My baby boy,Dean,Waist Gunner on a B-17 Bomber during the last great world war,was at this time, stationed with the 8th Air Force in England,and had completed numerous misssions over France and Germany.
It was during this most critical stage of the war; July, August and September of 1943.Our Air Force was losing from ten to fifty of their great planes everyday.
The news was bad on all fronts. Loved ones and friends of the boys over there lived through dark days and nights of dread and suspense.....
Dean's letters came often. They were quite cheerful for the most part. Never failing to express his thanks for our kind Heavenly Father's care. On September 6th, 1943 I received an uncensored letter from him, mailed in New York by one of his buddies who had been given a medical discharge and was on his way home.
It started that a few days previous,their plane, the "Rigor Mortis" of which they were very proud of, had been shot up so badly they were forced to bail out. Some of the boys were disabled, but Dean reached his base in safety.
Other boys replaced the missing crew members and they were issued the Flying Fortess,Bomb Boggie, and continued operations as befofre.
Dean knew the danger of these missions, as only the boys who were making them would know. In this letter he siad:
If ever you get a message from the War Department saying " I regret to inform you ...etc." promise you won't worry Mom. I'll be safe somewhere. It's happening to alot of boys every day ...but the Lord will take care of me just as well here as if I were in my own room at home.My fears were trifles...as the Psalm says:
"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I fear no evil; Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me ". These are the truest words I have ever written and repeat them a hundred times a day,especially on the rough days. They have never failed to give me comfort and they never will. Please don't worry no matter what. I will be alright.Remember:"There is nothing the Lord can't do."
It came to me very forcibly at this time that Dean was in grave danger and dpending on our Father in Heaven for help and courage to do his part with the day after I recieved this letter was Fast Sunday , Sept.6th. I fasted as always and spend most of the enitre day on my knees...Pleading with the Lord to watch over Dean and please whisper to me through the Holly Spirit, giving me an assurance that he would keep my dear boy safe always and bring him back to me again, some happy day.
I felt without this assurance I couldn't possibly live through these days of awful suspense. About 10:30 that night, before breaking my Fast, I retired to a little grove of Aspin trees by the water falls. There I knelt again in secret prayer and with tears blinding my eyes, poured out my heart to our Father in Heaven. I prayed as I have never prayed before.I pleaded that he would watch over Dean continually where ever he might be...that if he should have to bail out of a plane again over enemy territory, and even if it were over the ocean or sea, with bullets flying around him his life would be spared. I said:" Please don't let him be afraid. Dear Lord...let him know that thou art with him always and will provide for his needs, whatever they might be. Give him strength and courage to carry on and do the great task assigned him in a satisfactory way to thee, to himself and to his associates."
I prayed that Dean would be comforted in the loss of his dear pals and buddies and the many dissapointments he was called upon to face,at times, and not be over come by sorrow.
That these trials and hardships would only make him more determined to do right. I asked the Lord to comfort me each day and through the lonly hours of night. Keep me well and strong and let me live to see that happy day when the family and friends would meet Dean at the Bokeville station, as we had planned . I said: " Thou knowest that Dean is depending entirly on Thee for aid. Please don't ever forsake him or let him be over come by his foes...let his life be spared regardless of how the enemy may try to destroy him. I know Thou art able to do all things and will protect him even as Daniel in the Lion's den, and the Hebrew children in the firey furnace, according to our faith. I pray that it may never be found wanting.
I slept well that night and about 5:30 in the morning , awoke with the most wounderful feeling which I recognizeed as the "Spirit of the Lord" burning within me. These lines ran through my mind as if I were hearing them repeated " What more can we say than to you we has said? You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled"
I was very much inspired and tried to remember where I'd heard them before.I soon realized they were from one of our hymns, but even though I'd sang some verses of it all my life, couldn't recall any more of the words. Like a flash it came to me with great force that the words contained in that beautiful hymn were a direct answer to my pryaer and so strong was the urge to read them that I got up from my bed and found the hymn in an old edition of Later day songs. This is what I read:
" How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent words. What more can he say than to you he has said? You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled.
In every condition ,in sickness, in health.
In proverty's vale, or abounding in wealth.
At home or aboard, on the land or the sea.
As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.
Fear not ,I am with thee...oh be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid.
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Up held by my righteous, omny protent hand.
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o'er flow;
For I will be with thee; thy troubles to bless,
And sarctefy to thee, thy deepest distress.
If through firey trials thy path way shall lie,
My grace, all sufficent shall be thy supply.
The flames will not hurt thee, I only design
Thy dross to consume...thy gold to refine.
My boundless, eternal unchangeable love;
And then when grey hair shall their temples adorn,
They still will, like lambs in my bosom be born.
The soul that our Jesus hath leaned for reprose.
I will not...I can not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never,no never,NO NEVER FOR SAKE.
I read and re-read the sacred lines still under the influence of that wonderful spirit, while tears of gratitude coursed down my cheeks. This was indeed a direct answer to my prayer and to make it even more impressive was given the exact words I had used in asking. The Lord had whispered to me through his Holy Spirit. I was just as sure as if I had seen him and heard his voice. A most remarkable thing was that the first two lines of the hymn didn't come into my mind but the third and fourth lines only! ..."What more can he say than to you he has said? You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled" as if asking the question then proceeded to tell me what had been said. I could easily understand after reading the entire hymn as written in that old edition the reason for not being able to remember the verses I had known so welll. If I had recalled them, I probably would not have hunted the book and as there were several verses I had never heard may not have recieved all those worderful promises made to me by the Lord.
I was almost happy in the days that followed and my heart was filled with thanksgiving to our Father in Heaven. I knew he would keep his promise to the last word.
We didn't get any more letters until that one which read...
"War Department" It had come!...the dreaded message;
"I regret to inform you that your son's plane was shot down over Northern France, Sept.6th,1943. He is now missing in action"
It had happened the very day I spent pleading that my dear boy's life would be spared and begging for an assurance that the Lord would never forsake him.
This, then was the reason for my having been prompted to cry mightely unto the Lord in Dean's behalf, on this particular day ,Sept. 6th. He needed my faith and prayers as never before. His life was at stake and only the power of our kind Heavenly Father could save it. This testimony, I'm sure was given me that I might be able to bear up under the awful blow when I recieved the news.
I felt very calm in my heart after recovering from the first terrible shock and I knew that Dean was not dead. That God would still give him aid, even as he had said and bring him home safe regardless of anything that might happen. He would strengthen him, help him, and cause him to stand,upheld by his righteous, omny protent hand.
I kept repeating over and over in my mind;
"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for reprose,
I will not, I can not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should end eavor to shake,
I'll never,no never, NO NEVER FORSAKE."
The Lord had told me this...how could I doubt? I couldn't, and I didn't...not even for a passing second. What more assurance did I need?
A few months later we learned that Dean was in a German prison camp, haveing bailed out of his burning plane, after the controls had been shot away and the oxygen tank demolished.
His legs were shot with flack and one shoe torn from his foot by an enemy shell before leaving the plane and when landing on the pavement, between high buildings, his ankle was broken, thus preventing him from trying to escape. He was captured at once.
I'm sure that what happened was the Lords way of preserving Dean's life. He said " I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless and sanctefy to thee, thy deepest distress; meaning that what seemed his greatest affliction would turn out to be for his best good.
While being taken through the streets by his captors, he saw the bodies of several boyus who had landed in parachutes a short time before, hanging from telephone ploes, and wondered if this would be his fate as the Germans has said " No more Air men would be taken prisoners." But the Lord willed other wise and though "all hell" was endeavoring to destroy him, his life was spared. After what seemed an eternity we recieved Dean's first dear letter from Stalag 17B saying he was well and happy, and asking me again not to worry that he would be alright.
Letters came quite regularly the next year, until the last six months of the war; we didn't hear anything from or about him. Reports of all manner of German Reprisals came over the radio
It was practically a fore gone conclusion that Hitler would have the prisoners put to death, by poison gas, or machine gun bullets. All these dreadful reports never, for a moment cased me to doubt.
After twenty one months in that wretched prison camp,the war came to a close. We didn't learn for many weeks whether Dean was resued or not. On all sides, parents were hearing from their boys who were in that same prison camp , but never a word from him. I really beliieve that the long delay in recieving news from him was to test my Faith; to see if it would endure to the end. " Yet, undaunted, still I trusted in our Heavenly Father's care."
Finally, the welcome letter came; following a telegram from the War Department, telling us he had been re-captured, by the American Army, while being taken by German guards on a five hundred mile march farther into Germany, with only what food they could find, or beg on the way. He said the sight of "Our Dear American Army" and the " Stars and stripes" as they came into view was the greatest thrill of his life, and will never be forgotten. He was now safe in La Harve, France, on his way home! The happiness of that moment, no one but loved ones of the dearboys over there will ever know. Our hearts were filled with gratitude beyond words.
A few weeks later we met Dean at the Bokeville station, just as I knew we would do. Walter Harmon, one of our very dear neighbors, offered to take all of our family who could possibly go, in his big truck so we could be together on the way. The truck was made comfortable with guilts and straw, and decorated with the Dear Stars and Stripes we love so well, and for which Dean had risked his life.
There were fifty or more in our party, and we planned a serenade with musical instruments and singing, having practiced all the way out. As Dean stepped from the train, our carefully laid plans were forgotten and we all made a mad rush to greeet him!
The Lord had brought our Dear Boy home! We all agreed it was the very happisest day of our lives. We didn't forget to give thanks for his safe return and will never cease to be grateful for our many wonderful blessings among others " My wounderful answer to my Prayer"
I am now sixty-nine years old... My hair is white like the nows of Heaven; but my heart is young as the day God first caused it to beat. It is fillled to over-flowing with love for all my dear children,great-grand children and friends.
I bear you my Testimony...
That I know God lives.
That he hears and answers our prayers;
according to our Faith.
That I have proven his love" e'en down to old age" and as Dean said;
Remember..."There's nothing the Lord can't do."
This message I'll be waiting so anxiously to hear, from each of you...
Tell Mother I'll be there
In answer to her prayer;
Oh Savior, tell my Mother I'll be there;
Tell Mother I'll be there,
In all her joys to share;
Dear Savior, tell my Mother I'll be there.
May we all live for that grandest of Grand Reunions, where there will be no more parting, pain nor sorrow.
Is the constant prayer of your Proud Happy Loving Ma!