Warriors:
“That took a lot of guts.” Now there is an acclamation every man wants to hear. “No Guts, No Glory” is another manly admonition that comes to mind. That was the title of an Air Force manual on combat tactics for fighter-pilots written by Major Frederick C. Blesse, USAF, (Men’s Fraternity, Class of 1948). Blesse retired as a major general. He was an “Ace” in the Korean War, having shot down 10 enemy aircraft. He later flew 154 combat missions in the Vietnam War. No doubt each mission took courage, incredible skill, and determination, but the compilation of all of those missions and all of those battles, day after day, year after year, tells us something more about Major General Blesse than a wall full of plaques or a chest laden with medals ever will.
Back Down to Earth
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (1841-1935), wrote the following:
“A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and time in which it is used.”
While these words are often debated in legal circles and hammered out to support various interpretations of law, they encapsulate the idea that we understand words in the historical, grammatical, and etymological context in which they are used. The meanings of words can radically change over time, so we must be alert to seeing the word in its original context to understand the fullness of its meaning. (This is especially true when studying the Bible.)
Solomon Islands, 1942
In the spring of 1942, the Japanese began construction of an airfield on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Island chain. The objective was to extend the capability of the Japanese to attack Allied Naval Forces as far east as Samoa and Fiji, enabling the Japanese to cut off supplies and communications between Australia and the United States.
On 7 August 1942, the 1st Marine Division, commanded by Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift, (Men’s Fraternity Class of 1918), landed on Guadalcanal and the neighboring islands of Tugali and Florida. The Japanese on the island were caught by surprise and the Americans quickly overwhelmed the defenders and seized the airfield. In one swift and decisive amphibious landing, the United States had gone on the offensive in the Pacific, initiating a campaign for control of the Solomons.
Henderson Field
On the morning of 9 August, a Japanese naval force surprised the U.S. and its British and Australian allies in the waters around Guadalcanal, sinking four heavy cruisers and killing over a thousand sailors. The Allied fleet was forced to retreat to the open ocean, leaving the Marines ashore with only five days of supplies. The Marines dug in and completed work on the airfield, which was named “Henderson Field” in honor of Maj Lofton Henderson, a Marine Corps aviator who was killed in the Battle of Midway.
Over the next six months, Henderson Field became the most fought-over parcel of ground in the world as Japanese land, air, and naval forces fought tenaciously to regain control of the island. Seven major naval engagements and three major land battles would be waged over six months. The Marines would fight rain and mud, dysentery and malaria, as well as sheer exhaustion from days on end of fighting a relentless enemy.
The Japanese Fight Back
Since the American landings in August, the Japanese had continually bombarded the U.S. positions on Guadalcanal from land, air, and sea. In early September, the Japanese were repulsed in a major attack against the Lunga Ridge south of Henderson Field. On 14 October, a Japanese naval task force attacked Henderson Field, killing 41 and destroying 48 of the Marines’ 90 available aircraft. Subsequently, the Japanese landed 15,000 additional troops on the island, and, on the 24th, the Japanese attacked again, throwing the full weight of their force against the American lines protecting Henderson Field. Around midnight on October the 25th, under a torrential downpour, the Japanese again pushed forward against the Marine positions. This night would be the climax of the ground war for Guadalcanal.
Standing in the Gap
Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone (Men’s Fraternity, Class of 1940) was born in Buffalo, New York. After serving a stint in the Army and distinguishing himself as a champion boxer during a tour in Manila, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1940. Known as “Manila John,” Basilone was an expert in the employment of the 30-caliber machine gun and a leader of men.
On October 25th, Basilone and his two machine gun sections on Lunga Ridge faced one of the most savage thrusts of the war. After enduring two days of assaults by wave after wave of suicidal Japanese soldiers, one of Basilone’s machine gun positions was overrun. With 13 of his 15 man unit killed or wounded, Basilone realized that the loss of the machine gun position had resulted in a catastrophic breach in the American lines. Basilone grabbed a 30 cal. machine gun and rushed forward under intense enemy fire, killing eight Japanese and retaking the position. Basilone closed the gap in the line and kept the enemy at bay while working feverishly to repair one machine gun, while he pinned down the enemy with another. Then, realizing the shortage of ammunition for the other machine guns, Basilone rushed repeatedly through withering enemy fire to gather ammunition for his besieged Marines. Finally, during the final Japanese assault, Basilone’s machine gun sections, now re-organized and re-supplied, annihilated the attacking force in a brutal crossfire.
Nash Phillips, who lost a hand in the battle that night fighting alongside Basilone, later recounted how GySgt Basilone had fought for three days and nights without sleep or food. The morning after the fight, Basilone came to see Nash who was in the hospital tent. This is how Nash described him:
“He was barefooted and his eyes were red as fire. His face was dirty black from gunfire and lack of sleep. His shirtsleeves were rolled up to his shoulders. He had a .45 tucked into the waistband of his trousers. He’d just dropped by to see how I was making out; me and the others in the section. I’ll never forget him.”
In a Word
John Basilone exhibited a virtue that the ancient Greeks called hupomone [hoop-om-on-ay’]. There is really no English equivalent to the word, which is often translated “endurance” or “patience,” but that is just the “skin of a living thought.” Plato combined the word with manliness, reflecting what one commentator called a “masculine constancy in holding out under trials,” combining the ideas of perseverance and patience – unflinching resolve in the face of adversity. This is the virtue exemplified by Major General Blesse who completed a combat tour in Korea, and then climbed back in the cockpit 154 more times to fight over Vietnam.
In the New Testament, hupomone reflects the picture of the character that is fashioned through affliction and tribulation. It is what 19th century Anglican Bishop Charles Ellicott defined as “the brave patience with which the Christian contends against the various hindrances, persecutions, and temptations that befall him in his conflict with the inward and outward world.” It is a patient bearing-up that simultaneously contends with adversity. Hupomone is the manliest of virtues because it means that
YOU STAY IN THE FIGHT.
The Pampered Christian
It is common in Christian circles to define “faith” as guaranteeing some combination of stress-free living and material possessions—a sort of spiritual Xanax with a house at the beach. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Apostle Paul tells us that it is not only declared that we should believe on Christ but also to suffer for His sake (Philippians 1:29). Further, we are told to glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience. “Patience” in that verse is hupomone. As stated more expansively in the Amplified Bible:
“Moreover, let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.”
Romans 5:3
Hupomone is only fashioned through tribulation. The godly man must learn to reject the pampering of self and jettison all of those distractions in his life that make him hesitate and refuse to rush forward when a huge hole appears in his battleline. This man has understanding and focus, and he does not see himself as an occasional weekend warrior but as a man who is engaged in a campaign that he must fight and prevail in for the rest of his life. He knows that he will have to climb into the cockpit and be prepared to wage war, day after day and year after year, and never reach retirement age. This man knows as well that sometimes he will have to stand alone against seemingly impossible odds. In doing so, he will reap a great reward, not only in eternity, but in knowing that he stands in the gap between triumph and defeat, life and death—living a life that takes guts.
Harper sends