The Sacrifice of the American Soldier as a Picture of the Love of Christ

On Christmas day in 1944, Lt. John Robert Fox, an American soldier in the 598th Field Artillery Battalion, was stationed with his team as forward observers in Sommocolonia, Italy.  Over the course of that night, swarms of German soldiers disguised in civilian clothes crept into town and began to take it by force.  American soldiers were compelled to withdraw, but they needed time to get away and regroup. Lt. Fox called in artillery fire multiple times on those enemy forces. In each of his radio calls he requested that artillery target the areas closer and closer to his own position in order to retard the enemy’s relentless advance. Eventually, his commander on the other end of the radio began to protest that the rounds were getting dangerously close to Lt. Fox’s location. Lt. Fox did not let up, replying back, “That’s just where I wanted it. Bring it in 60 yards!” The commander felt obligated to fulfill the fire requests but gave a final protest, prompting Lt. Fox to give his final request: “Fire it! There’s more of them than there are of us. Give them hell!”  The final rounds killed Lt. Fox and his observer team, but they also killed 100 German enemy soldiers. This gave American forces time to withdraw and regroup.  The Americans re-took the town a few days later.  Lt. Fox was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1997 as one of only 7 African Americans to receive that award for actions in World War II. Remember his sacrifice, and others like it, on this memorial day.

Lt. Fox’s sacrifice blazes with flames of valor, gallantry, honor, and glory. But it also shines with something far, far more meaningful than those admirable moral traits. He knowingly called in artillery fire on his own position to save the lives of fellow soldiers and to preserve their mission as his nation grappled with the forces of an evil enemy. Some of the Americans he saved that day would have almost certainly been racists who would have hated him in any other situation. This action is a picture of what Christ did for us. He willingly died while we were still sinners – enemies of him and his father – so that we could be saved from spiritually antagonistic forces that hated both him and us in order for us to become his friends in the truest sense of that word. Jesus declared that there is no greater love than when someone lays down his or her life for a friend (John 15:13). This was Jesus broadcasting to his disciples how he planned to sacrifice for them out of a supremely genuine and divine love. But it was also much more than a broadcast. In fact, it was something very, very challenging.  Jesus commands us in John 15:12 to live out that very same kind of love! Did you catch that? We are commanded to love each other with such a supremely genuine and divine love that we would knowingly and willingly lay down our very lives to preserve the ultimate spiritual and eternal well-being of our fellow disciples! Have you thought about the seriousness of that command? Have you gamed out what it might actually mean in your life? What part of your life do you ever actually give up for Christ, or for your friends in Christ? How much of your life are you actually willing to lay down? Have you spent any time with Christ for strength, wisdom, and motivation to comprehend and fulfill that command in its fullest?