Wednesday, May 30, 2001
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Wednesday, May 30, 2001 |
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Thank God for heroes By REV JOHN HATCHER I've known my father-in-law for about 27 years as long as I have known his only daughter. He's Howard Emerson Blackburn and he's a World War II veteran. Often we have talked about the mundane matters of life, but seldom about the war in which he was wounded. Not until I asked him to talk about it. I found the truth: real heroes don't brag, but take inner, deep satisfaction that they did their duty. He was a farm boy in rural Kentucky. He learned early to drive a tractor, plant tobacco, and go skinny-dipping in the nearby pond. Soon into manhood, he fell in love with this knockout of a Kentucky filly, Christine (after whom by daughter is named). But then the war came and Grant County's muster included his name. I read the yellowed newspaper account of the boys including him who were being called to training. It was like little old nowhere Crittenden, Kentucky was not left out in being one to send its favorite sons to the battle front. When you read about war in history books, you read about the big battles, the major assaults, the tactical decisions, and the bloody results. The history pages don't tell the stories of young men being torn from their new brides or a father left without his strong arm on the family farm or little towns being deprived of its future doctors and lawyers. I don't know but perhaps because he could drive a tractor, my father-in-law trained to drive an armored personnel carrier, a half-track. With a tractor, you've got the whole sky to light your path down the rows 'a planting. In an armored personnel vehicle, you've got a sliver of a window. While he was driving, the carrier received an incoming shell and torn it all to pieces. I saw a photograph taken. Some were killed; he was wounded. He was taken from the front to a M.A.S.H. unit, then airlifted to a Paris hospital. After healing, back to the front. But soon the war was over and Howard came marching home to the farm and eventually signed on with Delta in 1956. Those are the facts that are easy to talk about. He hardly wants to talk about dead, mangled American bodies, American GIs cutting fingers off dead Germans to get a gold ring, a spoil of war, the pervasive fear of walking into a German village not knowing where the enemy was hiding. Bottom line: his country called him; he took his place in line; he went to the front; he took his hits; and by the grace of God, he came home. He still can plow a straight row, and by now, I bet with his eyes closed. And I just bet like thousands and thousands like him if his country called, he would take his place in line. After the war, he got in line and got a job. Delta can thank him for a lot of its success because of men and women like my father-in-law who could and did their job well, come hell or high water, just like they won the war for America. On a personal note, he has been one of the greatest fathers-in-law a son-in-law could ever have. He's given me more hugs than my real father ever gave me. He's always been there, along with my mother-in-law, handing out unconditional love and acceptance. New bottom line: I thank my God for our heroes; so many of them don't know they are just that and perhaps this column will find its way up to 133 Main Street, Crittenden, Ky. 41030 to let my father-in-law know he's a hero not only to me but to a grateful nation.
The Rev. Dr. John Hatcher is pastor of River's Edge Community Church in Fayetteville. |
