My
scriptural text for today is short and sweet. Please turn with me to John
Chapter 15, Verse 13.
“Greater
love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Of course,
Jesus was referring to Himself when He spoke these words, and His ultimate
mission to die for about a hundred billion sinners who had already lived before
He came, or who were not yet born, or who are yet to be born on the earth.
And while
Jesus was speaking about Himself when He said, “Greater love hath no man than
this that a man lay down his life for his friends,” this is by far the
most-used verse in sermons related to our military men and women, and their
sacrifices on behalf of our nation.
Memorial Day
has been set aside by this country to commemorate those soldiers, sailors,
airmen and marines who gave the last full measure of devotion in America’s
wars; wars such as The American Revolution, The War of 1812, The Indian Wars,
The Civil War, The Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, The Korean
War, The Vietnam Conflict, The Persian Gulf War, and The War on Terrorism.
America does
not forget its warriors. There are countless statues and memorials in every one
of our fifty states which commemorate the men and women who gave their
tomorrows for our todays; they who gave the last full measure of devotion. I
personally have two cousins who are inscribed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in
Washington, D.C.
If you don’t
mind me interjecting a personal pet peeve here. The current effort to deface or
dismantle the Confederate Civil War statues drives me to distraction! You may
have seen the statue which stood in Munn Park in Lakeland. Well, it has just
been moved to another less-prominent location. And while I cannot condone
everything the Confederate government espoused, the common Southern fighting
man lived and died for what he thought of as his country, and they should be
honored for their sacrifices.
Be that as
it may, today I would like to share a couple of stories with you about two of
America’s warriors who willingly surrendered all they knew and held dear, and
laid down their lives that we might enjoy life, and love and freedom in the
greatest nation on earth, and live to a ripe old age. I don’t know if you ever
thought of it this way, but our military men and women who died in our nation’s
wars are, in essence, Christ-like figures in that they fulfilled a mission
which required them to give up everything that was in them to give for a larger
cause.
Allow me to
temporarily expand the population for which Memorial Day was designed to
memorialize. I am here to tell you that our first responders, including firemen
and policemen, are equally worthy of respect, as they have often surrendered
their lives for the good of those whom they were appointed to serve.
The Tampa Bay area has
experienced more than its share of wrong way drivers the past few years. And I
think it confounds the average driver how such a thing could possibly happen;
especially on well-lit, adequately-signed thoroughfares, such as interstates
and parkways.
On March 12, 2016 another tragic accident occurred on the
parkway in Tampa. John Kotfila, a deputy with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s
Department, responded to the incident in a virtually unprecedented manner, and
his quick thinking and the actions which followed go far beyond
charitable.
The newspaper report conveys it well.
“Deputy Kotfila's final moments were
spent trying to help someone else. Sarah Geren and her boyfriend were driving
home from Ybor City on the Selmon Expressway Saturday morning, when she spotted
the wrong way driver.
"I was flashing my lights crazily
at him like a strobe light.--click click click click, because I couldn't think
of any other way to say 'Stop driving at me! Please don't hit me!'"
Geren said.
But before she knew it, Deputy Kotfila,
who was driving right behind her, passed her, taking the impact in the crash
that ultimately killed him and the wrong way driver.”
What kind of man is this?
It occurs to me that the two word
phrase, “Sacrificial Suicide” says it well, and says it all.
I can only imagine the momentary
decision and emotional dynamic it took to purposely pass the would-be victims,
and place one’s self “in the line of fire;” realizing that in the space of a
few moments he would almost certainly be ushered into eternity.
Deputy Kotfila sacrificed his life for
someone with whom he was altogether unacquainted.
And as a result, two precious young
people were provided the wherewithal to continue living, and moving and
breathing and loving; whereas, both would have almost certainly lost her lives
that day.
His sacrifice of himself and all that
lay ahead of him has impacted me in a profound manner.
May God hold this sacrificial law
officer in the hollow of His loving arms, and reward him for having given the
last full measure of devotion.
The next
person I would like to memorialize gave the last full measure of devotion in a
well-known, and admittedly controversial conflict during the second half of the
20th century. Let me share his story with you.
In the years since his death on a
Vietnam battlefield, there have been many tributes in his memory. Sons of
Marines have been named after him, so have military chapels, city streets and a
Navy frigate, which has since been decommissioned. He was born last in a family
of nine, his parents Italian Americans. He attended Curtis High School where he
was an avid swimmer and sports enthusiast. He went on to Fordham University and
Maryknoll Seminaries in Illinois, Massachusetts and New York. He was ordained a
Catholic Priest in June 1957 by Cardinal Spellman, and served as a Maryknoll
missionary in Taiwan and Hong Kong from 1958 to 1965. In December 1965, he received his
commission as a Lieutenant in the Navy Chaplain Corps. While serving in this capacity
with the Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, during combat with enemy forces in
Quang Tri Province on September 4, 1967, he lost his life as he provided
assistance and comfort to Marine casualties. His citation reads, "For conspicuous gallantry and
intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as
Chaplain of the 3rd Battalion, in connection with operations against enemy
forces. In response to reports that the 2nd
Platoon of M Company was in danger of being overrun by a massed enemy
assaulting force, Lt. Vincent Capodanno left the relative safety of the company
command post and ran through an open area raked with fire, directly to the
beleaguered platoon. Disregarding the intense enemy small-arms,
automatic-weapons, and mortar fire, he moved about the battlefield
administering last rites to the dying and giving medical aid to the wounded.
When an exploding mortar round inflicted painful multiple wounds to his arms
and legs, and severed a portion of his right hand, he steadfastly refused all
medical aid. Instead, he directed the corpsmen to help their wounded comrades
and, with calm vigor, continued to move about the battlefield as he provided
encouragement by voice and example to the valiant marines. Upon encountering a wounded corpsman
in the direct line of fire of an enemy machine gunner positioned approximately
15 yards away, Lt. Capodanno rushed a daring attempt to aid and assist the
mortally wounded medic. At that instant, only inches from his
goal, he was struck down by a burst of machine gun fire. By his heroic conduct
on the battlefield, and his inspiring example, Lt. Capodanno upheld the finest
traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the cause
of freedom". For his heroism on this occasion, he
was post-humously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Richard M. Nixon. His
body was recovered and returned to his hometown.
The most
unlikely of Medal of Honor recipients. A chaplain. But a military man,
nonetheless. You may or may not realize it, but Chaplain Capodanno could have
avoided the field of battle. He could have settled in at headquarters, and just
let the world go by. But he was a leader, and he would not allow his Marines to
go through something he, himself, refused to experience. Chaplain Capodanno is
among a small, but notable list of people whom I think of as my mentors.
You may have
never thought about it, but like Chaplain Capodanno, Jesus was a military man,
and a chaplain to a gang of misfits who would change the world, as they knew
it. And like the hero I just described, He was not content to just stand by,
and watch the battle rage, and the world to literally go to hell, but left the
safety and security of heaven, and became a man, the God-man, and surrendered
His life for our sins on the cross.
Never doubt
it. Jesus was a soldier. Scripture tells us that Jesus will return as the
captain of His Father’s armies.
In the 19th
chapter of the Book of Revelation we read,
“Come and gather
together for the great supper which the Lamb has prepared for you. You may eat
the flesh of kings and generals, horses and their riders, and the flesh of all
people, free and slave, great and small.
“I saw the beast and all the kings of
the earth, and their armies gathered together to battle against the One who
rides on the white horse, along with His armies. And the beast was taken
prisoner, as was the false prophet who had done great signs and wonders before
him.
“And with great signs and wonders he
deluded those who accepted the mark of the beast, and worshiped his idol. And
the beast and false prophet were cast into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
“Now, the armies of the beast were
killed with the sword which comes out of the mouth of the rider;” (and that
rider is none other than Jesus Christ)!
“Greater love than no man than this
that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
As believers, I think it is fitting on
this Memorial Day weekend to remember the man, the God-man who first spoke
these words, and who was not content to just sit back, and watch the world go
to hell in a hand basket.
I have watched the Old Guard walk
those sacred 21 steps at the Tomb of the Unknowns; a sacred memorial site they
have guarded 24 hours a day, without so much as a moment’s pause, in sun, and
rain, and snow and storm for almost a century. I have traced my finger along
the inscription of a cousin’s name, among the 58,000 other names inscribed on
the Vietnam Memorial Wall. I have walked the halls of the most expansive
military building in the world, the Pentagon, and reminisced about the myriad
of decisions which were made there, and which became life and death to several
million obedient, and sacrificial soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines.
As we prepare to play our games, and
eat our burgers, or frolic on the beach, let’s be careful to remember, and
memorialize those who died on the beaches, and in the jungles, and deserts of
the world to assure the freedoms which we too easily take for granted.
They who gave the last full measure of
devotion. They gave their tomorrows for our todays.
by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pending. 2019
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