Semper Fidelis: Brothers in Arms

by Hernando Quandt

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.” This is a famous line from Shakespeare’s Henry V that has been frequently attributed to the military, including the Marines. We’ve heard it in movies and books, but what does it mean to be a band of brothers? To most of us it is an aphorism about camaraderie, but this is only scratching the surface of what it means to be a Marine. It is a bond forged through mutual suffering, a common cause, and a proud history. Marines have a saying, “once a Marine, always a Marine.” It shows that once inducted onto this elite brotherhood, you will always remain a brother. As Christians we too have a bond that was forged in mutual suffering, the suffering of Christ. He is our drill instructor, forging us to be more like him, to love God and our neighbors. It is important that we remember the price that was paid for us, and remain faithful to each other while we wait for Christ to return.

Teamwork is a cornerstone of the Marines. Marines are trained from the first days of boot camp that we are no longer individuals, but members of one cohesive unit whether a part of a fire-team, a squad, a platoon, a unit, or the Marine Corps as a whole. In boot camp the use of the word “I” is punished with IT an affectionate abbreviation for what the drill instructors called “incentive training.” As I quickly learned, the use of “I” is quickly followed by IT. As much as I hated IT, the shared experience of doing push-ups over a pool of your own sweat with other recruits bonded me to the others sharing my fate. It is said that a common enemy unites. Well, let’s just say that the drill instructors were great at uniting us. Once we were finished with boot camp the recruits of Charlie Company Platoon 1119 marched as a single unit. Even though there were about fifty of us marching, when we paraded by it sounded like one single pair of boots. We executed our movements with pride and force. Romans 12:5 reads, “So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Like Marines that have graduated boot camp we, as Christians are united. We should strive to work cooperatively towards our mutual goals. We must always support and encourage each other.

The Israelites endured their own “IT” as they wandered in the desert. God had delivered them from Egypt but they were not content. Numbers 14:2-4 details how the Israelites grumbled to Moses and Aaron. I was tempted to copy the text as part of this article, but in the spirit of last week’s article I would like you to take up your sword (the Bible) and look up the previous verse and also God’s response to their complaints, found in Numbers 14:26-35. In these verses we see a dynamic similar to that in boot camp. On one side we have an entire nation of ungrateful malcontents (whiny recruits) and a response from a powerful and angry God (the drill instructors). God rightfully responds with harsh and angry words. These people were not ready, they had to be tempered and in some cases eliminated so that Israel would be ready to take the land that God had promised them. The Israelites that we see in the Book of Joshua are not the same Israelites we saw in previous books of the bible. They were still sinful and in need of God, but they had been tempered, hardened, and prepared for conquering the Promised Land.

Brotherhood and teamwork definitely mean that as Christians we suffer together, we support one another, and we fight for a common cause, but it also means that we feel the loss of a brother collectively, as Marines do. Marine lore is full of larger than life characters like John Basilone. He fell during the battle for Iwo Jima in WWII, and to this day remains the only Marine Medal of Honor recipient to return to combat and be killed-in-action. He led his Marines through insurmountable odds, and although he perished in battle, he still achieved victory. As Americans we live our faith without fear of prosecution or retribution, but this is not the case in the rest of world. Those Christians that are being persecuted throughout the world are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Although they die at the hands of their oppressors, they too will have eternal victory.

I would like to leave you with a story that I read as a young man. It is from a book titled Voice of the Martyrs. It takes place in 320 A.D. in what is modern-day Turkey. Forty Roman soldiers refused to pay tribute to the Roman gods and had been given an ultimatum by the Roman governor: pay tribute or die. The governor tried several tactics to intimidate the Roman soldiers. In the end they stood together and resisted. As a final threat, the Roman soldiers were stripped naked and forced to march to the middle of a frozen lake. They were to remain in the middle of the lake until they capitulated. The forty soldiers huddled together to keep warm and encouraged each other, “How many of our companions in arms fell on the battle front, showing themselves loyal to an earthly king? Let us not turn aside, o warriors, let us not turn our backs in flight from the devil,” said one of the soldiers. To heighten the torment of the cold lake, the governor set up hot baths near the lake and offered to let them come ashore and warm themselves in the baths if they paid tribute. Frantically one of the forty soldiers ran from the middle of the lake and got into the hot baths. One of the “loyal” Roman soldiers that was on the shore was inspired by the fortitude of the remaining thirty-nine soldiers. He ran towards the center of the lake and shed his armor as he ran to join the condemned soldiers. All forty who remained on the lake died in faith. This story inspired me. The selfless actions of these men epitomize what it means to be a band of brothers.