Stories of Faith and Courage from World War II

who determine the fashionable type. The aim is to guide each sex away from those members of the other with whom spiritually helpful, happy, and fertile marriages are most likely.³³⁰

The ironic humor in this passage makes us laugh, until we realize the seriousness of the truth being presented. We have an adversary seeking to direct our attention away from those qualities in others most beneficial to our spiritual health and long-term happiness. When we are drawn to the superficial and trivial aspects of appearance and personality, we pass up the opportunity to find deeper relationships based on character. This insight is important in our friendships, but is absolutely critical to our selection of potential lifelong partners.

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

—Proverbs 31:28–30

August 17 The Conductor

Denton Dabbs enlisted in the Naval Air Corps in 1942. His hometown was Chattanooga, Tennessee, and his first assignments were to bases in Alabama during the different stages of his training. After a few weeks at Cortland, he spent three months at Montgomery for pre-flight instruction, and then ended up at Decatur for flight school. All these towns lay along the Southern Railway’s main line from Memphis to Chattanooga. On weekend leaves he had the way to get home, if not the funds to pay for all the trips he would have liked. This problem was unexpectedly solved on his first trip.

Soon after boarding the train at Cortland the conductor observed his uniform and asked him if he was going home on leave. Denton told him that he was. The conductor then told him to keep his ticket, that he might want to use it again. The same conductor extended that privilege as long as the train rides continued. Denton Dabbs would never forget this small kindness.

I still remember the old gentleman who was the conductor on that train and how nice he was to me. He made his job pleasant by being friendly with all of the passengers. I can still picture his face and his conductor’s uniform with shiny brass buttons and the little bill-cap he wore on his head. Somehow he knew I was just a kid in a topsy-turvy world torn apart by the war, going home to see someone I loved. He might have had kids of his own out there somewhere, but somehow he knew that little piece of paper I held in my hand was important to me and maybe I would get another chance to visit home. He was a kind old gentleman and I shall always remember him.³³¹

Jesus told his disciples that he would remember those in heaven who were kind to him when he was in need. His listeners wondered: What could they possibly do to help the Son of God? We wonder the same thing and are not even sure how we would recognize him if we saw him. Jesus gave us the simple answer. We serve him when we serve those we meet every day.

I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.

—Matthew 25:40

August 18 The Dream

In December 1943 Jennie Cesternino dreamed of her son, Leonard, who at that time was fighting in Italy. She described the dream in a letter to him:

You know son I’m feeling happy today. The reason is I dreamed about you last night and I saw you very plain in my dreams and that made me very happy. It was just like really seeing you.

I dreamed you came in from work from Tony’s and you came in all smiles and you said to me Ma you better send my pants to the cleaners because I have a date for tonight.

It really made me happy to see you even though it was only a dream…³³²

Unfortunately, Leonard was mortally wounded in action at about this time. The family believes that his death occurred on the night of his mother’s dream. Perhaps this is one of those tragic coincidences that make an interesting story. Or, could this be an example of God’s amazing grace, giving a mother and son a last reunion? I prefer to believe the latter. After being separated by time and distance for many months, Mrs. Cisternino and Leonard were given a moment together in anticipation of a greater reunion to come. The poet, Robert Browning, described his faith that he would be together again with his beloved wife in heaven:

For sudden the worst turns the best to the brave.
The black minute’s at end,
And the elements’ rage, the fiend voices that rave,
Shall dwindle, shall blend,
Shall change, shall become first a peace out of pain.
Then a light, then thy breast,
O thou soul of my soul! I shall clasp thee again,
And with God be the rest!³³³

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

—1 Thessalonians 4:13–14

August 19 The Risen Soldier

Francis Spellman, the Archbishop of New York and later Cardinal, hated the war and its powers of destruction. At times it seemed to him that God’s kingdom of love on Earth was almost at the point of being overwhelmed. He felt that this blanket of darkness was in danger of covering the planet, unless mankind could learn the lesson of peace from the soldiers doing the fighting. He saw these brave young men and women as Christ-like figures, willingly exposing themselves to death in the hope that something good would grow from their sacrifice. He grew to love and respect these soldiers and wrote a moving poem in tribute to them and the cause for which they had to fight: