Ted Baehr on “The League of Grateful Sons”
[A] very emotive movie that helps the viewer understand the importance of godly fathers, sacrifice, loyalty, and all the Christian virtues.—Ted Baehr, MovieGuide
[A] very emotive movie that helps the viewer understand the importance of godly fathers, sacrifice, loyalty, and all the Christian virtues.—Ted Baehr, MovieGuide
Wonderfully done... may prove to be a modern Christian classic. —Lt. Col. E. Ray Moore (Ret.)
In a world full of flattery but devoid of honor, where people venerate the celebrity instead of true heroes, Doug Phillips has produced a film that honors true manhood in all its strength, courage, and goodness. Turning the hearts of children to their fathers, Vision Forum’s moving and timely documentary re-establishes and elevates the virtue of giving honor to our fathers for their sacrificial service. —Justice Tom Parker, Alabama Supreme Court
Inspirational. The League of Grateful Sons is more than a documentary. It connects us with generations that went before us. It is more than history. It puts us into history as the grateful sons of fathers who made history. This film redefines the documentary film through the framework of a biblical worldview. Here’s a film that restores the concepts of honor, relationships, and faith. History, as seen through the eyes of this documentary, gives us our bearings in terms of where we are today and hope and vision for the future. —Kevin Swanson, Host of Generations
by Tim Challies
www.challies.com
In Prophetic Untimeliness Os Guinness argued, successfully I think, that our culture has an irrational and dangerous fixation on the present and future. Our emphasis on the latest and greatest comes at the expense of all that the past has to offer us. Tragically, this distaste of the past has become prevalent in the past and we, as Christians, risk having to re-learn lessons that we would already know were we to keep one eye fixed firmly in the past.
The League of Grateful Sons is an organization dedicated to preserving memories from the past, and in particular, the memories of fathers who fought during the Second World War—to pass the legacy of these men to another generation. This war took the lives of 182,000 American fathers. Hundreds of thousands of fathers did return, but many of these never took the opportunity to share their legacy with their children. With thousands of war veterans dying every day, the opportunities are growing ever more seldom. But within the ranks of these survivors of the war are a collection of men who made it their life mission to tell others of the providences of God and the meaning of manhood. These men have sought to share their experiences with later generations and to begin to build a legacy in their sons and their grandsons. We can honor God by honoring these men and encouraging them to share their what God has taught them. They can, in turn, honor God by attempting to leave a legacy for coming generations.
The Faith of Our Fathers Project has released a DVD entitled The League of Grateful Sons that examines a few of these great war heroes as they return to one of the bloodiest and most infamous battlefields of the war: Iwo Jima. The film introduces “Colonel” Bell Henderson, a hardened Marine who maintained moral purity throughout the war, Bill Brown, a fighter pilot who was shot down and later rescued, and other men who fought bravely for a cause they believed in. It follows them as, for the first time in sixty years, they walk upon the black sands of Iwo Jima. But this time, rather than being accompanied by their friends, they walk arm-in-arm with their sons and grandsons. They pause and reflect, recalling events still as clear in their minds today as they were six decades ago. They share the past so they can build a better future.
“Our goal with The League of Grateful Sons,” writes Doug Phillips,” is to honor the sacrifice for freedom made by these men, and all who fought during the Second World War, and to pass on their legacy to the next generation. May this story inspire you and your family to keep their memory alive, and to preserve the heritage of your own fathers for generations to come.” This story is inspirational. It is deeply and profoundly moving. It is a testament to the power of God, not only in his acts of providence in the lives of these brave men, but in motivating them to share their stories with a generation in desperate need of godly heroes.
The League of Grateful Sons is a beautiful film that will move you to tears and leave you grateful for the peace we enjoy today, and for the brave men that fought for that peace, several generations ago.
© 2005 Tim Challies
by Nicholas A. Jackson
While we have been busy fretting over Hollywood’s latest releases to mock the traditional family, quietly a documentary has been released which chronicles the lessons of heroism, and the faithful legacies passed from our WWII veterans to their families.
The documentary, “The League of Grateful Sons,” is produced by Vision Forum Ministries and directed by Geoff Botkin. The film, focusing on the battle of Iwo Jima, recently premiered on board the U.S.S. Missouri, the very location where the treaty was signed which ended WWII. Once a year the island of Iwo is opened to Americans to visit. Last March, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima, Vision Forum as part of their Faith of The Fathers Project, assembled over eighty veterans as they journeyed to the island with their sons and their grandsons.
John Butler, Jr and his brother Clinton journeyed to Iwo Jima to honor the memory and legacy of their father, Lt. Col John A. Butler. Their father, a marine battalion commander was killed in action Mar. 5th, 1945 after heroic leadership and sacrifice during one of the bloodiest conflicts of the War. Their memory of their father was captured through personal letters that their father had written Johnny Boy encouraging him to help his mother, and to be the man of the house. This was the final letter from his father the day before Iwo:
February 18, 1945
Dear Johnny Boy:
Tomorrow morning Dad is going to play war with all his strength, so that Mommy can sing to you “A Wee Little Lad” and mean every word of it.
Red will be right along side Dad. You would laugh to see the way we are dressed. I am carrying so many guns, and they are sticking out on all sides.
As the man of the house, Dad is counting on you to continue in helping Mom in every way.
When I come home, I will have many stories to tell you about those ships and planes and jeeps and trucks. Thanks for praying for Dad.
Your Proud Dad
(The Family Vision, Vol. 1., Issue 2 May/June)
Col. Bill Henderson, a member of the 5th division, survived all 36 days of combat on the volcanic island. Colonel Henderson, now 82 years old had to have 4 marines carry him to the beaches of Iwo with his family. The driving force behind his valor and his courage were in his words, “never wanting to do anything to disappoint his father.” Colonel Henderson has dedicated the rest of his life to telling the faithfulness of God to the next generation. He surrendered his life to Christ when he was 5 years old, and admits that in 77 years God has showed himself faithful, even through the horrors and nightmare of his youth on Iwo.
There is sometimes a disconnect between the fathers who fought in WWII, and their families. Many did not know how to process the brutalities and rigors of war and many have stayed silent. While thought to be dead after being shot down over Tokyo Bay, 2nd Lt. Bill Brown returned with his son Scott Brown, his granddaughter, and grandson to speak of the providences and faithfulness of God. He served as a P-51 Mustang pilot who flew escort missions to Iwo Jima. Mr. Brown has spent his life telling his family about God’s faithfulness in his life. As he returned to Iwo Jima, he read to his family on top of Mt. Suribachi from the same Bible he had read 60 years earlier in a foxhole. His son and grandchildren were able to walk in the footsteps of their faithful father.
Lt. Leonard Isacks Jr. enlisted when he was 32 years old and left a profitable position with the Firestone Company. Lt. Isack’s son had wanted to travel to Iwo Jima to honor his father but died before getting a chance to return, to walk where his father walked. His grandsons went in his place to honor their memory of both their father and their fallen grandfather. Lt. Isacks memory lives on through over 1200 pages of letters that Lt. Isacks had written to his wife, and through the histories, and stories that the Isack brothers are now telling.
We must tell their stories. We must inquire of our fathers, and ask them to tell us their stories.
The great lessons of the WWII generation and Iwo Jima demonstrate perseverance against impossible odds, and the importance of remembering and honoring in the context of the fifth commandment, those who fought so that their posterity could be free.
The words of executive producer Doug Phillips, serve as a stark reminder of our duty to those who come after us, “Fathers will teach the next generation, or they will lose the next generation. Fathers will speak to the next generation about the many providences of God in protecting and preserving them, or the next generation will be without hope. God will not be mocked: We will either walk beside our sons and teach them to honor their fathers, or there will be no nation for America to defend.” (The Family Vision, Vol. 1., Issue 2 May/June)
By God’s grace, may we pick up the mantle of our faithful fathers and carry it on.
© 2005-2006 The Conservative Voice. All rights reserved. Originally posted on February 24, 2006 on www.conservativevoice.com.
Nick is Executive Director of Reform America, a non-profit Christian organization based in Columbus, OH. In addition, he spends time as a free-lance writer articulating the Christian viewpoint into our culture.
Website: www.reformamerica.com
Email: nick@reformamerica.com