship came into the loading ramp and opened huge clamshell doors. Bob went aboard LST (Landing Ship Tank) 279 to receive the biggest surprise of his life:

I was amazed! At two a.m. we went on board exhausted… And surprise of all surprises, awaiting us, in spite of the hour, were hot showers and a turkey dinner. The Captain welcomed us aboard and explained that he was aware of our ordeal and sorry for the delay in bringing the ship in. He had ordered the cooks to prepare the special dinner and directed the chief engineer to open the fresh water showers just for us. To make our welcome complete he advised and allowed us to sleep in til mid day. And so it was, that we became shipmates of, and part of the crew of the LST 279. The concern and compassion of the captain (Lt. James T. Beard) had created a bond that night between his new crewmen, ship’s company and ‘his’ ship, that lasted throughout the entire European tour of duty.
⁴¹³

This story gives food for thought on the subject of hospitality. Are we doing all we can to welcome guests into our churches? If we are truly mission-oriented, these are the most important people at every service, not our friends and fellow church members. The first experience of a visitor can shape his or her attitude toward the message and body of Christ for a long time to come. An unexpected kindness may have a lasting and even an eternal impact.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.

—Matthew 25:35

Gen. Eisenhower gives encouragement to paratroopers. (Eisenhower Presidential Library)

Church service before invasion. (National Archives)

O
CTOBER 4

Shipboard Service

The troopship weighed anchor at 6:30 p.m., moving south into the gathering darkness. The night was not totally black and the outline of untold numbers of other ships could be seen on all sides. The lanes through the minefields had been cleared and marked, and the ships moved through uneventfully. At about 9:00 p.m. someone came on the ship’s public address system to read D-Day messages from the Navy admirals and General Eisenhower. Not long after, the ship moved past a line of battleships, waiting in the darkness.

Later still, one of the unit chaplains held a service on the quarterdeck. He stood on top of a packing crate as the troops gathered around. The ship was rolling by then in heavy seas and several men had to support the chaplain to keep him from falling off his perch. The troops crowded round in their life belts and steel helmets, seeking comfort in the chaplain’s words and familiar passages of Scripture. In the words of the old hymn, “Abide with Me,” they found special reassurance of God’s presence on a dark night:
⁴¹⁴

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens: Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word; But as Thou dwell’st with Thy disciples, Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free. Come not to sojourn, but abide with me.
Thou on my head in early youth didst smile; And, though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee, On to the close, O Lord, abide with me.
I need Thy presence every passing hour. What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
⁴¹⁵

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the L
ORD,
He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

—Psalms 91:1 2 (KJV)

O
CTOBER 5

The Soldier’s Load

The British steamer
Princess Maude
arrived at her designated spot off Omaha Beach at midnight. The American troops aboard were supposed to be sleeping, but few were able. Many went topside to gaze at the thousands of other vessels in the invasion armada, while others congregated in small groups to talk and pass the time. At 2:00 a.m. the mess decks were opened for breakfast. Finally it was time to get ready. Chuck Hurlbut, a combat engineer, described what happened next:

Then you put your stuff on. We all had new olive-drabs. I think we had long johns. We had a field jacket. And then they gave us these impregnated coveralls. They were so stiff and unwieldy they could almost stand up by themselves. They had been specially treated with some solution that would withstand gas. You put those on. And on top of that, you had your belt, your gas mask, a bandolier of bullets. And your cartridge belt had a bayonet, a canteen, a first aid packet, and more bullets. Your helmet. I made sure the chinstrap was down. And your rifle. And your backpack, which had your mess kit, your shovel, and your incidentals. There’s 50 or 60 pounds of stuff.
⁴¹⁶

Fifty to sixty pounds is probably a conservative estimate of the weight on these soldiers. Rations, grenades, and engineer equipment are not even mentioned. They had a lot to prepare for to carry out their mission in the invasion. In reading this passage, you might recall that the apostle Paul also urged us to, “Put on the full armor of God,” so that we can perform our mission in his service. Most of this armor is defensive in nature, except for one item: the sword of the spirit. God’s Word is our offensive weapon guaranteeing victory over every evil power threatening us.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

—Ephesians 6:14–17

O
CTOBER 6

Soldiers of Our Savior

The paratroopers knew the time had come when they were given live ammunition. The days had been long in the crowded airfield hangars with endless briefings, calisthenics, chow lines, and waiting. There had already been one twenty-four-hour postponement and everyone’s nerves were on edge. Pvt. 1
^st
Class Leslie Cruise realized the long wait was almost over. To his load of k-rations, canteens, first-aid pack, extra clothing, M-1 rifle, and bayonet, he added a belt full of 30-caliber ammunition and two extra bandoliers, plus fragmentation and smoke grenades, and a 9-inch anti-tank mine.

(Eisenhower Presidential Library)

As he checked his gear he patted his left breast pocket where he kept his most important item: a small New Testament that his mother had given him. Thinking of his Bible, he said a quiet prayer to himself: “God help me to commit myself to the task ahead and help me to be a good soldier, and save me from harm.”
⁴¹⁷
He knew that he and his fellow soldiers would need the power of God in the night and days ahead.

Early in the evening of June 5 Cruise attended to one final preparation before donning his equipment. He gathered with others for a chapel service led by his chaplain, Capt. George “Chappie” Wood. During the service the chaplain said a prayer for the paratroopers that Leslie never forgot:

Almighty God, our Heavenly Father: Who art above us and beneath us, within and around us, drive from the minds of our paratroopers any fear of the space in which thou art ever present. Give them the confidence in the strength of thine everlasting arms, endue with clear minds and pure hearts that they may participate in the victory which this nation must achieve in thy name and through thy will. Make them hardy soldiers of our country as well as thy son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
⁴¹⁸

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.