RESILIENT VALOR
Major General Bob Dees, U.S. Army, Retired
©RFD LLC 2014
In a recent discussion with a new widow who is working to finish her deceased husband’s
historical novel regarding the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, I was reminded of a discovery
which I made when walking the same battlefield on the north shoulder of the Bulge, at
Elsenborn Ridge. Here is the account I provided to her:
“Walking along Elsenborn Ridge as part of a staff ride with U.S. Army Europe leaders, I
suddenly noticed a rusty piece of metal on the ground. I asked the historian walking
along with us what this might be? He indicated that it was undoubtedly a rusted hinge
off of an ammunition box from the 23d Infantry who had occupied that part of the ridge
during the Battle of the Bulge. Having just completed command of the Second Infantry
Division in Korea, this mention of the 23d Infantry “Tomahawks” immediately caught my
attention.
The Tomahawks were known for the Battle of Chipyong-ni in the Korean War where they
defeated five Chinese Communist divisions with roughly 500 valiant warriors. This
victory against overwhelming odds was a critical turning point in the entire war,
allowing the Eighth US Army to stop their bloody retreat and begin moving north to
liberate Korean land and people overrun by the Communists. Further, I realized that
many of the experienced Tomahawk sergeants and senior leaders in the Korean War had
been privates and junior officers six years earlier in World War II. Same unit, same
leaders, different wars.
‘So tell me more,’ I asked the historian. He responded that ‘If the Tomahawks had not
held the Elsenborn Ridge shoulder, the outcome may have been entirely different, the
Nazi last ditch thrust through the Ardennes may have actually succeeded. The
Tomahawks held firm at one of the most decisive points of the entire World War II.’
We moved on through the Elsenborn Ridge woods as I pondered the new
information: How amazing that the same unit had succeeded against overwhelming
odds at a defining moment in not just one, but two wars. What allowed them to grow
leaders who were remarkably courageous under daunting odds? What was the “DNA”
that empowered these Tomahawk warriors to fight so ferociously? What was the secret
of their resilience across multiple wars? While I probably could not figure out the
intricacies of these questions, I knew I could do one thing. I could honor and respect
those who had fought, bled, and in many cases, died for those on their right and left, and
for the freedoms which we enjoy today. Elsenborn Ridge is certainly “where valor lies”
(the name of Gary Varner’s forthcoming book, Where Valor Lies).”
Certainly this vignette focuses honor upon our great veterans who served in World War II and
Korea, but really our entire nation’s military who have served at home and abroad over our
country’s history. They have truly demonstrated “Resilient Valor” as they have put “one boot in
front of another,” bringing the light of freedom to the darkest, dankest, dustiest, and most
depraved parts of our globe; as well as serving and protecting fellow citizens on the home front.
We honor them!
I offer, however, that this vignette has much broader applications to resilient living, resilient
valor under all circumstances in the military and far beyond. Let me give another military
example to illustrate: In World War II, many airborne troopers in the 101st Airborne Division
jumped into Normandy in the dark of night, then a few months later jumped in the largest
airborne operation in the history of the world (Operation Market Garden in Holland), then were
encircled at Bastogne where they defied and resisted overwhelming odds, then they worked
their way through the heartland of Germany to liberate extermination camps, and oppressed
peoples from the grip of Hitler. They also kept putting one boot in front of another, resiliently
fighting, bouncing back after wounds of the heart, soul, and body; continuing to press toward
the mark. We also honor them.
The broader point is that these military warriors have modeled something that is priceless,
something we will call “Resilient Valor.” In life we must continue the fight under all odds. We
must show courage, valor, and staying power time after time. Maybe we have health issues, or
relational fractures, or have been victimized by natural tragedy or senseless violence, or carry
the wounds of actual warfare. Whatever our own personal situation, we have the example of
these veterans, the example of many resilient men and women of valor in the Scriptures, and
very specific Biblical encouragement from passages such as 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, NASB:
“7 But
we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the
power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8 we are afflicted in every way, but not
crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but
not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of
Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”
One boot in front of the other. Resilient valor. Not growing weary in well doing. Struck down,
but not destroyed. Only through Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. A good word for
each of us. Relevant to every walk of life.
Let us know what you think.