What they did for love

What they did for love
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 10, 2014

Father Emil Kapaun received the Medal of Honor and became the 7th Chaplain to receive the award of heroes.

Civil War, Chaplains John Whitehead, Francis Hall and James Hill. Also Milton Haney was awarded the Medal of Honor after he volunteered to become a rifleman.

There were two Vietnam Army Chaplains, Charles Watters and Angelo Liteky.

During WWII there were "The four Chaplains were Father John Washington (Catholic), Reverend Clark Poling (Dutch Reformed), Rabbi Alexander Goode (Jewish) and Rev. George Fox (Methodist). These four Chaplains were later honored by the Congress and Presidents. They were recognized for their selfless acts of courage, compassion and faith." They took off their lifejackets so that others could live. They knew in doing so, they would die.

Why is it so easy to forget why they joined the military? Why is it so easy for so many to think of them as nothing more than trained killers deserving nothing from them? Why is it so easy for some to change their minds about wars and dismiss all those we sent did? This happens all the time. Yet as lousy as that attitude is, it is not the worst for them. It is when they forget why they wanted to serve.

John 15 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

That same level of love is necessary to be willing to die for the sake of someone else. No one will put someone else above them unless they have that capacity within their hearts/souls.

It is the strength of their character that also opens the door for grieving as deeply as they do. In other words, the more they feel, the more they feel all of it.

They grieve for their friends but they push on until their other friends are out of danger. It is when they are out of danger as a unit they become more in danger alone.

The military tells them they have been trained to do it all and be mentally tough. While this may be true to a point, it is an oversimplification of the end result. They are tough or they could not endure all the hardships that combat troops face. That type of training trivializes what they had within them in the first place and squanders the most powerful component within the men and women they command. The ability to put others first allows them to be the best the military could ever ask for.

They are an example to others that goodness can live on even in the horrific events of combat. Each time one of them reached out a hand to comfort another solider, it was a tender act of the brave.

No matter what people want to say about bravery heroes never do it for themselves. They do it for the others they are with.

God does not start wars but the willingness of Godly men end them. He does not take interest in armies but takes interest in the soldier and has put within them all they need to do what they were intended to do including healing. From the time they felt called into service for the sake of others, everything within them began to strengthen. When they did not remember why they went into military service, mo one reminded them that it had nothing to do with hate. No one is willing to sacrifice their lives because they hate other than deluded terrorists corrupted into thinking that hate was a good thing.

Ask a veteran why they joined and if they are honest, they will say to help the others. This factor is supported by the simple fact that when wars end, they stop fighting. When enemies surrender, they stop fighting.

Then they confuse the commandment 'thou shall not kill' with what happens in war. They think they cannot be forgiven but no one reminds them of what happened when a Roman Centurion approached Christ to save the life of his servant.

Matthew 8:5-13
New International Version (NIV)
The Faith of the Centurion

5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.

Why is this story so important? Because the Romans were not treating the Hebrews right. As a mater of fact they were killing them. Christ could have judged the Centurion for what he had done to them but instead judged what was in the Centurion's heart. It was love.

There is nothing they cannot be forgiven for. Most of the time they judge themselves too harshly because they cannot remember everything else that was behind what they did. Sometimes they find it impossible to forgive their enemies and that eats away at them until they are able to do it. They cannot forgive their commanders. The list of events and people grows because they had not made peace with the first time it happened. When the next time came, it fed off the previous one and so on and so on.

The beginning of healing comes with making peace with what has been but that can only be achieved by understanding what the basic reason was. That reason is what they did and why they did it. They did it for love.


PTSD Not God's Judgment from Kathleen "Costos" DiCesare on Vimeo.

For spiritual healing contact Point Man International Ministries.