Avalon Chronicles #108: Time to say Goodbye-The End Times Prophecies
by Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
Source: Soldiers' Blood and Bloodied Money Wars and the Ruling Elites
Self-published fall 2019 by Allen B. Clark Available on Amazon
This last message in my Avalon Chronicles includes writings in Chapter 3 of the above book. The following is the author's laymen, non-theological and non-doctrinal understanding of what is to come.
In the 1970s my interest in the prophecies found mainly in the Books of Daniel and Revelation in the New Testament was piqued by reading Hal Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth, which became my first exposure to terms such as End Time prophecies, the Rapture (taking instantly to Heaven the Believers in the Lord Jesus), the seven year Tribulation, the Anti-Christ, the false prophet, and the 1000 year Millennial Kingdom. All these new terms became almost overwhelming to comprehend. Up until that time my faith walk was pretty simplistic, my "head knowledge" of Jesus Christ after my earthly demise, supposedly ensured my waking up in Heaven. That was enough for me. But, I began a quest to put all the "prophecies" in their place in my steadily maturing spiritual consciousness. Once I was "Born Again," as it is termed in evangelical circles, I appropriated Jesus with "heart knowledge," the personal relationship with the Savior, who loves me and cares about me individually. The New Testament lays out a game plan for me to live a life dedicated to goodness. It is a lifelong journey and will not be over in my quest for righteousness until I breathe my last breath. However, I have the basics down: I will continue to sin by my own sinful human nature, I will confess my sins, ask forgiveness, and Jesus will forgive me. Hopefully, I will heal from my behavior and attitude that caused the sin and sin no more. I will forgive all others AND myself. That is the key to my Basic Christian Training.
Over the decades I came to grips that there really was an earth around prior to the 6000 years ago of the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. I understood that there had to be something previous. After all, how does one explain the dinosaurs, etc.? All the scientists did carbon dating and aged our actual planet. I bought that. Then I had to comprehend the disobedience in the Garden. Satan slithered in and Adam and Eve, because God had granted them free will, exercised free will to be disobedient. Thereafter all of us mere mortals have had to be subject to the same choices (to choose good over evil) on a tactical level individually in our personal lives and humanity (through the millennia) to avoid evil and choose the greater good on a strategic or corporate level.
Humans came out of the early civilizations in the fertile crescent (modern day Turkey, Iraq, and Iran) and populated the earth for the next 4000 years. It was a time of much heartache, bloodshed, and horror for humanity. God began to establish a "way out" from all the fears, barbarity, and savagery for all history to that time by establishing in the Promised Land the Hebrew nation. The history of this nation had its ups and downs to put it simply. During the history of the Jewish nation, founded by the God of Creation, to be good and do good for the people, there arose up some very evil kings, which caused God to inspire prophecies to be proclaimed as to the destiny of governments and people hundreds and thousands of years into the future. The most auspicious ones in the Old Testament related to the approximately ONE HUNDRED that proclaimed the coming on the world scene of One, to be called by Christians, the Messiah. The Jews believe the Messiah did not come 2000 years ago, but is still to come. Muslims believe Jesus was only a prophet.
In the Old Testament there are extraordinary prophecies related in part by the Hebrew prophets Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel among others that foretold the eventual empires that would evolve as well as prophecies even up to the current day added upon by John at Ephesus decades after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
These prophecies are most relevant today for all of us because they prophesy that the chaos, suffering, murderous regimes, and warfare in the world become so overwhelming that humanity eventually will accept a Satan-inspired world leader, who will promise peace and prosperity to include a world religion (overseen by a false prophet), if the earthly power is given over to him.
Students of history and current day events, who are able to tear themselves away from the everyday distractions of a non-faith-based life and all its fleshly, prideful and egotistical aspects, will observe with some degree of wisdom what is going on in our world. They will recognize that we have not gotten better as humans. We have gotten worse. The bloodshed of our wars, the crime in our lands, the mistreatment and abuse of children, the meanness of so many, and the breakdown of our civilized lands, all lead to a desire for peace at any price. This Antichrist will offer peace and tranquility. It will be so for a time. But, there will arise continued warfare and pain, sorrow, and suffering and God will bring secular earthly history to a close by a final and epic battle on a space in northern current day Israel, south of Nazareth and west of the Galilee. There will be fought the final cataclysmic battle called Armageddon. Jesus will return for the second time (as believed by those of the Christian faith) and will usher in the final 1000 year Millenial Kingdom followed by Eternity.
This has been a ride for your author, 108 Avalon Chronicles over seven years. It has been a pleasure to write them, both patriotic and spiritual. I have been heartened mightily by responses I have received over the years from many kind readers. The writing of what is to come in fulfillment of Biblical prophecies hundreds and even thousands of years ago is a appropriate closing point for my thoughts and beliefs to be expressed. I thank you for enabling me to believe they have had meaning and import in at least a few lives. God bless and keep you and yours and our nations. Peace be with you.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Saturday, January 4, 2020
Avalon Chronicles #107: Casualties of Wars-No Bugles and No Parades
Avalon Chronicles #107: Casualties of Wars-No Bugles and No Parades
by Allen B. Clark www.combatfaith.com
www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
The stories below are for mature readers only! They are graphic, heart-rending, and sad, but, truthful as to what combatants and civilians have faced in warfare. Those, who start the wars, do not experience what is experienced by the young, who carry out orders to shoulder their weapons and march off!
Source: My third book, self-published, is Soldiers' Blood and Bloodied Money Wars and the Ruling Elites (fall 2019). My research as to the true causes of wars through history has also documented the most remarkable casualties caused by these wars. The references for the rendering of the casualties in the American Revolution, Civil War, and Spanish-American War are sourced as to the page of my book abbreviated to SBBM. The original sources are in my notes. The sources for casualties in the Anglo-Boer and Russo-Japanese War are in an unpublished volume. For the other ensuing conflicts the anecdotes are listed by original source. If no source is indicated, the source is personal stories related to me or known by me. Very few history books mention the horrendous casualties to combatants and collateral damage to civilians.
My own wounding in the Vietnam War caused amputation of both my legs below the knees, fifteen months in an Army hospital, twenty surgeries, and a severe bout of Combat Operating Stress, resulting in a fourteen week residence in a closed psychiatric ward in 1968. I am a casualty of war and the examples of casualties of wars as documented herein are near and dear to my heart. I am healed by the grace of God and the power of Jesus Christ in my life. Be aware I have needed no psychotherapy nor anti-depressants since the mid-1970s.
American Revolution: At Fort Ticonderoga "There was no food and sick, starved men went down in the snow and the lean timber wolves came and snarled around them and tore away their flesh before they were quite dead. Then famine and disease began to thin further the ranks at Ticonderoga....They died by the dozen, clutching their blankets helplessly for more warmth, and then got packed out in the snow, like so many cold-storage hogs, awaiting burial when spring should thaw the ground." (SBBM: 286). In the Northwest Territories the British conducted warfare by some Native American tribes. This resulted in a "war" described, "Slash, torture, wreck!...Burn the villages. Destroy the crops. Kill men, women, and children indiscriminately....It was a reign of terror. It was a reign of axes, of children with their arms and legs cutoff." (SBBM: 276).
Civil War: The aftermath of a battle in West Virginia, "Around was a sickening sight. Along the brink of that bluff lay ten bodies, stiffening in their own gore, and every contortion, which their death-anguish had produced....One poor fellow was shot through the bowels. The ground was soaked with his blood...Another young man, just developing into vigorous manhood, had been shot through the head by a large mini ball. The skull was shockingly fractured. His brains were protruding from the bullet-hole, and lay spread on the grass by his head. He was still living!...The glassy eyes of the dead were all open;..." (SBBM: 330). It was my honor to serve the Department of Veterans Affairs as the director of the national cemetery system. At the Salisbury, NC. national cemetery I personally viewed a huge expanse of ground covered by mowed green grass, and was informed that this was the mass grave site of Union prisoners who died of illness and lack of food in the camp. "The records (at Salisbury) indicate that 11,700 men are buried in 18 trenches, each about 240 feet long,...In the northern POW camp at Camp Douglas, in Chicago, Illinois, there were reports of its own share of horrendous conditions concerning Confederate POWS, which were estimated to account for 23% of the population....the atrocities that occurred in [Douglas] were even more heinous than those at Andersonville...Deaths were due to 'typhoid, diphtheria, smallpox, cholera, tuberculosis, dysentery, and measles.' Some of the dead were disposed of in Lake Michigan." (SBBM: 331).
Spanish-American War: Physician General Leonard Wood discovered in Cuba, "At every turn, emaciated, 'ghastly-looking' people dragged aimlessly in search of a patch of shade. All about, 'poisoning the air with foul exhalations,' lay the rotting carcasses of dead animals piled among heaps of decomposing garbage, dung, and filth....The dead were piled up on the outskirts and burned." (SBBM: 369). For our own troops, "The cavalry had no horses, the horses had no saddles, and the infantry had no shoes. Sometimes the men had no food and sometimes what food they had killed them. Rations put in tin cans gave whole companies ptomaine poisoning. Troops in the tropical heat of Cuba found themselves clad in woolen uniforms...For every man killed in action, thirteen died of disease." (SBBM: 371). After the war our troops were hospitalized at Camp Wicoff, a so-called "hospital," built on Long Island. It became, "...another place for our men to die upon their return from Cuba." It was described as follows: 'There wasn't an ample supply of potable water, and almost no food...There are no board floors in (the tents), but strips of canvas are spread on the ground and the men lie on them with their own uniforms for pillows and army blankets for covering. The men are pale and wasted." (SBBM: 370).
Anglo-Boer War in South Africa: "The true tragedies of the Boer war were the 27,927 civilians, who died, plus 14,000 natives, mainly women and children, all dying in 'concentration camps,'..." The horrendous situations in these camps were, "...conditions there rapidly deteriorated. Kitchener made no adequate preparations for their welfare. Women and children were given only meagre food rations and minimal shelter; they were often left short of water and basic necessities....A great number of women along the Mooi River were also victims of the cruelty of the English. Her daughter rushed to her assistance, but the ruffian drew his sabre and cut open her breast....Escapees murdered by the kaffirs....The women were entirely at the mercy of these natives, with results that one not dwell upon...many women were almost naked when their men arrived. Some had on only blouses. Many of the women were found in kaffir huts." On January 24, 1900 future Prime Minister Winston Churchill witnessed an action, which was devastating to the British, "The splinters and fragments of shell had torn and mutilated in the most ghastly manner. Men were staggering along alone, or supported by comrades, or crawling on hands and knees, or carried on stretchers."...The situation for Boer fighters was no better. "We were hungry, thirsty, and tired, around us were the dead men covered with swarms of flies attracted by the smell of blood." (Unpublished manuscript by the author).
Russo-Japanese War: By May 1904 the Japanese had advanced 42,000 troops across the Yalu River (in current day the northern boundary of North Korea), where they were opposed by 25,000 Russian troops. "Then the Japanese advanced with bayonets gleaming in the sun in tight formations that their Prussian advisers had taught them to use prior to the war...Over 1,000 Japanese troops were cut down trying to cross the river or drowned in the strong currents of the Ali Ho (River)..." At Nanshan, "To get through the mines, Japanese soldiers purposely ran in to blow themselves up so the men behind them could get through to throw themselves onto the barbed wire only for the followers to be mowed down by machine gun fire....(Russian) General Tretyakov...When a shrapnel shell dismembered his body and sprayed his blood and guts all over the nice white uniform of Fock (Russian)..." (Unpublished Manuscript).
World War I: Otto Lehman-Russbuldt in 1930 authored War For Profits. He was a German medical officer during World War I. He understood human sacrifice and had personal experiences of the battlefield. He wrote that once the forces of war are launched, there is an "Indifference to death,...and casualties in war" are censored and sanitized to conceal from the public the actual horror, suffering, and pain experienced by the combatants:
"...the dismemberment of limbs; the maiming of organs; evisceration; groveling fear, and hysteria; groans from sprawling bodies; the icy stare of sightless eyes under an unpitying, smoky sky; the thunder of the big guns that severs a man's genitals; gas, the invisible, creeping enemy that chokes the lungs and makes men cry for a trickle of breath no matter how brave and grown-up they seemed when with fife and drum they marched proudly down Main Street." (Lehmann-Russbuldt: xiv-xv).
PBS produced an eight-hour documentary Nov. 11-13, 1996 about World War I. It related; "...soldiers going 'over the top' of the trenches and being mowed down by machine-gun fire, shell-shock victims reduced to twitching madmen, other veterans whom the French called 'the men with broken faces' being fitted with masks to hide their hideous scars."
Bolshevik Revolution and Communism: By the end of 1916 Russia's Army suffered the loss of five million men. Then the Russian Revolution began in March 1917, followed by the rise of Marxism under Lenin. Socialism sounds good until history is studied. The people suffered horribly. A four year civil war came about in Russia. When Lenin died in 1924, Josef Stalin came to power and Russia was the scene of unbelievable suffering. An accurate number of deaths under Communism was fifteen to twenty million, a staggering number as Stalin's iron fist ruled the country.
World War II: Louis Read, now deceased, was a dear and treasured friend of mine. In 2004 he published his autobiography titled No Bugles No Parades. He wrote the following (modestly edited and paraphrased) to describe what he endured as an American soldier captured by the Japanese on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines in 1942 after the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941: "On what was later described as the 'Bataan Death March' most of us had malaria or dysentery. If we dropped out of the march and could not walk, we were bayoneted or beheaded with a sword by the Japanese....Brutality became worse. If you broke ranks to obtain water, the Japanese would kneel down and shoot at us. They were especially fond of bayoneting people. In water line one day one of our Americans was taken out of the line and was turned over to a group of soldiers who took him across the road, tied him to a tree and used him for bayonet practice. Approximately 1900 soldiers died or were executed on the Death March, approximately 700 were Americans and the rest were Filipinos. The Japanese performed medical experiments on us." Many Americans later were transported in unmarked Japanese ships to work in Japan, especially in mines. Many ships were bombed by our own airplanes since they were unmarked. Louis eventually worked in a Mitsubishi mine in the mountains near Sendai on northern Honshu. At the end of the war the Japanese guards disappeared and Louis was repatriated by Americans in Sendai and came home after an absence of four and a half years.
Korean War: After General Douglas MacArthur planned and executed the Sep. 1950 Inchon landing behind North Korean lines and our troops drove north all the way to the Yalu River, hundreds of thousands of Chines Army "volunteers" joined the fight to save the North Korean Communists from total defeat. Our soldiers and Marines were ill-equipped to fight so far north and many of our Korean War veterans were victims of frostbite due to the lack of winter clothing. The Communists were ruthless in their treatment of any of our captured Americans.
Vietnam War: Contemporary writings and movies describe typically accurately the conditions faced by our returning men from fighting in the jungle environments of South Vietnam. The memories of the war experiences themselves were harrowing enough, but the treatment by some in the American population, when we returned as veterans, was disgraceful to us, was a blight on the homeland culture, and compounded our ability to be resilient and survive not only physical wounds, but the psychological and emotional wounds of our wars. Eventually many of us were diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I prefer to term our conditions as Combat Operating Stressors.
Middle East Operations: Our men and women veterans of the operations in the Middle East, mainly Iraq and Afghanistan, have suffered different types of wounds, many incurred from the ever-present road side mine detonations, which wreaked havoc and fear among our warriors and caused many limb injuries.
Mark Twain wrote The War Prayer (published after his death in 1923) in which he "tells of a patriotic church service held to send the town's young men off to war. A stranger addresses the gathering and tells the patriotic crowd that their prayers for victory are also prayers for the destruction of the enemy...for the destruction of human life."
...the war was on, ...the drums were beating, the bands playing, ...daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms...in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country and invoked the God of Battles,...then home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored.
Some of us, who went to wars and returned, recall the magnificent words of General Douglas MacArthur, who spoke at West Point on May 12, 1962 (a speech heard by me as a cadet) wherein he said:
...the soldier, above all people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers, 'Only the dead have seen the end of war.' ... I listen vainly, but with thirsty ear, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll. In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange mournful mutter of the battlefield.
We, too, who have been there and done that, remember especially our comrades, who did not return, the ultimate Casualties of Wars.
by Allen B. Clark www.combatfaith.com
www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
The stories below are for mature readers only! They are graphic, heart-rending, and sad, but, truthful as to what combatants and civilians have faced in warfare. Those, who start the wars, do not experience what is experienced by the young, who carry out orders to shoulder their weapons and march off!
Source: My third book, self-published, is Soldiers' Blood and Bloodied Money Wars and the Ruling Elites (fall 2019). My research as to the true causes of wars through history has also documented the most remarkable casualties caused by these wars. The references for the rendering of the casualties in the American Revolution, Civil War, and Spanish-American War are sourced as to the page of my book abbreviated to SBBM. The original sources are in my notes. The sources for casualties in the Anglo-Boer and Russo-Japanese War are in an unpublished volume. For the other ensuing conflicts the anecdotes are listed by original source. If no source is indicated, the source is personal stories related to me or known by me. Very few history books mention the horrendous casualties to combatants and collateral damage to civilians.
My own wounding in the Vietnam War caused amputation of both my legs below the knees, fifteen months in an Army hospital, twenty surgeries, and a severe bout of Combat Operating Stress, resulting in a fourteen week residence in a closed psychiatric ward in 1968. I am a casualty of war and the examples of casualties of wars as documented herein are near and dear to my heart. I am healed by the grace of God and the power of Jesus Christ in my life. Be aware I have needed no psychotherapy nor anti-depressants since the mid-1970s.
American Revolution: At Fort Ticonderoga "There was no food and sick, starved men went down in the snow and the lean timber wolves came and snarled around them and tore away their flesh before they were quite dead. Then famine and disease began to thin further the ranks at Ticonderoga....They died by the dozen, clutching their blankets helplessly for more warmth, and then got packed out in the snow, like so many cold-storage hogs, awaiting burial when spring should thaw the ground." (SBBM: 286). In the Northwest Territories the British conducted warfare by some Native American tribes. This resulted in a "war" described, "Slash, torture, wreck!...Burn the villages. Destroy the crops. Kill men, women, and children indiscriminately....It was a reign of terror. It was a reign of axes, of children with their arms and legs cutoff." (SBBM: 276).
Civil War: The aftermath of a battle in West Virginia, "Around was a sickening sight. Along the brink of that bluff lay ten bodies, stiffening in their own gore, and every contortion, which their death-anguish had produced....One poor fellow was shot through the bowels. The ground was soaked with his blood...Another young man, just developing into vigorous manhood, had been shot through the head by a large mini ball. The skull was shockingly fractured. His brains were protruding from the bullet-hole, and lay spread on the grass by his head. He was still living!...The glassy eyes of the dead were all open;..." (SBBM: 330). It was my honor to serve the Department of Veterans Affairs as the director of the national cemetery system. At the Salisbury, NC. national cemetery I personally viewed a huge expanse of ground covered by mowed green grass, and was informed that this was the mass grave site of Union prisoners who died of illness and lack of food in the camp. "The records (at Salisbury) indicate that 11,700 men are buried in 18 trenches, each about 240 feet long,...In the northern POW camp at Camp Douglas, in Chicago, Illinois, there were reports of its own share of horrendous conditions concerning Confederate POWS, which were estimated to account for 23% of the population....the atrocities that occurred in [Douglas] were even more heinous than those at Andersonville...Deaths were due to 'typhoid, diphtheria, smallpox, cholera, tuberculosis, dysentery, and measles.' Some of the dead were disposed of in Lake Michigan." (SBBM: 331).
Spanish-American War: Physician General Leonard Wood discovered in Cuba, "At every turn, emaciated, 'ghastly-looking' people dragged aimlessly in search of a patch of shade. All about, 'poisoning the air with foul exhalations,' lay the rotting carcasses of dead animals piled among heaps of decomposing garbage, dung, and filth....The dead were piled up on the outskirts and burned." (SBBM: 369). For our own troops, "The cavalry had no horses, the horses had no saddles, and the infantry had no shoes. Sometimes the men had no food and sometimes what food they had killed them. Rations put in tin cans gave whole companies ptomaine poisoning. Troops in the tropical heat of Cuba found themselves clad in woolen uniforms...For every man killed in action, thirteen died of disease." (SBBM: 371). After the war our troops were hospitalized at Camp Wicoff, a so-called "hospital," built on Long Island. It became, "...another place for our men to die upon their return from Cuba." It was described as follows: 'There wasn't an ample supply of potable water, and almost no food...There are no board floors in (the tents), but strips of canvas are spread on the ground and the men lie on them with their own uniforms for pillows and army blankets for covering. The men are pale and wasted." (SBBM: 370).
Anglo-Boer War in South Africa: "The true tragedies of the Boer war were the 27,927 civilians, who died, plus 14,000 natives, mainly women and children, all dying in 'concentration camps,'..." The horrendous situations in these camps were, "...conditions there rapidly deteriorated. Kitchener made no adequate preparations for their welfare. Women and children were given only meagre food rations and minimal shelter; they were often left short of water and basic necessities....A great number of women along the Mooi River were also victims of the cruelty of the English. Her daughter rushed to her assistance, but the ruffian drew his sabre and cut open her breast....Escapees murdered by the kaffirs....The women were entirely at the mercy of these natives, with results that one not dwell upon...many women were almost naked when their men arrived. Some had on only blouses. Many of the women were found in kaffir huts." On January 24, 1900 future Prime Minister Winston Churchill witnessed an action, which was devastating to the British, "The splinters and fragments of shell had torn and mutilated in the most ghastly manner. Men were staggering along alone, or supported by comrades, or crawling on hands and knees, or carried on stretchers."...The situation for Boer fighters was no better. "We were hungry, thirsty, and tired, around us were the dead men covered with swarms of flies attracted by the smell of blood." (Unpublished manuscript by the author).
Russo-Japanese War: By May 1904 the Japanese had advanced 42,000 troops across the Yalu River (in current day the northern boundary of North Korea), where they were opposed by 25,000 Russian troops. "Then the Japanese advanced with bayonets gleaming in the sun in tight formations that their Prussian advisers had taught them to use prior to the war...Over 1,000 Japanese troops were cut down trying to cross the river or drowned in the strong currents of the Ali Ho (River)..." At Nanshan, "To get through the mines, Japanese soldiers purposely ran in to blow themselves up so the men behind them could get through to throw themselves onto the barbed wire only for the followers to be mowed down by machine gun fire....(Russian) General Tretyakov...When a shrapnel shell dismembered his body and sprayed his blood and guts all over the nice white uniform of Fock (Russian)..." (Unpublished Manuscript).
World War I: Otto Lehman-Russbuldt in 1930 authored War For Profits. He was a German medical officer during World War I. He understood human sacrifice and had personal experiences of the battlefield. He wrote that once the forces of war are launched, there is an "Indifference to death,...and casualties in war" are censored and sanitized to conceal from the public the actual horror, suffering, and pain experienced by the combatants:
"...the dismemberment of limbs; the maiming of organs; evisceration; groveling fear, and hysteria; groans from sprawling bodies; the icy stare of sightless eyes under an unpitying, smoky sky; the thunder of the big guns that severs a man's genitals; gas, the invisible, creeping enemy that chokes the lungs and makes men cry for a trickle of breath no matter how brave and grown-up they seemed when with fife and drum they marched proudly down Main Street." (Lehmann-Russbuldt: xiv-xv).
PBS produced an eight-hour documentary Nov. 11-13, 1996 about World War I. It related; "...soldiers going 'over the top' of the trenches and being mowed down by machine-gun fire, shell-shock victims reduced to twitching madmen, other veterans whom the French called 'the men with broken faces' being fitted with masks to hide their hideous scars."
Bolshevik Revolution and Communism: By the end of 1916 Russia's Army suffered the loss of five million men. Then the Russian Revolution began in March 1917, followed by the rise of Marxism under Lenin. Socialism sounds good until history is studied. The people suffered horribly. A four year civil war came about in Russia. When Lenin died in 1924, Josef Stalin came to power and Russia was the scene of unbelievable suffering. An accurate number of deaths under Communism was fifteen to twenty million, a staggering number as Stalin's iron fist ruled the country.
World War II: Louis Read, now deceased, was a dear and treasured friend of mine. In 2004 he published his autobiography titled No Bugles No Parades. He wrote the following (modestly edited and paraphrased) to describe what he endured as an American soldier captured by the Japanese on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines in 1942 after the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941: "On what was later described as the 'Bataan Death March' most of us had malaria or dysentery. If we dropped out of the march and could not walk, we were bayoneted or beheaded with a sword by the Japanese....Brutality became worse. If you broke ranks to obtain water, the Japanese would kneel down and shoot at us. They were especially fond of bayoneting people. In water line one day one of our Americans was taken out of the line and was turned over to a group of soldiers who took him across the road, tied him to a tree and used him for bayonet practice. Approximately 1900 soldiers died or were executed on the Death March, approximately 700 were Americans and the rest were Filipinos. The Japanese performed medical experiments on us." Many Americans later were transported in unmarked Japanese ships to work in Japan, especially in mines. Many ships were bombed by our own airplanes since they were unmarked. Louis eventually worked in a Mitsubishi mine in the mountains near Sendai on northern Honshu. At the end of the war the Japanese guards disappeared and Louis was repatriated by Americans in Sendai and came home after an absence of four and a half years.
Korean War: After General Douglas MacArthur planned and executed the Sep. 1950 Inchon landing behind North Korean lines and our troops drove north all the way to the Yalu River, hundreds of thousands of Chines Army "volunteers" joined the fight to save the North Korean Communists from total defeat. Our soldiers and Marines were ill-equipped to fight so far north and many of our Korean War veterans were victims of frostbite due to the lack of winter clothing. The Communists were ruthless in their treatment of any of our captured Americans.
Vietnam War: Contemporary writings and movies describe typically accurately the conditions faced by our returning men from fighting in the jungle environments of South Vietnam. The memories of the war experiences themselves were harrowing enough, but the treatment by some in the American population, when we returned as veterans, was disgraceful to us, was a blight on the homeland culture, and compounded our ability to be resilient and survive not only physical wounds, but the psychological and emotional wounds of our wars. Eventually many of us were diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I prefer to term our conditions as Combat Operating Stressors.
Middle East Operations: Our men and women veterans of the operations in the Middle East, mainly Iraq and Afghanistan, have suffered different types of wounds, many incurred from the ever-present road side mine detonations, which wreaked havoc and fear among our warriors and caused many limb injuries.
Mark Twain wrote The War Prayer (published after his death in 1923) in which he "tells of a patriotic church service held to send the town's young men off to war. A stranger addresses the gathering and tells the patriotic crowd that their prayers for victory are also prayers for the destruction of the enemy...for the destruction of human life."
...the war was on, ...the drums were beating, the bands playing, ...daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms...in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country and invoked the God of Battles,...then home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored.
Some of us, who went to wars and returned, recall the magnificent words of General Douglas MacArthur, who spoke at West Point on May 12, 1962 (a speech heard by me as a cadet) wherein he said:
...the soldier, above all people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers, 'Only the dead have seen the end of war.' ... I listen vainly, but with thirsty ear, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll. In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange mournful mutter of the battlefield.
We, too, who have been there and done that, remember especially our comrades, who did not return, the ultimate Casualties of Wars.
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Avalon Chronicles #106: Resources for Americans
Avalon Chronicles #106: Resources For Americans
by Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com
www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Psalm 33:12 (KJV).
1. "While other nations have built their governments upon the shaky foundations of communism, secularism, and countless other anti-God philosophies, only to see these foundations crumble, America stands without equal as a beacon of hope and freedom in a hurting world. Our Founding Fathers delivered to us a system of government that has enjoyed unprecedented success: we are now the world's longest ongoing constitutional republic. Well over two hundred years under one form of government is an accomplishment unknown among contemporary nations."
Source: Lee, Dr. Richard G. (General Ed.). The American Patriot's Bible, KJV. Thomas Nelson: Nashville. 2011. Introduction.
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." II Corinthians 3:17 (KJV).
2. "We need the 'primary' Biblical, Christian and Constitutional meaning of words. Noah Webster spent a lifetime endeavoring to liberate America from European ties of 'folly, corruption, and tyranny.' He sought to build an educational system in the school, the church and home embodying 'a love of virtue, patriotism, and religion.'" (p. 10).
Source: Webster, Noah. 1828. First Edition of an American Dictionary of the English Language. The Foundation for American Christian Education. Chesapeake, VA.: (www.face.net). 1967&1995 (Renewal).
Parental benediction to Noah Webster upon departure to Yale.
"We wish to have you serve your generation and do good in the world and be useful and may so behave as to gain the esteem of all virtuous people that are acquainted with you and gain a comfortable subsistence, but especially that you may so live as to obtain the favor of Almighty God and His grace in this world and a saving interest in the merits of Jesus Christ, without which no man be happy." (p. 12).
3. President Ronald Reagan spoke these closing remarks from his Second Inaugural Address, January 21, 1985, Capitol, Washington, DC.
"History is a ribbon, always unfurling; history is a journey. And as we continue our journey, we think of those who traveled before us. We stand together again at the steps of this symbol of our democracy. Now we hear again the echoes of our past: a general falls to his knees in the hard snow of Valley Forge; a lonely President paces the darkened halls, and ponders his struggle to preserve the Union; the men of the Alamo call out encouragement to each other; a settler pushes west and sings a song, and the song echoes out forever and fills the unknowing air. It is the American sound. It is hopeful, big-hearted, idealistic, caring, decent, and fair. That's our heritage; that is our song. We sing it still. For all our problems, our differences, we are together as of old, we raise our voices, to the God who is the Author of this most tender music. And may He continue to hold us close as we fill the world without sound-sound in unity, affections and love-one people under God, dedicated to the dream of freedom that He has placed in the human heart, called upon now to pass that dream of freedom on to a waiting and hopeful world. God bless you and may God bless America."
Source: Coffey, JR., Major William T. (Compiler and Editor). Patriot Hearts. An Anthology of American Patriotism. Purple Mountain Publishing: Colorado Springs, CO. 2000.
4. Agel, Jerome B. We the People Great Documents of The American Nation. Barnes &Noble: New York. 1997.
5. Barton, David. (Compiler). Celebrate Liberty! Famous Patriotic Speeches&Sermons. Wallbuilder Press: Aledo, TX. 2004.
6. Coffin, Charles C. The Story of Liberty. Maranatha Publications: Gainesville, FL. 1987.
7. Federer, William J. America's God and Country. Encyclopedia of Quotations. FAME Publishing: Coppell, TX. 1994.
8. Flynn, LTG. Michael. The Field of Fight. St. Martin's Press: New York. 2016.
9. Ledeen, Michael A. Tocqueville an American Character. Truman Talley Books: New York. 2000.
10. Marsh, Daniel L. Unto the Generations The Roots of True Americanism. The Long House, Inc.: New Canaan, Conn. 1968.
11. Marshall, Peter and David Manuel. Fleming H. Revell Company: Old Tappan, NJ.
The Light and the Glory: 1492-1793. 2009.
From Sea to Shining Sea. 1986.
Sounding Forth the Trumpet. 1997.
by Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com
www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Psalm 33:12 (KJV).
1. "While other nations have built their governments upon the shaky foundations of communism, secularism, and countless other anti-God philosophies, only to see these foundations crumble, America stands without equal as a beacon of hope and freedom in a hurting world. Our Founding Fathers delivered to us a system of government that has enjoyed unprecedented success: we are now the world's longest ongoing constitutional republic. Well over two hundred years under one form of government is an accomplishment unknown among contemporary nations."
Source: Lee, Dr. Richard G. (General Ed.). The American Patriot's Bible, KJV. Thomas Nelson: Nashville. 2011. Introduction.
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." II Corinthians 3:17 (KJV).
2. "We need the 'primary' Biblical, Christian and Constitutional meaning of words. Noah Webster spent a lifetime endeavoring to liberate America from European ties of 'folly, corruption, and tyranny.' He sought to build an educational system in the school, the church and home embodying 'a love of virtue, patriotism, and religion.'" (p. 10).
Source: Webster, Noah. 1828. First Edition of an American Dictionary of the English Language. The Foundation for American Christian Education. Chesapeake, VA.: (www.face.net). 1967&1995 (Renewal).
Parental benediction to Noah Webster upon departure to Yale.
"We wish to have you serve your generation and do good in the world and be useful and may so behave as to gain the esteem of all virtuous people that are acquainted with you and gain a comfortable subsistence, but especially that you may so live as to obtain the favor of Almighty God and His grace in this world and a saving interest in the merits of Jesus Christ, without which no man be happy." (p. 12).
3. President Ronald Reagan spoke these closing remarks from his Second Inaugural Address, January 21, 1985, Capitol, Washington, DC.
"History is a ribbon, always unfurling; history is a journey. And as we continue our journey, we think of those who traveled before us. We stand together again at the steps of this symbol of our democracy. Now we hear again the echoes of our past: a general falls to his knees in the hard snow of Valley Forge; a lonely President paces the darkened halls, and ponders his struggle to preserve the Union; the men of the Alamo call out encouragement to each other; a settler pushes west and sings a song, and the song echoes out forever and fills the unknowing air. It is the American sound. It is hopeful, big-hearted, idealistic, caring, decent, and fair. That's our heritage; that is our song. We sing it still. For all our problems, our differences, we are together as of old, we raise our voices, to the God who is the Author of this most tender music. And may He continue to hold us close as we fill the world without sound-sound in unity, affections and love-one people under God, dedicated to the dream of freedom that He has placed in the human heart, called upon now to pass that dream of freedom on to a waiting and hopeful world. God bless you and may God bless America."
Source: Coffey, JR., Major William T. (Compiler and Editor). Patriot Hearts. An Anthology of American Patriotism. Purple Mountain Publishing: Colorado Springs, CO. 2000.
4. Agel, Jerome B. We the People Great Documents of The American Nation. Barnes &Noble: New York. 1997.
5. Barton, David. (Compiler). Celebrate Liberty! Famous Patriotic Speeches&Sermons. Wallbuilder Press: Aledo, TX. 2004.
6. Coffin, Charles C. The Story of Liberty. Maranatha Publications: Gainesville, FL. 1987.
7. Federer, William J. America's God and Country. Encyclopedia of Quotations. FAME Publishing: Coppell, TX. 1994.
8. Flynn, LTG. Michael. The Field of Fight. St. Martin's Press: New York. 2016.
9. Ledeen, Michael A. Tocqueville an American Character. Truman Talley Books: New York. 2000.
10. Marsh, Daniel L. Unto the Generations The Roots of True Americanism. The Long House, Inc.: New Canaan, Conn. 1968.
11. Marshall, Peter and David Manuel. Fleming H. Revell Company: Old Tappan, NJ.
The Light and the Glory: 1492-1793. 2009.
From Sea to Shining Sea. 1986.
Sounding Forth the Trumpet. 1997.
Monday, September 2, 2019
Avalon Chronicles # 105: "Resources for Growth of Faith-Part II"
Avalon Chronicles #105: "Resources for Growth of Faith-Part II'
By the Honorable Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
III. Command and General Staff Colleges/Senior Non-Commissioned Officers Academies
A. Healing
1. Cox, Everett. Doing the Supernatural Works of Jesus. Xulon Elite. 2010.
2. Lake, John G. The Complete Collection of His Life Teachings. Compiled by Roberts Liardon. 2005.
John Lake on Healing. Compiled by Roberts Liardon. 2009.
3. Wright, Henry W. A More Excellent Way to Be in Health. New Kensington, PA.: Whitaker House. 2009.
4. The Twelve Steps for Christians. Revised edition. Based on Biblical Teachings. Curtis, WA.: RPI Publishing, Inc. 1994.
5. Wigglesworth, Smith. Healing. New Kensington, PA.: Whitaker House. 1999.
B. Senior Faculty Instructors: There are three teachers that I have found to be the most helpful to me in development of my faith walk. They are Derek Prince, an Englishman, who served in North Africa in WWII, and an American couple, Chuck and Nancy Missler. There are numerous books and You Tube videos for them.
IV. Senior War Colleges (Army, Navy, and Air Force)
A. Spiritual Warfare
1. Larson, Bob. Larson's Book of Spiritual Warfare. Nashville, TN.: Thomas Nelson. 1999.
2. Caldwell, Taylor. Dialogues With the Devil. Mattituck, NY.: Aeonian Press, Inc. Reprint 1976.
3. Lewis, C.S. The Screwtape Letters. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1996.
4. Martin, Malachi. Hostage to the Devil. San Francisco, CA.: Harper. 1992.
5. Peck, M. Scott, M.D.. Glimpses of the Devil. New York: Free Press. 2005.
6. Phillips, Ron. Everyone's Guide to Demons & Spiritual Warfare. Lake Mary, FL.: Charisma House. 2010.
7. Prince, Derek. Rules of Engagement. Grand Rapids, MI.: Chosen Books. 2012.
B. Deliverance
"In my Name shall they cast out devils." Mark 16:17. (KJV).
1. Clark, Randy. The Biblical Guide to Deliverance. Lake Mary, FL.: Charisma House. 2015.
"The reason for Jesus' death, resurrection in power, and ascension onto the throne of the universe was to war against Satan and his angels (demons), and to declare; 'Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.'" Revelation 12:10. (NKJV).
2. MacNutt, Francis. Deliverance from Evil Spirits. Grand Rapids, MI.: Chosen Books. 1995.
3. Prince, Derek. They Shall Expel Demons. Grand Rapids, MI.: Chosen Books. 1998.
4. Sandford, John & Mark. Deliverance and Inner Healing. Grand Rapids, MI.: Chosen Books. 1992.
5. A dear personal friend of mine is Everett Cox, who is the founder of a deliverance ministry in Oklahoma City. He served in the U.S. Navy and has been a guest in our home. His ministry for deliverance is found at www.delmin.org.
By the Honorable Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
III. Command and General Staff Colleges/Senior Non-Commissioned Officers Academies
A. Healing
1. Cox, Everett. Doing the Supernatural Works of Jesus. Xulon Elite. 2010.
2. Lake, John G. The Complete Collection of His Life Teachings. Compiled by Roberts Liardon. 2005.
John Lake on Healing. Compiled by Roberts Liardon. 2009.
3. Wright, Henry W. A More Excellent Way to Be in Health. New Kensington, PA.: Whitaker House. 2009.
4. The Twelve Steps for Christians. Revised edition. Based on Biblical Teachings. Curtis, WA.: RPI Publishing, Inc. 1994.
5. Wigglesworth, Smith. Healing. New Kensington, PA.: Whitaker House. 1999.
B. Senior Faculty Instructors: There are three teachers that I have found to be the most helpful to me in development of my faith walk. They are Derek Prince, an Englishman, who served in North Africa in WWII, and an American couple, Chuck and Nancy Missler. There are numerous books and You Tube videos for them.
IV. Senior War Colleges (Army, Navy, and Air Force)
A. Spiritual Warfare
1. Larson, Bob. Larson's Book of Spiritual Warfare. Nashville, TN.: Thomas Nelson. 1999.
2. Caldwell, Taylor. Dialogues With the Devil. Mattituck, NY.: Aeonian Press, Inc. Reprint 1976.
3. Lewis, C.S. The Screwtape Letters. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1996.
4. Martin, Malachi. Hostage to the Devil. San Francisco, CA.: Harper. 1992.
5. Peck, M. Scott, M.D.. Glimpses of the Devil. New York: Free Press. 2005.
6. Phillips, Ron. Everyone's Guide to Demons & Spiritual Warfare. Lake Mary, FL.: Charisma House. 2010.
7. Prince, Derek. Rules of Engagement. Grand Rapids, MI.: Chosen Books. 2012.
B. Deliverance
"In my Name shall they cast out devils." Mark 16:17. (KJV).
1. Clark, Randy. The Biblical Guide to Deliverance. Lake Mary, FL.: Charisma House. 2015.
"The reason for Jesus' death, resurrection in power, and ascension onto the throne of the universe was to war against Satan and his angels (demons), and to declare; 'Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.'" Revelation 12:10. (NKJV).
2. MacNutt, Francis. Deliverance from Evil Spirits. Grand Rapids, MI.: Chosen Books. 1995.
3. Prince, Derek. They Shall Expel Demons. Grand Rapids, MI.: Chosen Books. 1998.
4. Sandford, John & Mark. Deliverance and Inner Healing. Grand Rapids, MI.: Chosen Books. 1992.
5. A dear personal friend of mine is Everett Cox, who is the founder of a deliverance ministry in Oklahoma City. He served in the U.S. Navy and has been a guest in our home. His ministry for deliverance is found at www.delmin.org.
Avalon Chronicles # 104: "Resources for Growth of Faith-Part I"
Avalon Chronicles #104: "Resources for Growth of Faith-Part 1"
by the Honorable Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
Introduction: The United States military is an organization that engages in continuing education and training throughout one's service to our nation. For a military career at every rank there are new and advanced levels of training and growth. It is the same for our own personal education and growth for our faith walk. This message is divided into four sections over two parts for advancing levels of maturing and enhancement of personal faith comparable to stair-stepped levels of career military training. All of the following resources are in the personal libraries of my wife's or my own. Most have been read and studied by either or both of us. Others we have referred to often as helpful references.
I. Basic Training (Officers and Enlisted)
"If Christianity is not true, it is unimportant. If it is true, nothing is more important." C.S. Lewis.
A. Holy Bible-Life Application Bibles
1. Tyndale House (King James Version).
2. Tyndale House and Zondervan (New International Version).
3. The Everyday Life Bible. Notes and Commentary by Joyce Meyer. Faith Words. 2018.
B. Introduction to the Christian Faith
1. Deere, Philip. God's Master Plan of Salvation. Belvidere, IL.: Voice Publishing. Updated 2018.
2. Murray, Andrew (several publishers). Abide in Christ and Absolute Surrender.
3. Thomas, Major W. Ian. The Saving Life of Christ. Grand Rapids, MI.: Zondervan. 1973.
C. Daily Devotional
1.Young, Sarah. Jesus Calling. Daily Devotional. Nashville, TN.: Thomas Nelson. 2011.
2. Wigglesworth, Smith. Smith Wigglesworth on Manifesting the Power of God: Walking in God's Anointing Every Day of the Year. Shippensburg, PA.: Destiny Images. 2016.
II. Advanced Individual Training-Officer Career Courses
A. Prayer
1. Bounds, E.M. Power Through Prayer and Purpose in Prayer.
2. Finney, Charles G. Answers to Prayer and Principles of Prayer.
3. Murray, Andrew. The Believer's School of Prayer and With Christ in the School of Prayer.
B. Healing From Spiritual Bondage
1. Savard, Liberty. Liberty Savard Ministries. P.O. Box 41260 Sacramento, Ca. 95841
North Brunswick, NJ.: Bridge-Logos.
a. Breaking the Power. 1997.
b. Shattering Your Strongholds. 6th Ed. 1998.
c. Producing the Promise. 1999.
2. Meyer, Joyce. Battlefield of the Mind. New York: Faith Words. 2011.
3. Miller, J.Keith. Sin Overcoming the Ultimate Deadly Addiction. San Francisco: Harper&Row. 1987
C. Near Death and Out of Body Experiences
1. Burke, John. Imagine Heaven. Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books. 2015.
2. Piper, Don. 90 Minutes in Heaven. Grand Rapids, MI.: Anniversary issue. Revell. 2014.
D. Prophecy
1. LaHaye, Tim and Ed Hinson (General Editors). The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy. Eugene, OR.: Harvest House. 2004.
2. LaHaye, Tim and Thomas Ice. Charting the End Times. Eugene, OR.: Harvest House. 2001.
3. Walvoord, John F. Major Bible Prophecies. Grand Rapids, MI.; Zondervan. 1991.
by the Honorable Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
Introduction: The United States military is an organization that engages in continuing education and training throughout one's service to our nation. For a military career at every rank there are new and advanced levels of training and growth. It is the same for our own personal education and growth for our faith walk. This message is divided into four sections over two parts for advancing levels of maturing and enhancement of personal faith comparable to stair-stepped levels of career military training. All of the following resources are in the personal libraries of my wife's or my own. Most have been read and studied by either or both of us. Others we have referred to often as helpful references.
I. Basic Training (Officers and Enlisted)
"If Christianity is not true, it is unimportant. If it is true, nothing is more important." C.S. Lewis.
A. Holy Bible-Life Application Bibles
1. Tyndale House (King James Version).
2. Tyndale House and Zondervan (New International Version).
3. The Everyday Life Bible. Notes and Commentary by Joyce Meyer. Faith Words. 2018.
B. Introduction to the Christian Faith
1. Deere, Philip. God's Master Plan of Salvation. Belvidere, IL.: Voice Publishing. Updated 2018.
2. Murray, Andrew (several publishers). Abide in Christ and Absolute Surrender.
3. Thomas, Major W. Ian. The Saving Life of Christ. Grand Rapids, MI.: Zondervan. 1973.
C. Daily Devotional
1.Young, Sarah. Jesus Calling. Daily Devotional. Nashville, TN.: Thomas Nelson. 2011.
2. Wigglesworth, Smith. Smith Wigglesworth on Manifesting the Power of God: Walking in God's Anointing Every Day of the Year. Shippensburg, PA.: Destiny Images. 2016.
II. Advanced Individual Training-Officer Career Courses
A. Prayer
1. Bounds, E.M. Power Through Prayer and Purpose in Prayer.
2. Finney, Charles G. Answers to Prayer and Principles of Prayer.
3. Murray, Andrew. The Believer's School of Prayer and With Christ in the School of Prayer.
B. Healing From Spiritual Bondage
1. Savard, Liberty. Liberty Savard Ministries. P.O. Box 41260 Sacramento, Ca. 95841
North Brunswick, NJ.: Bridge-Logos.
a. Breaking the Power. 1997.
b. Shattering Your Strongholds. 6th Ed. 1998.
c. Producing the Promise. 1999.
2. Meyer, Joyce. Battlefield of the Mind. New York: Faith Words. 2011.
3. Miller, J.Keith. Sin Overcoming the Ultimate Deadly Addiction. San Francisco: Harper&Row. 1987
C. Near Death and Out of Body Experiences
1. Burke, John. Imagine Heaven. Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books. 2015.
2. Piper, Don. 90 Minutes in Heaven. Grand Rapids, MI.: Anniversary issue. Revell. 2014.
D. Prophecy
1. LaHaye, Tim and Ed Hinson (General Editors). The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy. Eugene, OR.: Harvest House. 2004.
2. LaHaye, Tim and Thomas Ice. Charting the End Times. Eugene, OR.: Harvest House. 2001.
3. Walvoord, John F. Major Bible Prophecies. Grand Rapids, MI.; Zondervan. 1991.
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Avalon Chronicles #103: "Science and Faith-Wernher von Braun"
Avalon Chronicles #103: "Science and Faith-Wernher von Braun"
By the Honorable Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
References:
https://ifhpc.wordpress.com/2016/06/23. "Nazi Rocket Scientist Wernher von Braun Converted to Christ," Interviewed by C.M. Ward (May 9, 1966). This week in A.G. History June 26, 1966. By Darin J. Rodgers. (accessed 6/10/2019).
http://www.adherents.com/people/pv/wernher_von_braun. The Religious Affiliation of Rocket Engineer and Inventor Wernher von Braun. (accessed 6/10/2019).
My wife Linda was doing some internet searching and came across an article by Assemblies of God radio preacher C.M. Ward and his 1966 interview of Wernher von Braun (1912-1977). Von Braun had been a developer during World War II of the German V-1 and V-2 rockets, which were built by slave labor and were launched by the Nazis, causing thousands of deaths. The deaths caused significant anguish to von Braun, instigating his arrest by the Gestapo with an accusation of disloyalty. Only intervention by Nazi leader Albert Speer reinstated von Braun.
At the end of WWII von Braun arranged for 500 highly-valuable German scientists to be available to be captured by the Americans rather than by any of the other Allies or by Russia. Von Braun and his scientists were relocated to El Paso, Texas, where they became the core group for advancement of American space programs, especially for military applications.
Ward reported, "In Germany, von Braun had been nominally Lutheran, but functionally atheist. He had no interest in religion or God." However, in Texas he visited a church and his life changed forever. "...he found a small white frame building with a vibrant congregation of people, who loved the Lord. He realized that he had been morally adrift and that he needed to surrender himself to God. He converted to Christ and, over the coming years, became quite outspoken in his evangelical faith and frequently addressed the complementarity of faith and science."
The adherents article referenced above has some very compelling writings about von Braun. A major source was from: Ernest Stuhlinger and Frederick I. Ordway III book Wernher von Braun: Crusader for Space: A Biographical Memoir. Krieger Publishing Company. Malabar, Florida (1994). For 34 years Stuhlingen was associated with von Braun as was Ordway for 25 years.
On a visit to the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, von Braun sat down and played "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" on their famous organ. (Crusader: 11).
Von Braun became the head of NASA, but "Among the many projects that von Braun led to success, the most demanding and impressive was the Saturn V rocket that launched astronauts on their way to the moon." After the astronauts had returned safely, von Braun was asked what he thought after he had given the "go" order. He answered, "I said the Lord's Prayer." (Crusader: 269-273).
Stuhlinger and Ordway wrote in pages 269-273:
He had delved deeper into the world of engineering and science, and he had become familiar with economical problems, diplomatic activities, educational systems, even military planning, than most other people; now he wished to round off his view of the world by integrating also the basic elements of religious thought into the far-reaching concept of our earthly existence.
He read the writings of Immanuel Kant and therein found the link between that which may be seen in the world and the world not seen, and he became convinced that our incredible existence must be a result of some master plan. He became convinced that there had to be a unique design to it all. frequently he would be asked if he believed in God. He always answered, "Yes absolutely."
The authors reported his own words about his belief: "To me it would be incomprehensible that there should be a gigantic master plan without a master planner behind it. This master planner is He whom we call the Creator of the Universe....One cannot be exposed to the law and order of the universe without concluding that there must be a Divine intent behind it all."
Von Braun had a very fascinating opinion of the interrelationship of science and religion: "Theologians are trying to describe the Creator, scientists are trying to describe His creation...While, through science, man tries to harness the forces of nature around him, through religion he tries to harness the forces of nature within him...We have learned that God does not interfere in the free order of life and nature which he created."
When once asked about his opinion of the afterlife, he replied, "I believe in an immortal soul that can cherish the rewards or suffer the penalty decreed in the Last Judgment."
Von Braun declared: "We cannot live without ethical laws and some belief in a Last Judgment, where every one of us has to account for what he did with God's precious gift of life on Earth...More than ever, mankind's survival depends on adherence to some basic ethical principles. Our adherence to such principles alone will decide whether our new inventions in the field of atomic energy will provide mankind with an inexhaustible supply of energy and wealth, or whether mankind will perish by its abuse...."
Stuhlinger and Ordway wrote of the death of von Braun on June 16, 1977. (pgs. 329-332). His faith was deep and strong. He said, "The natural sciences deal with creation; religion deals with the Creator. The two are really complementing each other perfectly....It is inconceivable to me that there should not be something else for us after we have finished our earthly voyage."
There could be little doubt that one of the greatest scientists of all time, Wernher von Braun, was also a man, who knew that there was a Creator, who brought forth His creation, which scientists from time immemorial have attempted to describe. He described and believed in the world of the spirit, which remains after our body has finished its course on our planet. He knew all he needed to know about the created, then he got to know the Creator.
P.S. Speaking of space, I know I am treading into controversial subjects by suggesting the following three authors, but I have viewed their You Tube videos and read their books. In my opinion they are very credible:
Corso, Col. Philip J. (Ret.). The Day After Roswell. New York: Harper. 1998.
Hellyer, Paul T. The Money Mafia. Walterville, OR: Trine Day LLC. 2016.
Marrs, Jim. Alien Agenda. New York: Harper. 1998.
By the Honorable Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
References:
https://ifhpc.wordpress.com/2016/06/23. "Nazi Rocket Scientist Wernher von Braun Converted to Christ," Interviewed by C.M. Ward (May 9, 1966). This week in A.G. History June 26, 1966. By Darin J. Rodgers. (accessed 6/10/2019).
http://www.adherents.com/people/pv/wernher_von_braun. The Religious Affiliation of Rocket Engineer and Inventor Wernher von Braun. (accessed 6/10/2019).
My wife Linda was doing some internet searching and came across an article by Assemblies of God radio preacher C.M. Ward and his 1966 interview of Wernher von Braun (1912-1977). Von Braun had been a developer during World War II of the German V-1 and V-2 rockets, which were built by slave labor and were launched by the Nazis, causing thousands of deaths. The deaths caused significant anguish to von Braun, instigating his arrest by the Gestapo with an accusation of disloyalty. Only intervention by Nazi leader Albert Speer reinstated von Braun.
At the end of WWII von Braun arranged for 500 highly-valuable German scientists to be available to be captured by the Americans rather than by any of the other Allies or by Russia. Von Braun and his scientists were relocated to El Paso, Texas, where they became the core group for advancement of American space programs, especially for military applications.
Ward reported, "In Germany, von Braun had been nominally Lutheran, but functionally atheist. He had no interest in religion or God." However, in Texas he visited a church and his life changed forever. "...he found a small white frame building with a vibrant congregation of people, who loved the Lord. He realized that he had been morally adrift and that he needed to surrender himself to God. He converted to Christ and, over the coming years, became quite outspoken in his evangelical faith and frequently addressed the complementarity of faith and science."
The adherents article referenced above has some very compelling writings about von Braun. A major source was from: Ernest Stuhlinger and Frederick I. Ordway III book Wernher von Braun: Crusader for Space: A Biographical Memoir. Krieger Publishing Company. Malabar, Florida (1994). For 34 years Stuhlingen was associated with von Braun as was Ordway for 25 years.
On a visit to the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, von Braun sat down and played "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" on their famous organ. (Crusader: 11).
Von Braun became the head of NASA, but "Among the many projects that von Braun led to success, the most demanding and impressive was the Saturn V rocket that launched astronauts on their way to the moon." After the astronauts had returned safely, von Braun was asked what he thought after he had given the "go" order. He answered, "I said the Lord's Prayer." (Crusader: 269-273).
Stuhlinger and Ordway wrote in pages 269-273:
He had delved deeper into the world of engineering and science, and he had become familiar with economical problems, diplomatic activities, educational systems, even military planning, than most other people; now he wished to round off his view of the world by integrating also the basic elements of religious thought into the far-reaching concept of our earthly existence.
He read the writings of Immanuel Kant and therein found the link between that which may be seen in the world and the world not seen, and he became convinced that our incredible existence must be a result of some master plan. He became convinced that there had to be a unique design to it all. frequently he would be asked if he believed in God. He always answered, "Yes absolutely."
The authors reported his own words about his belief: "To me it would be incomprehensible that there should be a gigantic master plan without a master planner behind it. This master planner is He whom we call the Creator of the Universe....One cannot be exposed to the law and order of the universe without concluding that there must be a Divine intent behind it all."
Von Braun had a very fascinating opinion of the interrelationship of science and religion: "Theologians are trying to describe the Creator, scientists are trying to describe His creation...While, through science, man tries to harness the forces of nature around him, through religion he tries to harness the forces of nature within him...We have learned that God does not interfere in the free order of life and nature which he created."
When once asked about his opinion of the afterlife, he replied, "I believe in an immortal soul that can cherish the rewards or suffer the penalty decreed in the Last Judgment."
Von Braun declared: "We cannot live without ethical laws and some belief in a Last Judgment, where every one of us has to account for what he did with God's precious gift of life on Earth...More than ever, mankind's survival depends on adherence to some basic ethical principles. Our adherence to such principles alone will decide whether our new inventions in the field of atomic energy will provide mankind with an inexhaustible supply of energy and wealth, or whether mankind will perish by its abuse...."
Stuhlinger and Ordway wrote of the death of von Braun on June 16, 1977. (pgs. 329-332). His faith was deep and strong. He said, "The natural sciences deal with creation; religion deals with the Creator. The two are really complementing each other perfectly....It is inconceivable to me that there should not be something else for us after we have finished our earthly voyage."
There could be little doubt that one of the greatest scientists of all time, Wernher von Braun, was also a man, who knew that there was a Creator, who brought forth His creation, which scientists from time immemorial have attempted to describe. He described and believed in the world of the spirit, which remains after our body has finished its course on our planet. He knew all he needed to know about the created, then he got to know the Creator.
P.S. Speaking of space, I know I am treading into controversial subjects by suggesting the following three authors, but I have viewed their You Tube videos and read their books. In my opinion they are very credible:
Corso, Col. Philip J. (Ret.). The Day After Roswell. New York: Harper. 1998.
Hellyer, Paul T. The Money Mafia. Walterville, OR: Trine Day LLC. 2016.
Marrs, Jim. Alien Agenda. New York: Harper. 1998.
Monday, July 22, 2019
Avalon Chronicles #102: "Wounded Soldier, Healing Warrior"
Avalon Chronicles #102: "Wounded Soldier, Healing Warrior"
by Allen B. Clark allenbclark@aol.com
www.combatfaith.com www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
West Point class of 1963.
Assigned to Army Special Forces Vietnam 1966-1967. Recipient Silver Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Infantryman’s Badge. Double leg amputee from mortar shrapnel.
“Allen’s story has the potential to touch many lives. It is a message of struggle, perseverance, courage, and hope,’ noted Ross Perot in the foreword to Allen’s book, Wounded Soldier Healing Warrior. (Note: Ross Perot died this month. He was always so supportive of me in many of my endeavors. My autobiography for which he wrote the Foreword officially is out of print, but some copies are still offered on Amazon, new and used).
Personal note: I had a large print run made of the following verbiage in color print format with photos. I distribute it at my presentations and to veterans and military. If anyone desires multiple copies of the tract, let me know at email above and I will mail without charge.
Personal note: I had a large print run made of the following verbiage in color print format with photos. I distribute it at my presentations and to veterans and military. If anyone desires multiple copies of the tract, let me know at email above and I will mail without charge.
Twenty-two years in active military service or in service to veterans in the Department of Veterans Affairs are a part of my life. I imagine I have heard the width and breadth of military experiences; the sheer terror when under fire, the sadness for those killed beside us, the regrets of the medics because not all were saved. Also, we recall the agony of the battlefield memories, the sleepless years, the triggers of war, wives talking about the weapons close at hand and the explosive tempers. There never seems to be any real lasting relief and many suffer until their deaths, albeit with counseling, psycho-therapy, group sessions and years of pills. Each of us has our own demons. In 1968 I had my own personal brush with Post Traumatic Stress after losing both legs below the knees in a mortar attack on my Special Forces camp in Vietnam. I had been back eight months and was stressed out with fears of ever walking with artificial legs, of ability to have and raise children, and of having gainful employment upon my release from Brooke General Hospital amputee ward at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. I harbored anger and sadness.
Without sleep for four days I had to be admitted to a closed psychiatric ward for fourteen weeks in duration and required individual psychotherapy for the next five years until 1973, but, by the grace and healing power of God and the love and caring of Jesus, I have needed neither anti-depressants nor a psychiatrist since then (forty years ago as of this writing).
There are two elements that are critical to our healing; resiliency and identity. Our resiliency is our ability to bounce back and recover from setbacks. We have two identities, one as a patriotic, loyal, and courageous warrior. The second, and more important, is our identity as a person of faith. My own identity is as a committed and faithful Christian. This identity is reflected in four ways: 1. We all have sinned and broken God’s laws. 2. We deserve to be punished for our sins. 3. Jesus Christ died for our sins. He paid the penalty for all the guilt and sin we have committed and provided a gift to us. 4. We can only receive this gift by personal acceptance of Jesus as Savior.
Warfare of and by itself is an ultimate case of warfare of our soul and spirit, but we have the choice of allowing our healing to proceed through our religious/spiritual maturation. However, many of us turn instead to the abuse of substances to mask our problems. We succumb to the wrong choices to self-medicate.
Ultimately our ability to be healed, if not at least being able to cope with our issues, will be based upon a spiritual healing. One of the most important things we must do is forgive ourselves and others for mistakes encountered in “the fog of war.” We cannot even have a chance for healing unless we recall the issues from our military service (and before and after) that continue to be a burden to us. We must not harbor bitterness, anger, or unforgiveness to all others whose actions impacted our lives. We all have sins in our lives besides the “stupids” we committed. Unless we ask forgiveness for our sins through confession, we will not have our decks cleared to receive God’s forgiveness and begin our opportunity for spiritual healing. In God’s word it is written, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” Matt. 6:14-15. It is assured that I want my sins forgiven.
A method I use for the healing process (suggested to me by minister Liberty Savard) is to audit three arenas of my life: unhealed hurts, unmet needs, unresolved issues. These are evident in all lives but especially those of us who have been to war. Once these are listed, then we must list in another column what it would take to heal the hurt, meet the need and resolve the issue. Then column three very simply is to pray that column two is satisfied. It is simple and can be a guide for all of us.
Jesus allowed me to be saved from my battlefield wounds to return and be able to live my life again. I now know He was there and with me through all my recovery and rehabilitation which continues even today as I seek to follow Him in all my ways. I have accepted Him as Savior, and know I live only by the grace of God. The rest of the story: not only have I grown in my faith over the years, but also in my height from 5’9” to 6’2” with new artificial legs!
My peace and hope is found in Jesus Christ. Jesus offers all who believe/trust in Him forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life. The Bible says,“For God loved the world so much that he gave His only Son so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
Trust/believe in Christ today and receive His peace. You can tell Him through a prayer like this:
Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin, and that You rose from the dead to give me the gift of eternal life. I now trust in You as my Savior.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you...Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." Jesus. (John 14: 27).
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you...Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." Jesus. (John 14: 27).
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