"Unknown Valor" - A Must Read for Today

With Christmas lists beginning to be formed, over the next few weeks I would like to share with you some books that would make excellent gifts to any readers on your Christmas list. I begin with a book that I just finished reading. It is titled, "Unknown Valor: A Story of Family, Courage, and Sacrifice from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima" and was written by Martha MacCallum, who is host of the Fox News Channel program called "The Story," and Romald J. Drez. The year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the ending of World War II, both in Europe and in the Pacific. Over the years I have read several books on the fight against the Nazis, but had not read much about the war against Japan. The book tells the story of several young men, who entered into the Marine Corp during those days of World War II, and of their families they left behind - moms and dads, brothers and sisters, wives and sweethearts. Ms. MacCallum then documents the island hopping from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima, the very threshhold into Japan itself. I was gripped by their stories. The courage of these young men landing on volcanic beaches in the face of the lethal fires from the Japanese moved my heart. I did not want to turn the pages because I knew that someone was going to die. I had gotten to know these young men and did not want that to happen, yet one cannot undo history. And I was surprised at how I began to grieve for the families of those young Japanese men who also died because I knew that families in Japan grieved as did those in the United States. Let me share with you some of my take-aways from this book. First, families in the 1940's focused upon what was right with America, not what was wrong. Yes, America had its problems both racially, economically, and socially. But, these young men - and women, although they were not the subject of the book - when they put on that uniform were uniting behind what was right with America. And there was enough "right" that they were willing to die for their country. Today, however, our focus seems to be upon what is wrong with America. And so we protest and riot. We refuse to dialogue with anyone who might have a different opinion than do we. Our heroes today are not those who sacrifice for what is right, but are those whose lives are filled with hatred toward that nation for which the young men, whose stories are told in this book, gave their very lives. My second take-away might sound very strange, but it was something that I had never really thought of before: War is a family affair. Ms. MacCallum truly helps the reader to understand this. Perhaps war is more difficult for the family than it is for the soldier. They live in the fear of not knowing where their sons were. They lived with the daily dread of that telegram stating that that son had died in combat and was buried in a grave on some volcanic island in the middle of nowhere. As I read, I grieved for the families because I knew that when I turned the page, one of those families would be forever changed. This book will be one of those Christmas gifts that will be long remembered after that sweater is faded and worn. Hey, you might even want to put this book on your Christmas wish list. The death this past weekend of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has thrown the political world into a tail-spin. As one looks at the docket of cases before the Court this fall, many could end in a 4-4 vote, thus leading to a "no decision." Constitutionally, the President has the right to appoint a person to fill this vacancy and the Senate has the obligation to vote on that appointment. The question is whether this is politically expedient? Because our country is so fractured, the death of Justice Ginsberg widened that fracture. There are perils in waiting until after the election and there are perils in moving forward before the election. But it looks like President Trump is moving forward and it appears that there are the votes within the Senate to confirm his nominee. Is it possible that the upcoming election might bring healing to our nation? Sadly, I am becoming convinced that only Jesus could bring that healing and most Americans are not crying out to Him for His help. Yet, pray we must. This Saturday, Franklin Graham is leading a prayer march in Washington DC, calling Americans to pray for the election and to pray for America. It is time to join in that prayer.