Page 61 - Wish Stream Year of 2016

OCdt Martin’s Company Prayers on Sel ess Commitment
This morning I am going to give a brief thought on the subject of “sel ess com- mitment”, one of the six core values of the Army. It requires us to make sacri ces and put others and our mission before ourselves. This is particularly pertinent as future of cers when we will have to put our soldiers’
The whole of CC153 recently went to Normandy to practice using the combat estimate in more complex scenarios culminating in our study of Operation OVERLORD. I was struck by the incredible sacri ce, the ultimate sacri ce, which so many young of cers and soldiers made in that
needs before our own.
Some Of cer Cadets may already
have had to make sacri ces in
small ways, whether that be sac-
ri cing a weekend to go on guard
or an evening to help out a fellow
cadet who has been put back on
“weeks one to ve”. Many cadets
will be able to identify with a scene
like this on exercise: the platoon has had a busy day of advances to contact in the driving rain. I’m wet and tired and have spent the last two hours trying to build a model which two minutes after completion already resembles the cold steak and vegetables ration pack I’ve just forced down. I’ve nally withdrawn to the sanctuary of my sleeping bag and I’m just dropping off into a glorious slumber when suddenly there’s a whis- per, “Martin”. I ignore it; in my sleep deprived state it was probably my imagination playing tricks on me. But it comes again, “Martin” – I sink even deeper into my sleeping bag. Then a kick in the midriff. “What?” I mutter, vainly
campaign. Take Lt Col Dick James, for example; at just 26 he was the Commanding Of cer of 5th Bat- talion, the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. The battalion had just taken the infamous Hill 112 and, under intense German counter-attack, had withdrawn to an orchard on top of the hill. Colonel James had climbed a tree in full view of the enemy and was calling down artillery res, the only
thing stopping the position from being overrun, from his vantage point on high. One of the sig- nallers warned him “you had better come down Sir, a sniper will get you.” Moments later he was shot and killed. He sacri ced his life to keep his men safe, isolated as they were on the top of a lonely hill.
Jesus says ‘greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends’. In Jesus, Christians have the greatest example of sel ess commitment through his sacri ce on the cross. We heard from 1 Peter 2 that “he himself bore
our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’” Jesus, though he lived a sinless life, died a death of incredible pain and shame, reserved for the lowest of the low in society. He did it out of love for each and every one of us, so that we might be blameless in the sight of God and have a relationship with him, if only
we accept his sacri ce in our place. My prayer this morning is that we welcome him into our lives and follow his example in the service of others.
hoping that an Of cer Cadet is
going along the lines at 0200hrs
waking everyone up, so strong
is his desire to share his Haribo
with the platoon. “You’re on stag”
comes the inevitable reply. It’s the
last thing I want to do, but I put
my wet smock on again and go
and sit in the muddy sentry posi-
tion for the next hour. We all have
to do this because keeping our brother and sis- ter Of cer Cadets safe is more important than a couple of hours snatched sleep.
He sacri ced his
life to keep his men safe, isolated as they were on the top of a lonely hill.
Jesus says ‘greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends’
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