A War Hero

Thee following is from Memorial Day of 2007.

I know we have some real war heroes in our day, and as far as I am concerned all the men and women who are fighting this war against terrorism are all heroes.

Today being Memorial Day I was home, doing much of nothing, and a little past noon was watching a good old movie. It was the movie about Sgt. Alvin York. “Sergeant York” is the name of the movie. It is a wonderful story and based on the life of a real war hero. In the early part of the twentieth century our nation was at war with Germany. Alvin York was a Tennesee born citizen of the USA, and he received a draft notice. According to the story he had sent in notice of being a “Conscientious Objecter” seeking for release from being drafted.

By reading the Bible he had reached the conclusion that it was wrong to kill. After receiving the draft notice and realizing he had been turned down for a religious convictions waiver he went on to serve in the military. He was an expert marksman with a rifle.

When the man was about to receive the upper rank of Major he was given furlough to go home and think about the matter of “Killing a threat against another man”. He finally read where Jesus had said, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s”, and he received peace concerning his promotion in rank, and leading his men into battle.

On the battlefield, Major York and his company of men came under a barrage of bullet fire, and grenades. He alone took out the machine gunners, and captured nearly 100 men, after killing twenty or more, and took them down the hill to his men.

Upon his return home he was offered several profitable financial advances, but he refused them, because, he realized it was because of his taking the lives of those men. He did not want to profit from something, that duty had required him to do. Men, and women who will not take gains for their war efforts are certainly commendable, and much needed in our day and time.

God bless the real heroes of yesterday and those of today.

Eagles at War???

This past Wednesday morning as I was driving home, and along the bluff road to our house there were several bald eagles perching in trees.  I drove a little ways, and suddenly one flew up from just beside me.  It seemed that it was standing on the steep bank, and my driving by it caused it to take flight through the trees.

What I found fascinating was that eagle made a half circle around in front of me, landed in a tree branch just over our road, and attacked another eagle sitting in that tree.  As I drove under the tree they both took flight, one after the other; but when the last one left it flew high, then, made a dive bomb attack on the other one.

A few minutes later I stepped on on the front porch or our house, and though I could not see the eagles I heard the screeching speech of an eagle.  It was a continued piercing screeching sound, clearly that of an eagle.  They were on the other side of the hill that rises slowly to the South of our home.

They are majestic birds.  Wonderful to watch.  I had never seen them behave that way before.  That is why I have the question marks on the end of the title.  It may have just been a domestic dispute.  It may have been a dominance dispute as well.  It is interesting here on the banks of Flat Creek.

-tim