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Always Faithful/Psalm 91

MARINE FOR


JESUS


By Jim Baxter Sgt. USMC




World War II and Korea




My brother and I joined the


U.S. Marine Corps right out of


high school and went away to


World War II. Our mother, a


True Believer, wrapped us in


Psalm 91 and claimed God's


promises over us. He went to


the Paramarine/Raiders and


the 5th MarDiv and I to the


OSS and the 2nd MarDiv. We


both went through combat


and returned home safely


after the war.




In 1950, with the outbreak of


the Korean War, we were


both recalled to active duty


with the 1st Marine Division.


Our mother again wrapped us


in Psalm 91, gave each of us


a small New Testament, and


again sent us off to war with


the Lord's blessing.




As a 12-year-old, I had


accepted the Lord but had


never been well disciplined or


obedient. I wanted to play


patty-cake in the sand piles


of the world. At 25, when I


went to Korea, I started


reading the little New


Testament my mother had


given me.




At the Inchon landing, and for


the next two weeks of heavy


combat as a rifle-squad


leader, I read a few Bible


verses every day. I loved my


brother Marines who suffered


and died alongside me. As


the death and destruction


grew more intense - and as I


stood on the brink of eternity -


I did not like what I saw.




As my outfit, Fox Company


[F-2-1], attacked up the


streets of Seoul, I was hit


with a machine-gun bullet. I


made it behind a burning


police sub-station in the


middle of the street. My


corpsman, Chico, dressed


my wounds and as sniper


bullets crashed into the street


beside us, he laid on top of


me - covering me with his


own body - and yelled in my


ear, "You've had enough!"


Other riflemen nailed the


snipers and as Chico left me


to help other Marines lying


wounded in the street, he was


hit by two bullets that blew


the shinbone out of his leg. I


never saw Chico again.




Several Marines threw a


wooden door on the ground,


rolled me on it and ran me


down the street under heavy


fire. It was a fearsome ride. I


was placed on a DUKW,


given a shot of morphine, and


dreamed a beautiful restful


sleep to Kimpo airfield and


the flight to Japan.




At Yokosuka Naval Hospital


for three months, I proclaimed


my loyalty to Chico, my


corpsman. One night, the


Lord came to me. I saw the


blood running down His


forehead, into His eyes, and


down over His cheeks. I


looked into His blood-filled


eyes. He spread out His


bloody hands and said, "I did


this for you."




I was willing to be loyal to


Chico - but had not been


willing to be loyal to the Lord.


The Lord said, "Come and


follow me. I will make you a


man. Put away childish


things." I knew what he


meant. I said, "Yes Sir."




With the Lord as the Lord of


my life, I re-joined my outfit


and went back into front-line


combat for another five


months before returning


home.




My brother came home with


frostbitten feet and I came


home with a tender rear-end.


Our mother cried with joy


unspeakable. We were both


baptized and have been His


loyal Marines ever since.


Everyday we say, "Yes Sir,"


to the Lord Jesus - our


CHAMPION and HERO. My


Lord and my God.




Winston Churchill once said,


"Courage is the most


important virtue because it


makes all other virtues


possible." As a senior in high


school ready to join the


Marine Corps, I thought his


statement was good. The


sequence sounded right.




As a 26-year old veteran of


front-line combat in two wars,


I came to understand that


Churchill was not accurate.


Courage is not the prime


virtue. It is


faithfulness/loyalty/commitment


that is the prime virtue. It is


being faithful that makes all


other virtues possible,


including courage. The Corps


has it right: semper fidelis.


Always faithful.




"Moreover, it is required of


stewards that a man be


found faithful."(I Cor.4:2)




Jim Baxter Sgt. USMC


World War II and Korea




choice.maker@verizon.net


http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/2728