greet the ship. Unknown to the captain on the bridge or the crew in the engine room, the engine order telegraph had been damaged earlier by a German bomb’s near miss. Since the telegraph transmits orders to the engine room from the bridge, a routine docking order for full steam astern went unheard. The result was almost catastrophic.
In 1981 Ronald Reagan was about to have surgery for a gunshot wound inflicted by a would-be assassin. He looked around at the surgical team and commented, “I hope you’re all Republicans.”132 We’re always thankful for someone who can see some humor in an otherwise dire situation. This kind of humor can relieve the tension that tends to compound the problem. It also reflects an ability to live in the present moment and a faith that all will be well in the end. Such faith can be contagious, especially when it comes from an authority figure. We should always look for ways to lighten the burden of those around us with humor.
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.
April 11
Maj. Robert Moore was second-in-command of 2nd Battalion, 168th Infantry, landing near Algiers during Operation Torch. He came ashore eight miles from his assigned beach to find his troops scattered and disorganized. Although resistance from French forces was sporadic, his unit took casualties in their advance. The first time he came under fire, he ducked for cover and then looked up cautiously to try to see what was ahead. He suddenly found himself on his back, stunned and confused. A soldier beside him was bleeding. Taking off his helmet he found a deep black groove cut across the side of it. An inch lower and the war would have been over for him.
In these first hours of the war, Moore learned some vital lessons:
Some lessons were fundamental: stay low; take a few extra moments to study the map before setting off. But others involved the nature of combat and leadership: a realization that battlefields were inherently chaotic; that improvisation was a necessary virtue; that speed and stealth and firepower won small skirmishes as well as big battles; that every moment held risk and every man was mortal.133
Some people have a distinct spiritual advantage in life. Firemen, doctors, soldiers, and others close to life- and-death situations are never able to overlook the fact that they are indeed mortal. When someone faces frequent danger or sees the results of others doing so, they know how fragile life is. The poet who wrote, “Death hath a thousand doors to let out life,”134 seemed to understand this reality as well. For those of us leading more tranquil lives, we need constant reminders of our mortality to help focus our attention on matters of eternal significance.
You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
April 12
On November 11, 1942, the French forces in North Africa agreed to a cease-fire on all fronts. In three days of fighting, U.S. forces had sustained more than 1,100 casualties, including 337 killed. In spite of these losses, the Americans set about restoring what to them was the natural order friendly relations with an old ally, France. Historian Rick Atkinson described the reconciliation:
The bloodletting of the past three days, if neither forgotten nor quite forgiven, was set aside, just as a marital indiscretion might be glossed over for the sake of the children.
Just past noon on November 11, Patton and Hewitt hosted a luncheon at a Fedala brasserie for their French counterparts, lubricating the pleasantries with Bordeaux and cognac.
At the Miramar later that afternoon, Nogues, Michelier, and other French commanders drove past the coconut palms and banana trees lining the driveway to find that Patton had posted a welcoming honor guard. In the smoking room he complimented his adversaries on their gallantry and proposed a gentlemen’s agreement under which French troops could keep their arms. Patton sealed the deal with a toast to “our future victory over a common enemy.”135
We can learn a lesson from General Patton in “getting over” an argument. If we really want to mend a fence we can start by honoring our former antagonist and acknowledging the validity of their motives. As one of my good friends says, this may require some amount of “eating crow,” or something that looks like it to others, but this is a small price to pay for a new and stronger relationship. We have the assurance always that peacemakers “will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
April 13
After the Allied landings in North Africa, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Anderson took command of the British 1st Army advancing to the east to capture Tunisia. With a mixture of British and American units, coordination was difficult and the logistics network chaotic. Anderson himself was a good soldier with a reputation for personal valor.136 However, his approach to the campaign was to carefully marshal his forces before advancing, and this unfortunately served to give the off-balance German defenders time to regroup. As German reinforcements poured into Tunis and winter weather turned the roads into quagmires, it became apparent that there would be no quick victory.
On Christmas Day 1942 Anderson wrote a lengthy letter to Alan Brooke explaining his actions and revealing
