April 17
Pvt. Jefferson White landed at Safi with 2nd Armored Division shortly after midnight on November 8. His tank platoon cleared mines on the way to Casablanca and then saw action in Algeria and Tunisia. Based on his experiences, he had some interesting observations on American and German soldiers:
The Germans I saw were good soldiers. But they needed somebody to tell ’em what to do, how to do it— and when. The Americans—we were mostly farm boys. If we couldn’t whip you one way, we’d whip you another. We had guys inventing things and coming up with practical ideas. One soldier invented a gadget that mounted on the front of tanks to clear mines. One of our machine-gunners switched out the rounds in the belts of.50 cal. ammunition so that one round was standard ball, the next was armor piercing, then a tracer. That way we could shoot by eyesight, not by gunsight. Those kinds of innovations kept a lot of American soldiers alive.141
American soldiers, past and present, have been credited for their ingenuity. In fact, innovation and “out of the box” thinking are hallmarks of Americans in general. Freedom and independence seem to foster a mind-set that is uncomfortable with doing anything simply because it’s the way it has been done before. Even though this attitude can be misdirected, it can and has contributed to the greatest achievements. I believe that this trait has specific biblical roots.
In his parable of the talents, Jesus praised the two servants who did something with the talents given them. Even though they started on unequal footing and achieved unequal results, both were declared “good and faithful servants.” The servant who hid his talent lost what little he had.
Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.
April 18
In January 1943, as the battle for Tunisia was still in progress, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met in Casablanca. Speaking to journalists, Roosevelt made a bold statement: “ The elimination of German, Japanese, and Italian war power means the unconditional surrender of Germany, Italy, and Japan.”142 Churchill nodded and then voiced his agreement. This “unconditional surrender” position, taken with relatively little deliberation, had long-range and controversial consequences. Many voiced criticism that the war would be prolonged, as the Axis dictators would be forced to fight on to the bitter end. Winston Churchill disagreed with this objection:
We… demand from the Nazi, Fascist, and Japanese tyrannies unconditional surrender. By this we mean that their will power to resist must be completely broken, and that they must yield themselves absolutely to our justice and mercy. It does not mean, and it never can mean, that we are to stain our victorious arms by inhumanity or by mere lust of vengeance, or that we do not plan a world in which all branches of the human family may look forward to what the American Declaration of Independence finely calls “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”143
With this statement Churchill articulated a higher vision of the Allied purpose in the war. The war had first to be won, but the peace would be characterized by mercy. This vision was ultimately borne out by the actions of the victorious nations. The defeated countries were not subjugated or pillaged. Instead they were rebuilt and reintegrated into the free world.
Mankind has been blessed that our infinitely powerful and righteous Creator is also amazingly merciful. Rather than giving us what we deserve in judgment, he has given us redemption through his only son, Jesus Christ. It is only through God’s mercy that we have any hope of a secure place in his kingdom. When we display compassion toward others we are reflecting this mercy and doing his will.
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
April 19
Bill Cheall was a member of the Green Howards Regiment and part of General Montgomery’s 8th Army advancing into Tunisia in 1943. Jumping off early in an attack on a place called Wadi Akarit, Cheall’s company covered about four miles under bright moonlight before coming under heavy artillery, mortar, and machine-gun fire. Under the eerie illumination of flares the Green Howards struggled up the hill toward their objective in intense close-range fighting. By 8:00 a.m. the hill was taken with heavy casualties on each side.
Shortly after, Cheall and another soldier were detailed to bury a member of their unit who was killed nearby. He was appalled at having to gather horribly disfigured body parts, likely caused by an exploding artillery shell. As he went about his gruesome job, he found the dead man’s identity tags. He learned that he was about to bury one of his closest friends in the company. There was nothing to do but carry on with the task at hand. He later said, “I don’t know how I contained my emotions at that moment.” The next day he learned that another close friend in another unit died in the same attack. He lamented:
I was now devastated once again. That was two grand lads only nineteen years of age—dead—and when I had last seen them only a matter of days ago they were laughing and cracking jokes. What a tragedy war is. No, I will never forget the 6th of April 1943, but life had to go on.144
In wartime soldiers often have little time to mourn lost comrades. This is a big part of the psychological stress that they have to endure during and after combat. Thankfully, the grieving process can be more deliberate for most of us. We can find comfort for ourselves and confidence in the fate of our lost loved ones through our faith and in the promises of God revealed in his Word:
Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
