Free Stories of Faith and Courage From World War II by Larkin Spivey Page A

tasks that he has determined we should accomplish.
Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. After many days you will be called to arms.
    —Ezekiel 38:7–8
The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the L ORD .
    —Proverbs 21:31

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    Suicide
    Ensign Gay fought to control his Devastator during his long, tortuous torpedo run on the Soryu . Through every burst of enemy gunfire he kept the nose of his aircraft pointed at his target. He witnessed his fellow pilots going down and was very aware that his own life could be measured in seconds. Every detail seemed to stand out as he focused his eyes on the looming enemy carrier. The flight deck was full of aircraft and scrambling figures. For an instant, a strange thought flashed through his mind: “I had a thought right in a split second there to crash into those planes… because I could have started a beautiful fire.” However, his thought process then changed course rapidly: “The plane was still flying and I felt pretty good and I didn’t see any sense in crashing into those planes. I thought maybe I’d get a chance to go back and hit them again someday and as long as there’s life there’s hope. So I pulled up and went over them.” 75
    For some reason America seems to face foes who glorify suicide. The Japanese in World War II sent countless young kamikaze pilots on one-way missions. Terrorists of today kill themselves and innocent victims for their own “higher” cause. American values, thankfully, do not permit this approach. In the beginning, our Founding Fathers acted on the firm belief that the value and dignity of every human being comes from God and that every citizen is “endowed by his Creator with certain unalienable rights.” In wartime our leaders sometimes have to send men on dangerous missions. However, every effort is made to provide for their safe return. Every American soldier knows that he will never be considered “expendable.”
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
    —Genesis 1:27

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    Prepare to Abandon Ship
    Lt. Joseph Pollard went aboard the USS Yorktown on May 27 and sailed with her three days later. As one of the ship’s medical officers, he prepared his men and equipment for the action ahead. On June 4, the Japanese task force was finally sighted. The Yorktown’s aircraft were armed, fueled, and launched late that morning. An eerie lull ensued. Finally, at about 2:00 p.m. the aircraft began returning, many with battle damage. In the midst of recovery operations, the general quarters alarm was sounded, alerting the crew to an enemy attack. Suddenly two sickening thuds shook the ship, resulting in an immediate hard list to port.
    Pollard remembered: “Just then word came over the speaker, ‘Prepare to abandon ship!’ I was dumbfounded. It was uncomprehensible. A man lying beside me with one foot shot away and a severe chest wound turned his head towards me and asked, ‘What does this mean for us?’ and turned his head away. He knew that he would have no chance in the water.” 76
    We have sympathy for anyone like this who is suddenly jolted from calm conditions to utter chaos. How would you or I react? We hope we would be cool and confident in a crisis, but we never know until it happens. We can only pray for courage under fire and the ability to think clearly. Confidence in God and in our relationship to him is a big advantage at such a time. Jesus promised, “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding”(Philippians 4:7). This peace pertains not only to our long-term spiritual well-being, but also helps us find confidence and a calm mind in an emergency.
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
    —Acts 4:13

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