I ran across this picture awhile back and fell in love with it. To me it captures the often forgotten role that our troops have played on foreign soil. They haven’t only fought enemies – they have been ambassadors to the civilians they have come in to contact with. Many realized that the people they came into contact with were more than possible collateral damage. They had names, faces, people who loved them – just like the soldiers did. These soldiers showed courage and grit on the battlefield. They showed kindness and compassion as well.
After the end of World War 2 the city of Berlin was occupied by Soviet forces, and the city was split with a Soviet side and a German side. From this development the Berlin wall was built and stood until the late 1980’s. At the onset of the Soviet occupation, the US and her allies orchestrated airlifts to bring in much needed to supplies to the people of Berlin that were cut off from the outside world. This was known historically as “Operation Vittles”, or the “Berlin Airlift”.
As a pilot for the “Berlin Airlift”, Lt. Gail Halvorsen would fly the route to deliver supplies to the starving. During one of his days off he was filming takeoffs and landings at his base when he noticed a group of children behind one of the base’s barb-wired fences. He approached the children and gave them the two sticks of gum he had with him. He watched the children break the gum into small pieces and share it among themselves. After that experience he decided to do more for the children, and over the next missions he would get his friends to pool their candy rations together. On his flights over the area he would drop the candy attached to parachutes made from handkerchiefs, watching them slowly descend on the waiting children. Soon the size of the group of children grew, and Lt. Halvorsen worked to meet the increased demand.
When word of Lt. Halvorsen’s action reached his superiors, they embraced his act of kindness and order it expanded to “Operation Little Vittles”. Support for the drops grew, and once news of the effort reached the US, candy makers from around the country began supplying candy for the mission. Another volunteer group took charge of making the large number of parachutes required for the drops. The volume of supplies grew to the point where several other pilots were engaged in the flights. The flight schedule expanded to every other day, and areas throughout Berlin were treated to candy and kindness from the pilots who had become affectionately known as the “Candy Bombers”.
Lt. Halvorsen had flown missions in the South Atlantic Theater during WW2, and was very aware of the struggle to overcome the German army. He was aware of the atrocities committed by German forces in the concentration camps. Yet he didn’t lose sight of the value of those faces he was delivering supplies to. He didn’t lose sight of what he was really there for, and he allowed kindness and compassion to guide his actions.
Just like the soldier in the photo above, or many others in harm’s way who reach out to chare a smile, a piece of candy, a ball or a meal with those they meet along the way. They haven’t forgotten what they are there for. Yes, they are there to defeat an enemy and provide security. They are also there protecting the people around them, showing them kindness and giving them hope.
That’s something we need to be mindful of as we go about our lives. As children of God, we are His ambassadors here on the earth. We need to be committed to our mission of standing firm on God’s Word, resisting the devil at every turn. We also need to remember what we are here for:
Acts 1:8
“…And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
We’re to go about it in the same manner Jesus did:
Acts 10:38
38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Doing good. That can be expounded upon by reading how Jesus treated people. Doing good can be praying for someone. I can be forgiving them. It can be the miraculous. It can be something as simple as sharing your gum and a smile. It comes from a heart of compassion and is expressed with kindness.
As you go through your week, remember what you are here for. Jesus gave his life for people. We are here for people – people who need hope. We have that hope to share with them – the hope that is found in Him. Don’t stop with just telling them, show them. Be a representation of Jesus to them, just as Jesus was a representation of God to those He came into contact with.
