I am daily receiving numerous heartfelt letters from Christians who have been touched by the Faith of Our Fathers film clip, and who want to share the stories of their own fathers. Nine times out of ten, I discover that these veterans, now in their eighties, have only recently begun to share with their families their own experience about the war. I believe the stories must be told. They must be told to honor the principle communicated by the Lord in Psalm 78. Below is a very small sampling of the many notes I have received from home educators about their parents and grandparents:

From Matt Chancey: “You simply must interview my grandfather — Bill Snead. He is the gentleman who is your oldest Witherspoon alumni if you recall. His beloved wife, my grandmother, died in February after 60+ years of marriage. He flew P-47s in the Pacific and flew top-cover over the “Mighty Mo” Battleship when the surrender papers were being signed. He loved and honored his father and taught me growing up that honoring your parents is something that must be done long after they’re dead. He has started a youth camp for abused children in his local community. He works at a local soup kitchen taking meals to the elderly — even though he is 83 years old this Saturday.”

From a Home School Mother of Four: “Thank you so much for your work on Faith of Our Fathers. I just viewed the trailer and it meant much to me — Colonel Henderson reminds me so much of my dear husband, still serving in the Army in Kuwait. (He’s been gone for seven months and has yet to meet his fourth child, born while he was gone.) Anyway, thank you for reminding me (not that I’ve actually forgotten) why I married my dear husband, and why I share him with the world as an officer in the U.S. Army. I can’t wait to watch the trailer with him when he gets home in a few weeks, and I know that the film will inspire him as he prepares to take command of a military intelligence brigade next summer.”

From the Son of an Iwo Survivor: “I look forward to seeing Faith of Our Fathers. My father was a young Marine on Iwo Jima as well, having survived the battles of Bougaineville and Guam without serious injury, which was remarkable in view of the high casualty rate within his unit. He said he often wondered why he was spared, but back at home my grandmother and aunt were up praying all night for him, when they heard on the radio that his unit was in battle. His parents and grandparents were people of strong Christian faith, and this essential underpinning saw him through the dangers and trials.”

From a Friend of a Vet: “I have a friend, Stan, from church who served in World War II. He was given the purple heart and saw many comrades fall. He spent most of his time in Europe, especially Italy. I greatly appreciate his stories of that time. He always mentions to people the great influence his crippled father had on him when he summoned Stan to his bedside (the night before he had to report for duty) and asked him to memorize Psalm 91. Stan did so and is convinced that God spared his life and purity through his father’s prayers.”

From a Proud Nephew: “If you are interested in interviewing WWII veterans, I would like to give you the name of my uncle. Albert Albrecht served in WWII with the ghost army. They were a decoy unit, which used inflatable tanks to trick the enemy. He is a very godly man, and he too was silent about the war for fifty years, since the army had a gag order in place. He now gives talks at schools and is working to preserve this time period of history.”

From a Home School Mother of Two: “I am a forty-four-year-old home school mom of two children who have been given to my husband and I for a time. My father is a WWII veteran of the Pacific theatre. He was on a destroyer, the U.S.S. Hansen for part of the war and was at the Phillipines, Okinawa, Iwo Jima during the war. My father also does not talk much about his war experiences. However, whenever he does, we listen intently. He was assigned to the boiler room — the part of the ship which got little recognition — however, was the first to go down if there was ever a direct hit. (The boiler room is below sea level.) My dad is now seventy-five years old and will always be a hero to me. He was a wonderful Christian father who set examples for a lifetime. Whenever I or my brother needed direction or discipline, he didn’t lecture us — he turned to the Bible and showed us the passage which was relevant from God’s Word. How could we argue with that? We didn’t. My dad is a man of deep emotion, however, he does suppress the expression of it whenever he can. Perhaps this is a trait of those brave young men who were raised during the Depression and other difficult times of our history. However, my father never let me lack for love. He will tear up upon the remembrance of those young men who were not yet shaving, yet they died for our country. They never were able to experience marriage, children, many Christmases, grandchildren, etc. Let us all remember these very brave young men who died on foreign soil to protect our country. I salute them will all of my heart.”

From Doug’s Bookshelf: Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley with Ron Powers. Bantam Books, 2000, 376 pages. I have yet to complete this book, but am finding the story utterly compelling, not only for the history related, but because it is written by the son of John Bradley, one of the men who raised the flag on Iwo Jima, but a man who would not speak of the event to his own family. Stephen Ambrose has called Flags of Our Fathers “the best book about men in battle that I’ve ever read.”