The Promise
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isa. 40:28-31).
The Song of a Warrior
Fighting soldiers from the sky
Fearless men who jump and die
Men who mean just what they say
The brave men of the Green Beret.
Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America’s best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret.
Trained to live off nature’s land
Trained in combat, hand-to-hand
Men who fight by night and day
Courage peak from the Green Berets.
Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America’s best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret.
Back at home a young wife waits
Her Green Beret has met his fate
He has died for those oppressed
Leaving her his last request.
Put silver wings on my son’s chest
Make him one of America’s best
He’ll be a man they’ll test one day
Have him win the Green Beret.
~Barry Sadler
A Soldier’s Prayer
While General Douglas MacArthur was stationed in Australia and acting as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area, he penned this prayer for his only son, Arthur.
Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know
when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid;
one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat,
and humble and gentle in victory.
Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds;
a son who will know Thee—
and that to know himself is the foundation
stone of knowledge.
Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort,
but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.
Here let him learn to stand up in the storm;
here let him learn compassion for those who fail.
Build me a son whose heart will be clear,
whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself
before he seeks to master other men;
one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.
And after all these things are his, add,
I pray, enough of a sense of humor,
so that he may always be serious,
yet never take himself too seriously.
Give him humility, so that he may always remember
the simplicity of true greatness,
the open mind of true wisdom,
and the weakness of true strength.
Then I, his father will dare to whisper,
“I have not lived in vain.”
A Soldier’s Psalm
During World War I, the 91st Infantry Brigade of the U.S. Expeditionary Army, known as the Wild West Division, was preparing to enter combat in Europe. Most of the men were ‘green’ soldiers who had never seen combat. Its commander, Major General (MG) William H. Johnston, a devout Christian, called an assembly of his men where he gave each a little card on which was printed the 91st Psalm.
American Expeditionary Forces arriving in France, during World War I
The men agreed to recite the Psalm daily as they went to engage in three of World War I’s bloodiest battles:
- Chateau Thierry (late May to early June 1918);
- Belleau Wood (June 1 – June 26, 1918),
- and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, one of the largest battles in American history. The battle was fought from September 26 – November 11, 1918 when the Armistice was signed.
The exceptional bravery of the men of the 91st Infantry Brigade is recorded in the history of The Great War.
Consider Reading;
THE 91ST INFANTRY IN WORLD WAR I–ANALYSIS OF AN AEF DIVISION’S EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE BATTLEFIELD SUCCESS
A thesis presented to the Faculty of the U.S. Army
Command and General Staff College in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree
MASTER OF MILITARY ART AND SCIENCE
Military History
by
BRYAN L. WOODCOCK, MAJOR, U.S. ARMY
B.S., Norfolk State University, Norfolk, Virginia, 1998
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
2013-01
Psalm 91 encourages people to trust in God and find comfort in His protection, despite the horrors of war.
Psalm 91
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you.
You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
For you have made the Lord, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.
For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.
They will bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.
Because he has loved Me,
therefore, I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high,
because he has known My name.
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation.
Making Psalm 91 Personal
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
For it is He who delivers ME from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover ME with His pinions,
And under His wings I may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
I will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
A thousand may fall at MY side
And ten thousand at MY right hand,
But it shall not approach ME.
I will only look on with MINE eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
For I have made the Lord, MY refuge,
Even the Most High, MY dwelling place.
No evil will befall ME,
Nor will any plague come near MY tent.
For He will give His angels charge concerning ME,
To guard ME in all MY ways.
They will bear ME up in their hands,
That I do not strike MY foot against a stone.
I will tread upon the lion and cobra,
The young lion and the serpent I will trample down.
Because HE has loved Me,
therefore, I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high,
because he has known My name.
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation.
The Collected Works of Stanford E. Murrell 