No Bended Knee::from Martin

Ps 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in danger.

Ps 61:3 For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy

Ps 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Ps 121:7 The Lord will protect you from all evil, He will keep your soul.

Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

2 Thes 3:3 But the Lord is faithful and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.


No Bended Knee

"No Bended Knee" is the title of the memoir of Gen. Merrill B. Twining. He was with the 1st Marine Division at Guadalcanal and fought in that epic struggle. He chose the title of his book based on the fact that it was the intent of the Japanese Army commander to force the Marines to surrender "on bended knee".

The 1st Marine Division refused to surrender and ultimately won that struggle and Japan never again had an offensive military victory in the Pacific war.

"A Dawn Like Thunder: The True Story of Torpedo Squadron Eight" is a book written by Robert J. Mrazek. The principle of "No Bended Knee" is evident by the men of this squadron. At the battle of Midway, 45 of the 48 men who flew the outdated planes with faulty torpedoes did not return. The remaining squadron members flying with the Cactus Air Force out of Henderson at Guadalcanal lost seven and had eight wounded. Their actions at both Midway and Guadalcanal changed the course of history.

"Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand is a book about Louis Zamperini. His is a remarkable account and the principle of "no bended knee" even as a POW.

"Operation Mincemeat" by Ben Macintyre is a fascinating book about a plan of deception that ultimately gave the allies an advantage in the war with Hitler. In the book was a brief account of LTC Alexis Baron Von Roenne who was in charge of FHW, the intelligence gathering unit for the German military. His sector was the western front. LTC Von Roenne was a believer and also an anti-nazi.

The author, Ben Macintyre, put forth a theory that Von Roenne deliberately gave Hitler faulty intelligence data to hasten the end of the war and remove Hitler from power. We will never know as Hitler had Von Roenne killed by the SS. Von Roenne's last statement was that he was going home to be with the Lord. Von Roenne did not have the "bended knee" moment that Hitler wanted.

In the Bible, the accounts of Moses and David illustrate waiting upon the Lord for His strength and not to have "a bended knee" moment.

Moses waited for the deliverance of the Lord by the Red Sea as he watched Pharaoh's forces approaching. The people of Israel were in panic and scared, ready to surrender. Yet Moses admonished them and told them to wait. Exodus 14 has the whole historical account.

David did not have a "bended knee" moment when he faced Goliath. He was the only one not scared unlike the whole Israelite army that was cowering and ready to surrender or flee. As the account of I Samuel 17 illustrates, David faced Goliath and won.

It has been now two and half years since we began our fight with cancer. We have had our ups and downs in this war. The times when we are down are the toughest as you want to quit. Yet, we cannot. We cannot go "on bended knee".

God gave us this assignment as we have to see it through. He will provide for our needs and give us the strength to fight on.

Since my surgery last November, progress has been slow and steady. We have had some new developments since then.

Yesterday, I received my new mouth. It fits a lot better which helps when eating even though I still need to be put through a car wash to cleanup afterwards. Part of the problem is that I still have not regained the ability to close my lips which causes food and liquids to leak out.

I have aspiration issues when swallowing due to small droplets of liquid being stuck in my throat. As a result, I have to cough ever so often to clear the passageway. I guess I could also consider using a roto rooter.

I am still retraining my tongue to work for me in the swallowing capacity. Pushing food down my throat does not work all the time which causes a coughing spasm so I do not choke. My 2yr old daughter will look at me and say..."k daddy????" She is quite cute when she says it too.

I also am the "Mr Potato Head" of the family. How many dads can take their head apart and show off the pieces....I get a lot of mileage out of that one. Of course, it does create a problem when I sneeze and pieces fly everywhere....

In the last three weeks, I have had a small area of the skin graft recede from my jawbone thus exposing it. We are watching it closely. I am on antibiotics and pain meds to keep this issue under control. We are hoping that it will grow back. In the meantime, the surgeon went in and clipped the bone back to remove the sharp edges.

I will be at MDA (Martin's Daily Adventure) for a day or two every week for the next month or so while we focus on these issues. I am continuing with my physical therapy regarding the use of my mouth and getting some additional tests done to look into my hearing loss.

I had the gastric feeding tube removed after not using it for almost a month. What a relief that was to get it out. I finally had to wrap it up in a 4 ft long bandage as I was forever getting it caught on things and yanking the heck out of me and it.

We appreciate your ongoing prayer support and words of encouragement that you send.

Semper Fi

Martin, Traci, Gunnar, Winston and Tessa

For Our Veterans Today

Lieutenant Colonel John Mc Crae, M.D.

From Martin to me via email:


This is the poem by Lt Col John Mc Crae which he wrote during WWI after the death of his friend. I thought you might want to read it to the boys today as today is Veterans Day or Armistice Day.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

What a beautiful poem in a time of utter savagery and suffering on the part of fallen soldiers. It amazes me that a man can pen such a thing in the devastating situation and suffering that accomodates our soldiers especially in the first two world wars. Just look at Iraqi war photos to see some of the ways that ours and others soldiers have died in battle for....my freedom. It is gruesome.

There are many a book that Martin hopes to read aloud to our children as they get older to paint the history of how our great nation has remained free. I don't have any historical fiction in mind right now but look forward to this time in their education. I will be doing broad swathes of history for now using A Child's History of the World. I do know of plenty of movies and documentaries that we look forward to sharing in time although Hollywood will not paint the true reality of war and fighting for principal. Movies of the underdog and courage and manliness, i.e., ideal qualities of a good soldier. I love them. Here is a list that I hope to add to in time.

The Patriot
Gladiator
Band of Brothers

I am sure my husband could add some older movie titles that are vital to this list...and if he emails them to me, I will include them.

My family salutes the soldiers fighting for and who have fought for our freedom and we are humbled by your courage.

For Biblical perspective on the role of military victory, please order, free of charge, Freedom Through Military Victory here.

What movies and/or books do you want to share or have shared about our history of freedom?