"Whom Shall I Send?" Nov 11, 2022

The Lord Said “Who Shall I Send And Who Will Go For Us”

The Lord said, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us” and I said “Here am I; send me." There is an oath that anyone entering any branch of the military takes.  It is the beginning of a long road to becoming a veteran. “I, John Doe, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me according to regulation and the uniform code of military justice, SO HELP ME GOD.”

Today, November 11th is Veterans Day. A day for picnics, maybe a trip to a park, hiking or fishing and all kinds of sporting events. Then there are the parades, school bands, scouts, marching units and the veterans, three generations strong. Most people along the parade route will cheer and wave but some will laugh and jeer. I feel sorry for those that do this. They don’t know that most of these veterans have seen the horrors of war, they endured hardship that we can only imagine, and they came home to fight a personal battle for what they saw. Just so we can enjoy the freedom that we have today.

Our Veterans are heroes. They are ordinary people that have done extraordinary things. Medics who risk their lives to save others, doctors and nurses working tirelessly, snipers who spend days, weeks alone watching for the right moment, men who stood their ground knowing they were outnumbered. Pilots who provided cover fire and helicopter pilots that flew into enemy fire to get their men out of harm’s way. Then there are the chaplains, men of God of all faiths who went out armed with only a bible and communion set. Well, except one Catholic priest I knew who always had his bible in his pocket, a 45 strapped to his waist and 12-gauge shotgun over his shoulder.  He often said, “I might be a man of God but if I’m going to heaven from the field of battle, I’m taking someone with me for company”.

When most people think of Veterans Day, we think of people going to war in defense of our way of life. We see Army Special Forces, big tanks and guns, the big ships of the Navy, the fighter jets and bombers of the Air Force and Marines storming a coastline. Most people don’t see the Coast Guard saving people from a sinking ship or plucking people off of rooftops after a flood. They don’t see military doctors and nurses treating people after a disaster or the Air Force loading their big cargo planes with much needed supplies. The National Guard being called out in the middle of the night to search for lost hikers and the Reserves being called to protect and serve areas ravaged by storms. We forget about the Marines and their toys for tots and the children’s homes and hospitals all over the world getting supplies and equipment they need because a soldier cared.

This Veterans Day let us not forget the heroes at home. The wives, husbands, and children who had to watch as their loved ones leave for far off places. They endured being without their spouse, fathers, and mothers for months sometimes years at a time. They endured the loneliness hardships, not knowing when or if family members will return, from serving their country.

There is a little poem I think about this time of year.
The Lord said, “who shall I send and who will go for us” and I said “here am I; send me." Amen.

Fr. Robert T. Cooper, Pastor
Divine Mercy Parish and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School