What does a soldier think about the night before a battle?

Maybe he (or she) is “fortunate” to be so exhausted from transitioning to the position of attack that they are predisposed toward sleep.  But even so, with conflict looming the mind must race.

Being a soldier, he is aware of the goal, and the importance of their mission.  The unit is trained to attain its objective, so a soldier must review in his mind their personal assignment and make every effort to be mentally prepared for it.  But undoubtedly, a warrior wonders, “Will we accomplish it?  If so, how high a toll will we pay?”   And he understands that if they don’t succeed, the toll will be even higher.

Yet I can’t help but believe that for most soldiers on the night before a battle, their thoughts are primarily circulating around deeply personal things.

How could one not reflect upon the loved ones back home?  A wife or girlfriend: “Will I ever smell her perfume, feel her touch or kiss her again?”  The children: “Will I ever see their smiles or hear their laughter?  Will I ever hug them close again?”  The parents, siblings, and dear relatives: “Will I ever engage in another conversation on the porch or in the living room with them or sit down to a holiday feast together?”  The close friends: “Will I enjoy their company one fine day?” Even one’s dog probably shambles through the thoughts with tail wagging.  “Will I pet him post-battle or post-war?”

“Will I walk into my home once more?  Travel to my favorite vacation destination once more?  Spend a day on my favorite hobby?  Watch a ballgame?  Attend a concert?  Take a leisurely nap in a recliner?  Enjoy a hot shower or a cold chocolate shake?  Feel the sun warm my skin on a sunny beach, or huddle comfortably under the blankets in my bed on a rainy night?  Sit in church, sing some hymns and soak up a sermon?”

“Will I see the sunset tomorrow?  Will my buddies?  How many of us and who?  What does it feel like to die violently?  What happens to me if I’m wounded?  What does tomorrow hold for me?”

And how could one just hours from deadly conflict not reflect upon past mistakes and ruminate on future possibilities.  Regrets must be abundant; heartaches achingly painful; melancholy predominant; fear ever-present; prayers unceasing.

With the offensive beginning at o-dark-early, and the thoughts roiling, how does a soldier sleep at all?

But eventually the battle is joined, and warriors are thrust into the hell-on-earth that is warfare.  And just as they feared, many of them fall.

We can’t be grateful enough for their sacrifices … for leaving behind family and often country, for their hard training and dedication, for the sleepless nights before attacks are launched, and for dying so young so we can typically live to be so old.

Memorial Day encompasses so much more than an extra day off from work, sleeping in and sales at the stores, a baseball game, a barbecue on the deck or a camping trip.  It’s a day dedicated to men and women who literally gave it all so we could have it all.  We dare not forget them.

There was another warrior who didn’t sleep at all the night before battle.  There was no uncertainty for him; he knew that if he entered the conflict, he would suffer and die horribly.  He begged God the Father to find another solution, but there was no other solution.  So Jesus resolutely entered the fray.  And he did suffer horribly, and he did die.  But in giving his life he gave life to us.  By his sacrifice we are saved.  Through his death (and resurrection!), he brought us victory over Satan, sin, death and hell.  The war was won by our Warrior Savior!

The Apostle Paul writes about Jesus’ battle assignment in Romans: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. … God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”  (Romans 5:6, 8-9).

Or as Jesus himself said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).  This is certainly true of our Savior.  It’s also true of many a soldier.

As for us, we can’t be grateful enough.