Selfless Service and Uncommon Valor

On Sunday, March 30, 2003, on a CNN Live interview from the front line with Martin Savidge:

Martin Savidge of CNN, embedded with the 1st Marine Battalion, 1st Marine Division, was talking with 4 young Marines near his foxhole that morning live on CNN. He had been telling the story of how well the Marines looked out for and took care of him since the start of the war. He went on to tell about the many hardships the Marines endured and how they all looked after one another.

He turned to the four and said that their commanders cleared them to use his video phone to call home. None of these Marines had been able to talk with their families for many weeks. The 19-year-old Marine next to him asked Martin if he would allow his platoon sergeant to use his call to call his pregnant wife back home with whom he had not been able to talk to in over a month. A stunned Savidge, who was visibly moved by the request, nodded his head -- yes. The young Marine ran off to get the sergeant.

Savidge recovered after a few seconds and turned back to the three young Marines still sitting with him. He asked which one of them would like to call home first? The Marine closest to him responded without a moment's hesitation, "Sir, if it is all the same to you, we would like to call the parents of a buddy of ours -- Lance Cpl. Brian Buesing of Cedar Key, Florida, who was killed on the 23rd of March near Nasiriya. We would like to see how his folks are doing and let them know their son died bravely."

At that Martin Savidge totally broke down and was unable to speak. All he could get out before signing off was, "Where do they get young men like these?"

These men paid the price for our freedom

This INCREDIBLE picture was taken In 1918.

It's 18,000 men preparing for war in a training camp at Camp Dodge in Iowa.

Thank You to the Heroes who have given their lives for our freedom

"Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends."
~ John 15:13

Letters From War - Thank you to our military men and women

Gear Up

"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy . . ." Luke 10:19

Have you ever tried to picture what life would be like without the U. S. military? A few words come to mind: insecurity, vulnerability, fear. The fact is that we would not survive as a nation without our military men and women because no matter how sincere some leaders are in their efforts to deal peaceably with the enemy, there will always be another country ready to bring a fight to our front door. We cannot rid the world of enemies simply by avoiding them; we must have a defense in place.

The same is true of our Christian faith; we must be prepared for opposition from our enemy, Satan, because he is ready to wage war on us at any given moment, especially when God is really working in our lives. And just as our brave men and women in uniform are trained and ready to meet this country's opposition head on, we must spend time training in the Word, learning how to defend and protect ourselves against the wiles of the Devil.

It's like the Roman strategist, Flavius Vegetius, said, "Let him who desires peace prepare for war." So, put on the armor of God and gear up!

"Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive . . ." Harry S. Truman

From Turning Point

The Cost of Freedom - The Blood of Heroic Patriots!

"On September 29, 2006, Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor was part of a major clearing and isolating operation to root out enemy fighters holding parts of Ramadi, the Sunni insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad.

Monsoor was in a sniper position on a rooftop along with two other SEALs when a grenade flew into his location from out of nowhere. It bounced off his chest and landed in an area where it probably would have killed or seriously wounded all three of them.

Monsoor was in a position to escape before the explosion but instead leapt on the grenade.

"He recognized immediately the threat, yelled 'grenade' and due to the fact that two other SEAL snipers, our brothers, could not possibly escape the blast, he chose to smother it with his body, absorbed the impact and lost his life in the process," said Lt. Cmdr. Seth Stone, Mansoor's platoon commander.

The blast did not kill him right away; he hung on for 30 minutes. His two comrades were wounded but survived the shrapnel that ripped through their bodies.

Stone said: "He essentially saved [the] Navy SEALS on the rooftop and three Iraqi soldiers who were there."

President Bush presented Monsoor's parents with a posthumous Medal of Honor for their son at an emotional White House ceremony last Tuesday." CNN

Thank You to our "American Soldiers"

Pray for our military & Pray for those left behind!

Manhood or wimp! Men - where do you stand?

"If I were the last man on the planet to think so, I would want the honor of saying that no woman should go before me into combat to defend my country. A man who endorses women in combat is not pro-woman; he's a wimp. He should be ashamed. For most of history, in most cultures, he would have been utterly scorned as a coward to promote such an idea. Part of the meaning of manhood as God created us is the sense of responsibility for the safety and welfare of our women." ~ John Piper

To read more of Piper's thoughts see the complete article in World Magazine.

Thank You - for doing your job!

The first Medal of Honor awarded for combat in Afghanistan was presented Monday to the weeping parents of a Navy SEAL from Long Island, who gave his life to make a radio call for help for his team.

President Bush presented the nation's highest military honor for valor to the family of Lt. Michael Murphy of Patchogue, N.Y., who died when his elite combat team was surrounded high in the mountains of Afghanistan.

"While their missions were often carried out in secrecy, their love of country and devotion to each other was always clear," President Bush said. "On June 28, 2005, Michael would give his life for these ideals. ~ Associated Press

Read the full story Here & More

Watch the Ceremony ~ Medal of Honor presented to parents of Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan

Thoughts on Freedom and gratitude for our military

"Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it."

Thoughts on Integrity - Do you have it?

"Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching." ~ Anon

"There can be no friendship without confidence; and no confidence, without integrity” ~ Anon

"In times like these men should utter nothing for which they would not be willingly responsible through time and in eternity.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

"Integrity has no need of rules.” ~ Albert Camus

"No man can purchase his virtue too dear, for it is the only thing whose value must ever increase with the price it has cost us. Our integrity is never worth so much as when we have parted with our all to keep it.” ~ Ovid

“A little integrity is better than any career” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"We are all faced with conflicting desires. No one, no matter how spiritual, can avoid the battle. Integrity is the factor that determines which one will prevail. We struggle daily with situations that demand decisions between what we want to do and what we ought to do. Integrity establishes the ground rules for resolving these tensions. it determines who we are and how we will respond before the conflict even appears. Integrity welds what we say, think, and do, into a whole person so that permission is never granted for one of these to be out of sync." ~ John Maxwell

"The first key to greatness is to be in reality what we appear to be." ~ Socrates

"Integrity is not so much what we do as much as who we are. ~ John Maxwell

"Image is what people think we are: integrity is what we rally are." ~ John Maxwell

"The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do if he would never be found out." ~ Thomas Macauley

"Integrity is not a given factor in everyone’s life. It is a result of self-discipline, inner trust, and a decision to be relentlessly honest in all situations in our lives." ~ John Maxwell

"Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost." ~ Billy Graham

Pray for our President - 1 Tim 2:1-4

President Bush told the author of a new book on his presidency that "I try not to wear my worries on my sleeve" or show anything less than steadfastness in public, especially in a time of war.

"I fully understand that the enemy watches me, the Iraqis are watching me, the troops watch me, and the people watch me," he said. Yet, he said, "I do tears."

"I've got God's shoulder to cry on. And I cry a lot. I do a lot of crying in this job. I'll bet I've shed more tears than you can count, as president. I'll shed some tomorrow."

Associated Press

(The above picture was during the Medal of Honor ceremony for Marine CPL Jason Dunham who was recognized for his heroism when he covered a grenade with his helmet to shield his comrades.)

Thank You to our Military

Prayer of a Soldier in France

My shoulders ache beneath my pack
(Lie easier, Cross, upon His back).

I march with feet that burn and smart
(Tread, Holy Feet, upon my heart).

Men shout at me who may not speak
(They scourged Thy back and smote Thy cheek)

I may not lift a hand to clear
My eyes of salty drops that sear.

(Then shall my fickle soul forget
Thy Agony of Bloody Sweat?)

My rifle hand is stiff and numb
(From Thy pierced palm red rivers come).

Lord, Thou didst suffer more for me
Than all the hosts of land and sea.

So let me render back again
This millionth of Thy gift. Amen.

~ Joyce Kilmer

Attention Military

Military Appreciation Scholarship

Piedmont Baptist College and Graduate School is grateful to all the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. With profound appreciation, we offer a scholarship to those who wish to further their education through the military’s Tuition Assistance program.

This scholarship covers the complete cost of online tuition beyond the $250 per credit hour paid by the military. The students pay no tuition, and those who qualify for both Tuition Assistance and the G.I. Bill may receive additional benefits.

Our Spurgeon School of Online Education delivers accredited, interactive, quality education to students anywhere in the world where the internet is available. Our built-in flexibility and seven-week sessions make it convenient for anyone to study the Bible and/or train for the ministry. Several undergraduate programs and one master’s degree are available online in their entirety. Please encourage soldiers to take advantage of this opportunity.

For more information, e-mail admissions@pbc.edu or call 1-800-937-5097.

Thank You to our military - We Are Proud of You, We Pray for You, and Support You!

As you pray for our troops don't forget to pray for their families too!

The Lord wants to be your strength - trust Him

Only he who can say,

"The Lord is the strength of my life"

can say,

"Of whom shall I be afraid."

~ Alexander MacLaren

Father, General, & Medal of Honor Recipient - Douglas MacArthur

"By profession I am a soldier and take great pride in that fact. But I am prouder - infinitely prouder - to be a father."