I’m sure most of us have heard the phrase. “Beyond the call of duty.”  But the question is, “Do we realize its meaning?”  Many of us have hid ourselves behind Cains  infamous phrase, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  Others have a genuine burden of zeal yet see the endless resources of the opposition and are mentally defeated.  However, there are a “Few Good Men” who have demonstrated the meaning of the phrase by personally answering the question, “What can one man do?”

History is replete with records of what one person can do.  In the web site,  http://www.cmohs.org,  is found more than 3,400 examples of our nations bravest soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coast guardsmen who all received our nations highest award, The Congressional Medal of Honor.

Before I extract an example of “Beyond The Call Of Duty,” let me first say, that I have visited this site many times in my studies as a preacher.  Each time as I read the story of a different act of bravery I cannot escape the emotion that flows somewhere deep within my heart. Tears of patriotism, tears of pride and honor, tears of unworthiness swell up within me as I consider my own meager contribution to our beloved country.

Let me honor two of the 3,400 winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor:  Master Sergeant, U.S. Army Gary I. Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randall D. Shughart, U.S. Army.  Allow me to combine and edit their testimonials for lack of space.
Remember, “Black Hawk Down?”

Master Sergeant Gordon, United States Army, and Sergeant First Class Shughart, United States Army distinguished themselves by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. The sniper team provided precision fires from the lead helicopter during an assault and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires.  When Master Sergeant Gordon and Sergeant First Class Shugart learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the second crash site, they unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After their third request to be inserted, they received permission to perform their volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, they were inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only their sniper rifles and pistols, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crewmembers. They immediately pulled the pilot and the other crewmembers from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter, which placed them in the most vulnerable position. They used their long-range rifles and side arms to kill an undetermined number of attackers until they depleted their ammunition. They went back to the wreckage, recovering some of the crew's weapons and ammunition. Despite the fact that they were critically low on ammunition, they provided some of it to the dazed pilot and then radioed for help. They continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. After his team member Sergeant First Class Shugart was fatally wounded and his own rifle ammunition exhausted, Master Sergeant Gordon returned to the wreckage, recovering a rifle with the last five rounds of ammunition and gave it to the pilot with the words, "good luck." Then, armed only with his pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally wounded. Their actions saved the pilot's life. Master Sergeant Gordon’s and Sergeant First Class Shugart’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon them, their unit and the United States Army.

I cannot explain what I have in my heart for these men who gave everything they had for the protection of fellow Americans!  These two men never came home; they truly gave their lives in the service of our country.   Visit the Medal of Honor web site to be convicted in your heart as I was.  May their examples of bravery to encourage us to persevere and go beyond the call of duty as they did.

What can we do for our fellow Americans and our country?  2004 is the most important voting year in our century!  America is on the brink of patriotic revival for national sovereignty or on a liberal slide to globalize.  We can honor the sacrifice of our fallen soldiers who gave their all to preserve our freedoms by voting for the leaders who will put country above self.  We cannot call ourselves Christians and Patriots if we do not do what we can to protect those freedoms.  How can we say our country needs to come back to God and not vote?  How can we sit back and watch politics on television and not get involved our selves?  How can we listen to liberal judges dictate to us how we should live?

The Constitution still says WE THE PEOPLE, not WE THE JUDGES!  How can they get away with eroding our liberties?  Because WE THE PEOPLE have been dormant, doing little to prevent it.  If Americans banded together and used the impeachment provision of our Constitution to force the judges to rule according to WE THE PEOPLE, they would listen in a heartbeat or lose their jobs.  We the people who want to return our government to the foundations that our forefathers intended, need to act in one accord, one voice at the voting booth.  This generation can do it.

Some may say, “That will never happen, it’s too far gone.”  Some may say that I’m a dreamer, and an idealist who is longing for bygone days.  I would have to say, “Your right!”  I long for the days when I could say a prayer in public school; I long for the days when the Bible was still an honored book and was handed out by the Gideans to each of us in our class rooms; I long for the days when Pastors where respected as men of God; I long for the day when the Ten Commandments will be placed back in our classrooms and courtrooms; I long for the days when conservative churches will exercise their voice in government; I long for the days when abortion was unthinkable; I long for the days when homosexuality was an abomination; I long for the days when sex before marriage was a shame; I long for the day when Christians and Americans will wake up and say what can I do to help our country return to her original purpose as one nation under God.

 There is one more example of an American who went beyond the call of duty and gave his all for the United States of America.  Let me conclude with his quote that says it all.

“That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation under God, shall have a new birth of freedom- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. “
 November 19, 1865.        Abraham Lincoln.

IN SERVICE OF GOD AND COUNTY.

Jim Hanson, Sr. Pastor of Dunedin Alliance Church

Director of North Pinellas Christian Coalition Florida. 727 733 9100.