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November 12, 2001 - Harold Johnson, Veteran
Happy Veteran's Day from 2TheHeart!
"The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example."
~ Benjamin Disraeli ~
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Adopt a soldier! Become a penpal to a lonely soldier who could use a friend. Send cards, email, packages, etc! What a great way to make the holidays less lonely for our military personnel! http://www.adoptasoldier.com/
Send a military Care Package specially designed for our American soldiers. Click here to see several spirit-lifitng care packages! http://www.qksrv.net/click-404250-1514405
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HEROES
Sgt. Albert A. Schmid: Though blinded on a Guadalcanal battlefield, Schmid continued firing his machine gun at the direction of a wounded comrade, killing 200 enemy soldiers. The story of his recuperation and postwar life inspired a
movie. For more... http://ydib.net/cgi-bin/heroes?ML_schmid_bkp
Provided courtesy of Military.com (http://www.military.com)
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Look near the bottom of this for new poets on our A&P page! And watch tomorrow for a great new addition to the Kid Talent Forum!
If you are a veteran, we humbly thank you! If you are not, please remember to honor those who serve today and those who have served and died to preserve our freedom. God bless America! Today's story is a special one to honor a special veteran, and to honor all of our brave and heroic veterans. You are loved.
"Harold Johnson, Veteran"
by Kenneth L. Pierpont
You should meet Harold Johnson. I visit him whenever I can and it's always an event. Harold Johnson is one of the patriarchs of our church. He has a neat apartment in a retirement home in nice part of Grand Rapids. He is a prayerful, godly man. He's been a part of the church I pastor since its early days and served on the board for years. He loves news about the church. He always tells me that he is happy to see that the church is always full when he visits. He is especially interested in hearing about people who are new to the faith.
He and his wife raised their children for God. His eyes moisten when he talks about his children or grandchildren or the church or the things of the Lord. He listens to Christian radio through the day and has a stack of worn Bibles beside his bed.
Yesterday a hospital visit took me to Grand Rapids in the wee hours of the morning. After my visit I drove over to see Harold. I joined him for breakfast in the dining room. He said; "I have a lot to be thankful for. I have to remember that. You have to be careful that you don't let yourself become ungrateful. You always have to watch that."
He's been a widower now for about four years. While I was talking to him one of the ladies finished her breakfast and greeted Harold on the way past the table. The other men at the table smiled and teased him. "One of his girlfriends," they said. "Oh, really?" "I'm Harold's pastor and I'm going to be expected to give a full report on his behavior when I get back to town. Does he have many girlfriends? "Oh, yes, many" they both agreed, and cackled a little. I looked at the guilty party and he smiled. "Is there anything more I should know?" I inquired.
He finished his breakfast while I caught up on news of his children and grandchildren. When he was done he said; "Come with me to my room for a minute, Pastor, there's something I want you to see."
Harold is a part of a vanishing group of very special people in our country. He is a veteran of the Second World War. He was involved in the invasion of Normandy on D-Day. He came ashore on Omaha Beech less than twenty-four hours into the engagement. He participated in the liberation of France. He said; "You should have seen it. We were heroes, practically worshipped in France." "They loved the sight of the American flag." He went on to describe how he was later involved in the liberation of one of the most infamous and pitiful of the Nazi death camps. He wept as he described the prisoners standing in the chow line for their first meal.
It had been three weeks since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon. I asked if he had been following the news. He said he got to a television, and like most of the rest of America and the world, he watched in horror for two or three days.
"The President called for a day of prayer. They said to get to a prayer meeting if you can and wear red, white, and blue. I couldn't find any red, white, and blue so I just wore my uniform," Harold said.
He showed me a picture taken that day. After fifty years the uniform still fit beautifully. "Harold," I said, You look sharp." He did. His uniform was complete with cover and a perfect tie knot.
First hand stories of the faith, patriotism, courage and sacrifice displayed in the Second World War are becoming increasingly rare as the years go by. I was glad to hear a few of Harold's.
"What did your friends say when you came to dinner in your uniform?" Iasked. "Oh," he said, "They all liked it. The chaplain took my picture and, well, you know, women love a man in uniform."
Ken Pierpont copyright 2001
ken@kenpierpont.com.
Ken Pierpont is a communicator from Fremont, Michigan. He and his wife have four boys and four girls. He writes in the local paper and publishes a weekly e-mail newsletter. You can read his work at kenpierpont.com. Ken has written "Moon Walks", "Bad Day" (Funny Friday)and "How I Came to Love Stories", found in the archives: www.2theheart.com/archives
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See the great new additions to our Art & Poetry page! We are pleased to share with you new poetry by Trent Brandt, John Schmoyer, and Eileen Sateriale! Visit the A&P page here: http://www.2theheart.com/art___poetry_/
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The Military Trivia Challenge
Register and test your knowledge about military history:
http://www.military.com/Trivia/Home/
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The Letter Box:
Dear Alan,
Your stories of Dink have left me loving her spirit more and more. Your last story of her Victory Day was incredibly heartwrenching. To pass on and know that that many people loved and "stood up" for me is the greatest honor I could hope to achieve on this earth. What an incredible woman Dink must have been and what incredible angels were sent into your lives. Please continue to write. I thought I saw something about a book and a page on 2theheart.com? I look forward to it. Thanks.
God's blessings to you,
~Elizabeth Wilding
Godfrey, Illinois
Dink's victory is Alan's, too. Now he has to be brave and keep going, that's the hardest part, but he'll do it and keep the faith. Bless you, Alan, and remember that it's alright to relax, go out and enjoy the sunshine, watch a film, laugh and joke. Sitting in misery helps no-one and would upset Dink. Go home and cry whenever you feel like it, but then keep going and smiling. Been there, done that, shame there's no T shirt but still, we can't have everything !
~Margaret Drysdale
Yorkshire, England
mallott@lineone.net
Susan,
You warned us again, but you knew your warnings would be for not. (I hope you have stock in Kleenex.) Once again Al's story was written from the heart. Thank you Al, for letting us share.
Keep Hope Alive,
~Mike Segal
msegalhope@aol.com
Susan,
There are almost no words to express the feelings that come out just by reading one of Alan's stories about Dink. What a truly wonderful women she was. It is an honor to know her through his stories it must have been a blessing from God to have known her in person.
~Jane Ludwig, Virginia
Ludferg@aol.com
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