This week we focus on lest we forget – our Heroes. Micah reminds us that God always raised up heroes to bring deliverance. He writes, “I delivered you from a bad life in Egypt. I sent Moses to lead you, and Aaron, and Miriam to boot. Remember what Balik, king of Moab, tried to pull and how Balim, son of Beor turned the tables on him? Keep all God’s salvation stories fresh and present.” (Micah 6:3-5) In Hebrews 11 you can read the Hebrew heroes hall of fame roll call.
Lest we forget – Our HEROES. We’re here today because people dared to give their lives for our freedoms. The early signers of the Declaration of Independence did so knowing that they would lose most of their wealth, health, and possibly their lives.
We just celebrated the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The invasion of Normandy was the largest sea, land, and air operation ever. In the Battle of Normandy our allied forces invasion suffered over 200,000 causalities. More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 war planes took part in that invasion. It’s estimated that 4,000 tanks were lost. It changed the course of history for the whole world! But heroes paid a great price!
The first wave of soldiers who led that invasion suffered over 75% causalities, but the waves kept coming! Each wave of soldiers that came towards Omaha Beach experienced less causalities and more success. They didn’t quit. They were heroes. After several waves of soldiers landing, the invasion was successful. Be careful – least we forget our Heroes.
My father-in-law, Ralph Frith, was a part of that experience at Normandy. Two of my grandsons visited Normandy this summer as a part of a school trip to Paris. One of them brought me a little vial of dirt from Normandy Beach. It’s a great reminder because it is a part of the costly dirt secured by the bravery of thousands of allied forces. It’s part of the precious dirt that covered over 9,000 bodies of our fallen troops. Don’t forget our Heroes.
I heard about a 93 year-old gentleman who flew into Paris. As he came to the customs desk, he was trying to find his passport. The customs officer sarcastically asked him if he had ever been to France before. He said, “Yes.” The officer said, “Then you should know you would have to have your passport ready.” The gentleman said, “The last time I was here I didn’t have to show it.” The officer said, “Impossible – all Americans have to show their passport on arrival in France.” The old gentleman was silent for a moment and then explained, “On my last visit on June 6, 1944, I landed on Omaha Beach to help liberate this country. I didn’t see any Frenchman checking passports.”
Spend some time with your families, your friends, and your coworkers remembering our heroes. Name specifically some heroes from your family and from history. I wrote a book called, “Where is America Headed,” and it lists some of the great heroes of our history. You can order it for $10 (which includes postage) from our ministry office at 4131 Carmichael Road, Montgomery, AL 36106
Be careful – lest we forget – Our HEROES!
