WHAT'S IN A NAME?

When someone says your name, what do others think?

Say the name of Richard Milhous Nixon and many Americans think of the name "Tricky Dick".

Our 37th president did things out of a tortured psyche which made headlines in the early 70's.  His paranoia and vindictiveness cost him the privilege of leadership.

But to FIVE HUNDRED AND NINETY-ONE brave men, President Nixon's reputation is sterling.

To those soldiers, Richard Nixon was the president who brought them out of a Vietnamese POW camp.  Later, the president hosted them at the largest-ever White House dinner.  President Nixon stood and shook every hand.  Bob Hope was the emcee; John Wayne and many stars also attended.

This LINK is a beautiful retelling of their story in a thought-provoking way that made me want to stand and sing "God Bless America" at the top of my lungs.  The courage of those men makes the heart swell in gratitude for what they did for others...and in particular, what all soldiers are willing to do for their country.

Air Force Lt. Colonel Carlyle "Smitty" Harris had been shot down over North Vietnam and spent almost eight years in the Hanoi Hilton.  How would you have handled eight years of brutality and uncertainty?  Here's what Lt. Col. Harris said:

“With six, seven or eight years to think about the really important things in life, a belief in God and country was strengthened in every POW with whom I had contact,” he said. “Firsthand exposure to a system which made a mockery of religion and where men are unable to know truth made us all appreciate some of the most basic values in ‘God bless America.’”

They called their place "Camp Faith". 

There in Camp Faith, USAF Col. J. Quincy Collins wrote "The POW Hymn" with a fish bone on toilet paper.  The men sang to cheer their spirits when the guards were away.  Here are the words to that hymn:

"Oh God, to Thee we raise this prayer and sing, 

From within these foreign prison walls, 

We're men who wear the gold and silver wings

And proudly heed our nation's call.

Give us strength to withstand all the harm, 

That the hand of our enemy captors can do,

To inflict pain and strife and deprive every life,

Of the rights they know well we are due.

We pledge unswerving faith and loyalty to our cause,

To America and to Thee.  Amen."  

Another POW said:  "Courage is fear that has said its prayers".  There does not seem to be any confusion on the part of those soldiers as to whether it was correct to call on God's name for help.  Perhaps the Air Force Academy should take note before making "so help me God" optional in their cadets' honor oath.

Today men are asked to strap on 80 pounds of gear/body armor and go to 120 degree places where we are not wanted and the hostiles may dress like friendlies.  They are asked to work with hands tied in regulations against an enemy who has been told when they are leaving.  And there's also trouble with  offering the men spiritual support.

The work is distant and not well-paid, but thank God there are those who feel the call.  No wonder it is called "the service".

Two weeks ago we saw the honor flights of WW2 vets remove barricades at their memorial.  In that display, they stood shoulder to shoulder with their brothers who had been denied death benefits, visually stating their outrage to have been made political pawns.  

The military gives Americans a privilege that most of us haven't worked for (except perhaps to exercise voting rights and stay informed).  Americans feel their debt to the military, intrinsically knowing that they could not or would not do what these brave souls are doing.  Serving others unto death is noble and rare... especially when it is done largely in anonymity.  

A soldier's sacrifice is reminiscent of another man who came two millennia ago to serve and give His life a ransom for many.  The courage Christ displayed on my behalf compels my service.  His name is THE cornerstone given so that all might build their Camp Faith on that great and powerful name.  

"Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."  Acts 4:12

"No one has greater love than this - that one lays down his life for his friends."  John 15:13