There’s not enough stories out there highlighting the day to day courage of those around us, not just in extreme circumstances but in the maintenance of our lives. Especially in popular culture, men, husbands and fathers have been turned into buffoons and their traditional roles unsupported and undignified. As a result, I believe this trend has contributed to the erosion of the family and of institutions.
Dennis Rainey wrote a book called “Stepping Up- A call to Courageous Manhood” which seeks to begin rectifying some of the errors in our society and I will excerpt a brief passage from his book.
Major General James M. Gavin, farewell to the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. March 11, 1948. Detail of a panorama photograph. Property of Dale Yee.
DUTY UNDER FIRE
I’ve always loved stories about courage. My favorites are those about men who executed the impossible on a dangerous battlefield or accomplished great things despite obstacles and indescribable hardship—men who did their duty under fire.
I believe there’s something in the chest of a man that responds in a unique way to stories of courage. There’s a piece of every man’s heart that longs to be courageous, to be bold and gutsy and etch a masculine mark of bravery on the human landscape. In our hearts, we know that a part of the core of true manhood is courage.
But many men don’t realize that although most of us have not fought on a grisly, smoke-filled battlefield, all of us face battles in life that demand courage.
When you read books or watch documentaries about men who, like Red Erwin, were presented the highest award a soldier can receive—the Congressional Medal of Honor—you notice that the phrase most often repeated by these decorated warriors is “I was just doing my duty.” They don’t consider themselves heroes. They just did their duty in the face of danger. They were scared, but they acted anyway.
“Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do,” said World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker. “There can be no courage unless you’re scared.”
Real courage is doing your duty under fire. And we all face situations throughout our lives that require that type of courage. Valor at home, protecting our wives and children. Moral courage in the marketplace. Becoming the men God created us to be, despite whatever pressures we face in the world.
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