Humble Heroes

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“Mama! George Washington is my favorite!” my youngest son excitedly whispered in a not-so-quiet kind of way in the solemn theater.

Over the 4th of July weekend, our family gathered with some friends to support the well-made movie, Young Washington. My overly active 5-year-old, affectionately nicknamed Pocket, had been squirmy and distracted by popcorn until Washington was sent into the wilderness on a dangerous mission to deliver ultimatums to the French. During the perilous journey, Washington became seriously ill with dysentery. As he lay helpless at the brink of death, hostile forces approached the camp and attacked. The unmistakable sounds of gunfire, shouting, and chaos awakened him, and despite his weakened state, he grabbed his weapon to join the fight and share the hardship of war with his soldiers.

Washington fearlessly charged through the brutal ambush on horseback to find his Virginian soldiers, making himself a clear target. Miraculously, after having two horses shot from beneath him and multiple bullets tearing through his coat and hat, he remained unhurt.

Captivated by his bravery in battle, Pocket immediately identified Washington as a hero. As little boys do, he imagined himself as a character in the movie and declared, “I’m gonna be him!”

Though filmmakers undoubtedly took creative liberties with some scenes, there is no denying God’s providential hand on Washington’s life. His courage was unmatched, but what truly distinguished him was his godly character, humility, servant leadership, and integrity. Those same qualities are what make true heroes in every era.

As I reflected on Washington’s life over the holiday weekend, I couldn’t help but think of another man who embodies those same qualities and has quietly influenced multiple generations.

A few years ago, my three oldest sons were studying World War II (WWII). Sadly, all of my personal heroes had passed, and I didn’t know one living WWII Veteran to introduce my children to. A friend of mine suggested a 99-year-old man named Mr. Jack, who happily invited us to his home so the boys could interview him. We immediately fell in love with Mr. Jack and have had a wonderful relationship ever since.

Although nearly two centuries separate their births, the parallels between George Washington and Mr. Jack are striking. Washington was 11 when his father died of an illness. Mr. Jack was 6 when his father died of pneumonia. Mr. Jack and his mother moved in with her parents on the family farm, and like Washington, the farm is where he began to learn responsibility, work ethic, and the makings of a good man from the men of his family.

Both Washington and Mr. Jack truly had a love for learning and valued their education. Mr. Jack’s mother encouraged his reading and bought him old books anytime she found extra money. Washington’s mother couldn’t afford to send him to England for schooling, so she provided him with a practical education from home.

After graduation, Mr. Jack wanted to pursue a college education instead of continuing to work on the family farm. Ironically, Washington and Mr. Jack shared a love and deep understanding of land management. Washington became a land surveyor at a young age, and Mr. Jack was so determined to major in agriculture education that he hitchhiked over 50 miles to meet with the dean at Mississippi State University. He explained that he wanted an education but had no money. The dean graciously gave him a job in the dairy department and free housing in an old building with bunks. He milked cows every morning at 4 a.m. throughout that semester and the summer to pay the $75 of tuition he owed.

But, like Washington before him, duty interrupted his plans. Before he could complete his education, his country called him to serve.

Drafted into the Army during WWII, he fought in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, where he, too, was miraculously protected and saved by the providential hand of God. This battle was one of the most dangerous and deadly battles ever fought, killing 12,500 Americans, 110,000 Japanese soldiers, and nearly 150,000 Okinawan civilians. Yet, Mr. Jack survived.

On another occasion, his fellow soldiers asked him to ride with them across the island one night, but Mr. Jack had a splitting headache and declined their offer. During the night, officers awoke him to deliver the news that all of those friends had been killed by snipers.

Relentless monsoon rains turned the battlefield into vast fields of thick mud, making movement difficult, increasing medical conditions, and causing strong odors because the dead could not be recovered with constant downpours. Many veterans remember the mud being as much of an enemy as the Japanese.

During one terrible monsoon, Mr. Jack and his comrades ran to take shelter in a cave because their foxholes were flooded. He frantically motioned to his friend to come join them and get out of the storm, but lightning struck him and killed him instantly.

“I still don’t like storms,” Mr. Jack tells us periodically.

Time and again, Mr. Jack was left wondering why God had spared his life when so many others never came home.

After serving for 33 months, he returned to Mississippi and went right back to college to finish what he started. His greatest desire was to get a job, get married, and settle down to raise a family, which he accomplished.

Just as Washington devoted his life to building a young nation, Mr. Jack devoted his life to building young men. Along with teaching a youth boys Sunday School class, he taught agriculture at Calhoun City High School for 31 years, where he exemplified godly character, humility, and integrity – just like Washington. He was a strong leader in the classroom and expected success, while demanding respect. His students remember him as a tough disciplinarian, but one of the finest men to ever walk the earth.

Though he will be 102 years old in 4 months, Mr. Jack would gladly fight for America again if called upon. Like Washington, he knows that freedom is always worth fighting for.

Nearly a century separates Pocket from Mr. Jack, yet their connection reminds me that heroism never goes out of style.

Pocket cannot fathom Mr. Jack as a mud-soaked young soldier fighting in one of the bloodiest battles in WWII, but he recognizes something even more important than military service. He knows Mr. Jack is a man of integrity who loves Jesus, loves his country, and loves a tiny little boy who wants to grow up to do big things.

Just like Washington, Mr. Jack is one of Pocket’s favorites.

That kind of admiration matters.

Humble heroes shape the hearts of little boys, and they always have. It’s been said that little boys rarely become what they are told to be. More often than not, they become what they see.

In a sermon titled, “Integrity: Don’t Leave Home Without It,” Adrian Rogers stated, “There is an integrity crisis in America, and it touches every area of America. All of the institutions in America are being touched by scandal, and by problems, and underneath it all is an integrity crisis.”

There is an intentional battle in our nation to distract our little boys from masculine influences and create confusion in their minds. Boys enter this world with a God-given desire to be conquerors, and they are always searching for genuine role models – not men who are self-seeking, agenda-preaching, or cowards caving to the culture. Strangely enough, when adults can’t see it, kids can detect deception. Our children are in need of not just “good” men, but godly men for this nation to prevail. Their influences are imperative and irreplaceable.

America has never been sustained by strong institutions or powerful armies. It has been built and preserved by men of integrity who fear God, love their families, serve their neighbors, and answer the call when duty requires sacrifice.

George Washington was one of the first to set the standard of what a great American man is to be. Mr. Jack is still holding the line.

I pray Pocket will never forget his influence and that of other godly men in his life. And someday, when he is a grown man, I pray another boy will look at him with the same admiration and loudly whisper, “I’m gonna be him!”

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