Lasting Lessons

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“I remember it well,” said 99-year-old Alvin Coleman. “We had one fellow in the twelfth grade who volunteered for the Army. He wasn’t quite old enough, but they still sent him in the first invasion of France. He never came back. A lot of boys from my high school left for war and never came home.”

Coleman was born on May 18, 1927, and grew up in Choctaw County, Mississippi, surrounded by a loving family and a close-knit Christian community. In the 1930s, his family enjoyed traveling to church once a month by mule and wagon. When he was not in school or working with his father, he loved hunting, fishing, and being in the great outdoors. Life was not always easy, but it was peaceful and simple until everything changed on December 7, 1941.

Eighty-five years later, Coleman still vividly remembers hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor.

“Since we lived out in the country, we were fortunate Daddy had a battery-operated radio,” he recalled. “I’ll never forget hearing the news that Sunday morning. We were shocked and afraid.”

Coleman was only 14 years old, but his older brothers were quickly drafted. One was sent to France, the other to Germany.

“It was very hard on my mother because we would go months without hearing from them,” he said. “It became even harder after my mother’s brother, Uncle Robert, was killed while leading a patrol in France. Those were trying times.”

Though the war was nearly over, Coleman himself was drafted at age 18 while still in high school.

“I was ready to go,” he said. “Back then, young men loved their country and wanted to defend it. We didn’t want anyone taking over the United States.”

After reporting to Camp Shelby, Coleman joined the Navy and completed boot camp in Illinois. His father had served as a cook during World War I, so Coleman followed in his footsteps and attended cook school.

While training, Coleman became close friends with another Christian serviceman from Birmingham, Alabama. One day, the two noticed a bulletin board advertisement requesting volunteers for immediate overseas service. They signed up together and, to their surprise, were both selected.

For the next several months, Coleman and his friend served the chief petty officers aboard ship.

“It was very enjoyable work,” Coleman said. “I was never homesick or even seasick.”

After the atomic bombs were dropped on August 6 and 9, 1945, bringing the war to an end, Coleman returned home to complete high school.

After graduation, he was offered a job at a local pharmacy and began the very next day. Five years later, he married the love of his life. This year, the couple celebrated their 75th anniversary. They have been blessed with two children, two grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

The Colemans spent decades faithfully raising their family in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, serving their church, investing in their community, and enjoying life together. They especially loved traveling and staying active.

Today, they reside in a beautiful assisted living home where they enjoy one another’s company, visit with friends, listen to American Family Radio, and spend at least an hour each day listening to the Bible on CD together.

Coleman remains deeply thankful for the nation he served and says he would still fight for America today if given the opportunity. Yet he admits the growing division in the country and the lack of respect for America, its leaders, veterans, and the flag deeply grieves him.

“I just can’t understand why so many young people aren’t patriotic,” he said. “Somewhere along the way, the chain of teaching in the home and the schools broke down.”

He believes his education played a major role in shaping both his patriotism and his faith.

“We were taught to love our country and be willing to fight for it,” Coleman said. “Every morning, we recited the Pledge of Allegiance. We studied great American heroes, learned patriotic songs, read from the Bible, memorized Scripture, and prayed. That’s what we need more of today.”

Perhaps one of the most important lessons Coleman learned in school came from his fifth-grade teacher. Although he doesn’t remember her name, he can still recall every word of Psalm 121 – the passage she required every student to recite.

As a young boy memorizing Scripture for school, Coleman never imagined how deeply those verses would sustain him through war and the many trials that would follow during his lifetime. Now, nearing 100 years old, he remains grateful for the teacher who understood the eternal value of teaching children where their true protection is found.

To this day, a beautiful sign hangs beside his bed displaying Psalm 121 to serve as a daily reminder of where his help comes from as soon as he begins his day.

This Memorial Day, Mr. Alvin Coleman will continue to remember and honor his friends and family members who never had the opportunity to return home and finish growing up.

His hope is that Americans will pause to reflect on the sacrifices that secured the freedoms so many now take for granted.

His prayer is that parents will take the time to teach their children to remember, and that schools will once again faithfully teach history, patriotism, and the biblical principles upon which this nation was founded.

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever (Psalm 121).

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