Stories of Faith and Courage from World War II

by Larkin Spivey

  We know that there were many unhappy endings to family separations during this and every other war. That fact is what makes this heartwarming story of reunion so uplifting. We have a little reminder from history, if we need it, of how precious our families are. We should look at them every day with the eyes of a returning soldier and a long-separated daughter.

  The jailor brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God he and his whole family.

  —Acts 16:34

  August 24

  It’s Too Hard

  Myra Strachner continued to write her boyfriend, Pvt. Bernie Staller, even after he was reported missing in action. Her last letter was written on April 18, 1945, the day before news of his death arrived.

  Today I cried again. I haven’t since the day the president died. I was lying on my bed in the afternoon today and I found my lips forming words, “It’s too hard! It’s too hard!” over and over again, and when I realized what I was saying I started to cry quietly. Then I went into the den and played some of the songs that mean something to us and I cried hard for a little while…339

  While it is often said that the Lord doesn’t give us more than we can bear, I’m sure this woman and countless others mourning the loss of loved ones felt inadequate to deal with the pain of their loss. Even those of us who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior are not promised a pain-free life. When Jesus walked this earth, he allowed his good friend Lazarus to die and be buried by his grief-stricken sisters. The pain was real, even though three days later Jesus brought Lazarus back to life for the glory of God and so that many people’s faith would be increased.

  Today, God does not choose to reveal himself through resurrecting the dead. Instead, he is glorified when his children experience trials and suffering and yet remain faithful to him. In the midst of Job’s epic suffering, Job’s wife told him to “ curse God and die” rather than continue to live with the physical and emotional pain (Job 2:9). But Job refused, and God was glorified. (JG)

  [Job] replied, “…Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

  —Job 2:10

  August 25

  Dear John

  Cpl. Samuel Kramer wrote to Yank magazine in September 1943 to claim the shortest “Dear John” letter ever received in the European Theater. His letter was duly published, to the amusement of countless readers: “Mr. Kramer: Go to hell! With love, Anne Gudis.”340

  This “loving” couple met in 1942, before Sam was posted to England. There followed a stormy three-year correspondence, reaching a climax of sorts with this letter. They continued writing, however, often with similar acrimony. Over time, amazingly, the situation improved. In June 1944 Anne would write, “All I can do is tell you how very much you mean to me and how I long for the day when we can be together again.”341 After the war, they did come together and were married in 1945. A long, successful marriage with three children followed.

  This is a story of perseverance that should inspire any married couple. Relationships do become stormy at times, and one or both partners say things that wound the other. The lesson here is clear: keep talking. In this case, the couple kept on writing, which eventually accomplished the same purpose. They worked through their self-inflicted wounds to recapture those things about each other that attracted them in the first place. My mother’s advice was to never go to sleep on an argument. This can sometimes be difficult to do literally, but the basic advice is the same: keep on talking until you resolve the problem. And every time you take the first step to reconcile, remember that Jesus himself is on your side, for in every situation, “Blessed are the peacemakers”(Matthew 5:9).

  For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

  —1 Corinthians 14:33

  August 26

  Candlelight Service

  In 1943 a group of women in Brooktondale, New York, began printing a newsletter called the Brooktondale Bugler, with information about local events and their hometown servicemen stationed around the world. The paper carried an article about a special service held on December 30, 1944:

  At the morning service of the Nazarene Church in Brooktondale, Dec. 30th, a candle lighting service was held in honor of those in Service of our Country from our community. Dr. Howard Miller delivered the message in conjunction with the service. His subject was, “The relationship of Home, Church, and Country.”

  A row of nineteen candles was placed in front of the Altar and as the Pastor, Rev. Stanford Ernest read the name of the man or woman in service, the mother, wife, or sister, lighted a candle in his or her honor. Rev. Ernest offered a prayer for their safe return and Miss Betty Miller very impressively sang “Keep the Home Fires Burning.”

  Two beautiful flags, the American and the Christian, were presented to the Church by Dr. Howard Miller and Mrs. Miller.342

  The 2007 population of Brooktondale was 2028. It may have been smaller or larger in 1944, but probably not by much. Nineteen young people serving in the armed forces represented a large portion of this small town. This prayerful and thoughtful community support had to be encouraging and uplifting for those doing their duty away from home. We pray that so many will never again be involved in a war, but that, whatever the number, those who go into harm’s way for us will always be so honored. As the popular World War I song says, “Keep the home fires burning, while your hearts are yearning…”343

  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

  —John 15:13

  August 27

  Letter to MacArthur

  Mail service and information from the Southwest Pacific theater was slow and sporadic. A Chicago woman, Mrs. Nels Neslund, could not get news about her wounded son, Robert, and finally went to the top for help. On January 1, 1945, she wrote a letter that was part entreaty and part prayer directly to General MacArthur:

  This is the first prayer of nineteen forty five, that our boys come home safe and sound. It is written on the first minute of the new year and if God ever listened to a prayer I hope it is this one…

  Please take care of my boys, let Robert get well, let him stay in the hospital till he is… and please God hold your healing hand over the mind and spirit and physical well being of all the soldiers in the Philippines and all over the world, for if each one of them has a mother or a wife whose prayer joins with mine this first hour of 1945 I am sure the strength of it, the strength of all the combined prayers of this day will be able to move mountains…344

  Unfortunately, General MacArthur’s response to this appeal is not known. He must have been moved by the eloquence of this distraught woman appealing to him and to God at the same time. She may have had little faith in the Army, but the depth of her faith in God shows through in her inspiring appeal to God and other mothers. This is the kind of faith that brings individuals and families through difficult times and enables them to deal with whatever worldly crisis besets them. God freely offers the same spiritual protection and support to his people whenever we turn to him for it.

  My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

  —Psalm 62:12

  August 28

  If You’ll Sort the Socks

  Hours after stepping off his landing craft into knee-deep water, Smith Shumway looked down at Omaha Beach from the high ground. Below him lay an amazing scene. Ships and landing craft stretched as far as he could see. Many were still circling offshore and others were coming into the beach. Airplanes were roaring overhead, and shells were bursting everywhere. The beach was littered with men and machines. It was a sight he would never forget and, unfortunately, one of the last sights he would ever see.

  Soon after, Shumway’s life was changed forever by an exploding anti-tank mine. Advancing through the hedgerows of Normandy, he was only a yard behind a tank when it blew up. The horrendous explosion ri
ddled him with shrapnel and thrust him into darkness. Over the following days he had to accept the fact that he was permanently blind.

  The young officer spent the next two years in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, recovering from his wounds and adapting to his blindness. His progress was amazing. In 1946 he was hired by the state of Maryland as a rehabilitation counselor for the blind. He soon began visiting factories to show managers and blind workers that they could do many tasks previously thought impossible for a blind person. He became one of the most successful counselors in the nation at placing the sightless in industrial jobs. He also gradually worked up the confidence and courage to propose to his college sweetheart, Sarah Bagley. He told her, “If you’ll sort the socks and read the mail, I can do the rest.”345 Sarah consented, and they were happily married. Shumway summed up the peaks and valleys of his life and explained the powerful source of his motivation: “I felt that my heavenly Father had blessed me and spared my life for a reason.”346

  For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

  —Matthew 13:17

  August 29

  An Unexpected Benefit

  Combat conditions had a way of dissolving denominational differences. Chaplains found themselves ministering to the men and women around them regardless of their religious affiliation or even non-affiliation. One Catholic chaplain with the 93rd Division found 98 percent of his troops Protestant and still worked tirelessly to provide religious support to every man. A Baptist chaplain and a Catholic chaplain worked together with the Marines going into Tarawa, and both became popular with the troops of each other’s faith. A war correspondent observed them in action and commented, “Denominational distinctions did not mean much to men about to offer up their lives.”347

  The military chaplains of World War II practiced an ecumenism born of necessity. From their combat experiences many of these chaplains also found a deeper personal faith that tended to further blur denominational differences. This cooperative spirit was a blessing to millions of men and women in uniform and would eventually bless the nation as well. Inevitably, these chaplains returned home to bring better understanding between the faiths. One historian described the phenomenon:

  The American and Allied sense and hope for a better future included a perhaps unexpected benefit as chaplains returned after the war to their churches, schools, and communities. The nature of their service in combat stripped away many of the traditional icons and trappings; the faith of many chaplains was deepened by this return to the basics. There was also a significant growth in ecumenical spirit and understanding. At the battalion aid stations and the burial sites, the chaplains, regardless of their own faith, knew and used appropriately the counsel, prayers and last rites befitting the soldier who was sick, wounded, dying, or just plain afraid and exhausted.348

  There is one body and one Spirit just as you were called to one hope when you were called one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

  —Ephesians 4:46

  August 30

  No Self-Righteousness

  Samuel Moor Shoemaker was rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in New York from 1925 to 1952. He is best remembered for his work helping formulate the Twelve Step Program for Alcoholics Anonymous. During World War II many of his sermons addressed the war effort, and his words were not always soothing to his listeners. He lashed out at the immorality that he saw in the nation, comparing America to a “spoiled child.” He did support the war effort, determining it a “grim necessity” and an opportunity for nations to again choose democracy. However, he abhorred any self-righteousness on the part of his countrymen:

  No war can ever be a clear-cut way for a Christian to express his hatred of evil. For war involves a basic confusion. All the good in the world is not ranged against all the evil. In the present war, some nations that have a great deal of evil in them are yet seeking to stand for freedom… against other nations which have a great deal of good in them but yet are presently dedicated to turning the world backwards into the darkness of enslavement.349

  These words can be applied to individuals as well as to nations. Every human being has the potential for good as well as evil. And every “good” person falls short of God’s expectations. Christians especially must understand this truth. By definition, a Christian is a fallen human being whose only value comes from the grace of God and trust in Jesus Christ. There is no room for a “holier than thou” attitude toward any other human being. Samuel Shoemaker was right to remind Americans then and now that self-righteousness is even more destructive when evidenced by a nation.

  Do not say to yourself, “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you.

  —Deuteronomy 9:4

  August 31

  Pass the Ammunition

  On December 7, 1941, the USS New Orleans was moored along Berth 16 at the Navy Yard, Pearl Harbor, undergoing engine repairs while on shore power. As soon as the Japanese air attack began, the general quarters alarm sounded, and the crew scrambled to their battle stations. The sky was filled with attacking aircraft, and, in a few moments, all of the New Orleans ’ air defense weapons were firing at a fever pitch. The ship’s chaplain, Cdr. Howell Forgy, moved about the ship, giving encouragement to the men. He himself was inspired by a group of sailors passing shells to one of the five-inch gun mounts:

  The big five-inch shells, weighing close to a hundred pounds, were being pulled up the powerless hoist by ropes attached to their long, tube-like metal cases. A tiny Filipino messboy, who weighed little more than the shell, hoisted it to his shoulder, staggered a few steps, and grunted as he started the long, tortuous trip up two flights of ladders to the quarterdeck, where the guns thirsted for steel and powder. A dozen eager men lined up at the hoist. The parade of ammunition was endless, but the cry kept coming from topside for more, more, more… The boys were putting everything they had into the job, and it was beginning to tell on them… Minutes turned to hours. Physical exhaustion was coming to every man in the human endless-chain of that ammunition line. They struggled on. They could keep going only by keeping faith in their hearts.

  I slapped their wet, sticky backs and shouted, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.”*

  This phrase soon became well known and was incorporated into a song by Frank Loesser. Reflecting a more innocent age and the religious character of America at that time, it became a popular hit. The song told the story of a chaplain who laid aside his Bible to man the guns, while shouting what was to become one of the most famous phrases of World War II.

  There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven… A time to tear and a time to mend, A time to be silent and a time to speak, A time to love and a time to hate, A time for war and a time for peace.

  —Ecclesiastes 3:1, 78

  World War II Navy recruiting poster. (National Archives)

  September

  THE CENTRAL PACIFIC CAMPAIGN

  Adm. Isoruku Yamamoto, the architect of the Japanese triumph at Pearl Harbor, warned his superiors early in the war that if the conflict lasted more than a year he would not be able to guarantee success against the United States. In 1943, his worst nightmare was realized as America’s industrial might began to show itself in the Pacific. By that time, the U.S. 5th Fleet was operating with six heavy Essex class aircraft carriers, thirteen smaller carriers, twelve battleships, and large numbers of cruisers, destroyers, and support ships. Commanding this armada was the hero of Midway, Vadm. Raymond Spruance. The spearhead of the fleet was its four Fast Carrier Task Groups, each with four aircraft carriers and an escort of supporting surface ships. The ground combat element was the V Amphibious Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. Holland M. Smith, affectionately known a
s “Howlin’ Mad” by the Marines under him. Having anticipated the coming battles in the Pacific for more than a decade, the Marines were ready with the equipment and tactics for an island-hopping campaign against defended beaches.

  After considerable debate between Army and Navy planners, the Joint Chiefs decided that priority in the Pacific would go to a Navy and Marine Corps drive directly at Japan, while MacArthur’s Army forces would continue their advance through New Guinea toward the Philippines. Step one of the Central Pacific campaign would be the coral atoll of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands.

  The main objective at Tarawa was the tiny two-mile-long island of Betio, the only fortified position on the atoll and site of an airfield. On November 21, 1943, five thousand Marines of the 2nd Marine Division made a difficult landing on the lagoon side of the island across a wide expanse of shallow reef. In three days of savage fighting more than one thousand Marines were killed attacking strongly fortified positions that had proven impervious to inaccurate naval and air bombardment. Bunkers with six-foot-thick roofs made of logs, sand, and corrugated iron had to be assaulted by individual squads with rifles, hand grenades, and satchel charges. Valuable lessons were learned at Tarawa that would benefit upcoming operations, including the necessity of longer and more accurate pre-assault fire support.