“The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters..” — Proverbs 20:5
“He restores my soul…” Psalm 23
Charles Wittlesey is one of my heroes. An attorney prior to going off to war, he earned a Congressional Medal of Honor for his determination and bravery in the final days of World War One. His battalion took part in a counter-offensive against the German positions in the Argonne Forest region of the Western Front. Once “over the top” and beyond the no man’s land that existed between the lines of trenches that had barely budged during month after month of fighting, Whittlesey and his men achieved their objective. In so doing they advanced beyond the extent of the allied forces assaulting on either side and actually penetrated the German lines to a degree that they became cut off. The so-called “Lost Battalion” posed a serious threat to the Germans, who determined to drive them back over several days of horrific battle. Having received orders to hold this position once it was attained, Whittlesey and his men endured everything the Germans threw at them while suffering a terrible rate of casualties. By the time they were “found” and relieved Whittlesey’s command had sustained more than 50% casualties. However tragic, allied command considered these acceptable losses because they were instrumental in the final defeat of the Germans and the end of the war just one month later.
Sadly, Whittlesey a man whose dedication, determination and commitment to duty we admire, committed suicide just three years later. Beset by a myriad of friends whose own troubles seemed to weigh him down, he became stressed beyond what he could bear. He left America on a cruise bound for the Caribbean and simply disappeared. It is believed that he jumped overboard one night during the journey.
This story reminds me of the importance of daily experiencing the grace, mercy and love of God for it is in Him, the apostle Paul writes, that we find our sense of purpose and what we are living for. He also writes that those in Christ are “instruments for special purposes.” (2 Timothy 2:21) I wonder what other special purpose God might have had for Charles Whittlesey if only he had found a sense of purpose in Jesus Christ rather than in whatever places left him unable to deal with the trials and tribulations of life on a sin-sick planet.
