True Honor, Courage... and LOVE

I often read stories and books on military history. It's not because I like war (Robert E. Lee once said "It is well that war is so terrible, lest we should grow too fond of it."), or am fascinated with death, or anything morbid like that. The stories I love best are the ones that actually tell the events surrounding specific individuals or groups of men; stories like those of Ulysses S. Grant throughout the Civil War, or Easy Company of the 506th in WWII. I was recently reading about Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, and one in particular stood out to me: Sergeant Thomas A. Baker, U.S. Army, 105th Infantry, 27th Infantry Division, A Company. According to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Sgt. Baker received the award posthumously after multiple acts of selflessness and heroism in protection of his fellow soldiers. The full citation for his service specifically from June 19th through July 7th can be read by clicking the link above, but the day he died is most gripping...

On 7 July 1944, the perimeter of which Sgt. Baker was a part was attacked from 3 sides by from 3,000 to 5,000 Japanese. During the early stages of this attack, Sgt. Baker was seriously wounded but he insisted on remaining in the line and fired at the enemy at ranges sometimes as close as 5 yards until his ammunition ran out. Without ammunition and with his own weapon battered to uselessness from hand-to-hand combat, he was carried about 50 yards to the rear by a comrade, who was then himself wounded. At this point Sgt. Baker refused to be moved any farther stating that he preferred to be left to die rather than risk the lives of any more of his friends. A short time later, at his request, he was placed in a sitting position against a small tree . Another comrade, withdrawing, offered assistance. Sgt. Baker refused, insisting that he be left alone and be given a soldier's pistol with its remaining 8 rounds of ammunition. When last seen alive, Sgt. Baker was propped against a tree, pistol in hand, calmly facing the foe. Later Sgt. Baker's body was found in the same position, gun empty, with 8 Japanese lying dead before him. His deeds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.

It goes without saying that this man was a courageous soldier. He made a hard choice between his own life and the risk he would be putting on the lives of his fellow men should they try to carry him out. Beyond that, by asking for a pistol, he endeavored to delay the enemy's attack as his brothers retreated, fully knowing it would result in his death. He had the option of pretending to be dead, or surrendering to be taken prisoner, or merely accepting that his injuries would probably ultimately claim his life and just sit and do nothing. I don't know why he did it, and would be careful not to romanticize it too much. Was it courage, honor, and brotherhood, or bloodlust and hatred for the enemy? Or could it have been love for the men he served our country with?

Another man I know, love, and respect for sacrificing himself once said: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." Something that great teacher understood was that the pinnacle act of love is to give your own life so that others may live. No matter Sgt. Baker's reasoning and regardless of his intent, he still displayed such great love for the other men of the 105th Infantry, 27th Infantry Division. I'm thankful we live in a country that honors men such as these, even posthumously, for the sacrifices they make for others. To all soldiers who have once served or still serve our nation, THANK YOU! Even if not everyone can get a Medal of Honor, we should honor all soldiers.

-Scott

P.S. On a side note, I also have to respect Sgt. Baker's remarkable marksmanship skills that, with a short range pistol with an 8-round capacity, he was able to get 8 critically-placed shots off with fatal accuracy while injured and under fire. HOO-RAH!

A look at Leadership in the Civil War

A short while ago, I finished reading "Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era" written by James M. McPherson. Of everything in the book, one of the things that struck me most was the value of quality leadership.

Both sides of the war had their fair share of solid leaders and their inept ones. Abraham Lincoln stood out clearly as someone cool under pressure, charismatic, diplomatic, and able to make the decisions necessary to preserve the Union. In my opinion, he stands in contrast to Jefferson Davis, who often let his pride get in the way of diplomacy, preventing him from rallying his opposition in the South to his side. Lincoln barely won his re-election, and did so on the heels of a remarkable Union victory in Atlanta, but throughout the Civil War, he somehow managed to keep even those in the North that were against him still in line and fighting together.

But it wasn't even the President that stood out most to me. No, it was Ulysses S. Grant, General-in-Chief of the Union army. Grant started off a lower-grade officer, and a marginally successful one at that, and he loved the drink, but he earned his way up to the top of the hill. In his career, Grant had his share of defeats, some more critical than others. But what impressed me most about Grant was his willingness to learn from those defeats and his resolve to allow them to make him into a better leader. Long before he was appointed to general-in-chief, Grant proved the kind of man he was in numerous battles, and showed the Union how to win.

In the Battle of Shiloh on April 6, 1862, the Union forces under Grant took a serious beating with heavy casualties. The next day, after receiving reinforcements, Grant planned a counter-attack. All his fellow officers saw the reinforcements as the means to make a withdrawal with a rear guard, so their weary, battle-torn men could get out alive. But, to quote McPherson: "Grant never wavered in his determination to counterattack on April 7. When some of his officers advised retreat before the rebels could renew their assault in the morning, Grant replied: 'Retreat? No. I propose to attack at daylight and whip them.'" Here was a man with confidence in his men, a realistic appraisal of his enemies' own strength, and a conviction to do what he knew must be done to win the battle. And he did it, he whipped them.

Some of the other commanders in the Union, particularly Henry W. Halleck, criticized him for being hasty or too aggressive. The irony there is that Halleck was nicknamed "Old Brains" because he spent so much time planning, preparing, and maneuvering for battle that he more often than not found reasons to avoid meeting his enemy on the field. His was a game of chess where he moved his pieces around the board, but never taking any of his opponents pieces. He stood a stark contrast to Grant, which was never more evident than how he handled the battle at Confederate-held Corinth.

Halleck, with superior numbers, advanced so slowly on the Confederates at Corinth, digging in trenches every step of the way, that the Confederates started taking so many casualties from disease due to lack of clean water, that they decided to pull out. Of course, Halleck saw this as a victory since he "took" the city and managed to "maneuver Beauregard out of Corinth without a fight."

And what did Grant have to say about this? Grant could not see "how the mere occupation of places was to close the war while large and effective rebel armies existed." Grant's view was that Halleck had missed an opportunity to bring the fight to their enemy with superiority and destroy them. In a time when local politics as well as international politics with England and France were dictated by the performance of the armies, Grant looked to be the man to bring the Union military and political success.

Grant proved himself and he proved his concept of warfare up until he was finally shown to be correct. After huge victories in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee, the Union army chased the last of the Confederate army north, turning South Carolina into a wasteland behind it. And even though the Confederacy seemed like should be barely hanging on, they had confidence in their Army of Virginia. It wasn't until this army was surrounded and its effectiveness neutralized, that Robert E. Lee finally surrendered to Grant. It wasn't because they occupied places, but because he had smashed the Confederate army into submission.

Grant was not perfect, but he was effective, and in the words of Abraham Lincoln, "He fights." He was not prideful, instead humbly learning from his mistakes and rising above them. He wasn't one to wear an officer's dress uniform, but instead wore a standard Union soldier uniform that was said to typically be muddy from Grant being out in the field with his troops. He understood that effective leaders lead from in front, as an example. They inspire men to follow not by words, but by action. He may not have won the war by himself, but Grant certainly contributed a large part in preserving the Union, and in so doing provided an excellent leadership example that we can still learn from today.

Strong as hell... kind as Christ

I'm currently reading Stephen E. Ambrose's novel, Band of Brothers. It is his attempt to chronicle the men and the actions of one of the most elite light infantry units of WWII: Easy Company of the 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne.

As I read through the account of the paratroopers' jump into Normandy on June 6, 1944, one soldier's words in particular captivated my attention. This man was the commanding officer of Easy Company as they entered into combat for the first time. His name is 1st Lt. Thomas Meehan...

On May 26, Meehan had written his wife Anne a letter in which he described why he, and all his men, were sitting in the planes, waiting to go into France to liberate it and conquer Nazi Germany. Among other things, he wrote, "We're fortunate in being Americans. At least we don't step on the underdog. I wonder if that's because there are no 'Americans'—only a stew of immigrants—or if it's because the earth from which we exist has been so kind to us and our forefathers; or if it's because the' American' is the offspring of the logical European who hated oppression and loved freedom beyond life? Those great mountains and the tall timber, the cool deep lakes and broad rivers, the green valleys and white farmhouses; the air, the sea and wind; the plains and great cities; the smell of living-all must be the cause of it. And yet, with all that, we can't get away from the rest. For every one of our millions who has that treasure in his hand there's another million crying for that victory of life. And for each of us who wants to live in happiness and give happiness, there's another different sort of person wanting to take it away…

"Those people always manage to have their say, and Mars is always close at hand. We know how to win wars. We must learn now to win peace… If I ever have a son, I don’t want him to go through this again, but I want him powerful enough that no one will be fool enough to touch him. He and America should be strong as hell and kind as Christ. "
-Thomas Meehan, First Lieutenant, Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division

His last sentence specifically was especially poignant. And I think every man deep down can relate to his desires. The warrior inside him wants to be strong... strong enough that he can win any fight. And the father inside him wants the same for his son, a desire borne from love and a need to protect his own. But more than his will to fight, I respect his understanding that strength in arms must be tempered with strength in spirit. I admire that despite the fact that he was trained to kill, his desire for his son and for his country was to be "kind as Christ" so those coming after him would not have to go through what he did.

I can't say it any better than he did, and I dare not try, for his words are perfectly inspirational just as he wrote them so many years ago. Our country, our military, our churches, and our homes could use more men like Lt. Meehan. Unfortunately for his generation, his plane was shot down before he could jump and show the Germans how strong he was. However, the words that he wrote still carry his strength and I know he has instilled a desire within me for myself and for my future son if I have one... to be strong as hell and kind as Christ.