As we approach Memorial Day in the U.S. and remember all those who fought for our freedom, I recall an important lesson I learned when reading the book, “On Desperate Ground,” by Hampton Sides. It is a spellbinding account of one of the most harrowing clashes in the Korean War, the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, when Mao Tse-tung surrounded and tried to destroy the First Marine Division in the frozen mountains of North Korea. The book was a chilling reminder about the destructive force of pride.
My friend, even the most accomplished people can be dangerously blinded by pride and destroy the lives of others. To give context to this statement, I’d like to share some cliff notes from this book which is a spellbinding account of one of the most famous and tragic battles of the Korean War:
When the war in Korea began in 1950, General Douglas MacArthur had been ruling the Allied territory from Tokyo. MacArthur was riding a wave of popularity for his stunning and gutsy victories in World War II. His battlefield intuition and magnetic personality transformed him from a scrappy commander to a political figurehead. Unfortunately, by the time the Korean War began, he had become more focused on his image instead of waging war based upon sound military doctrine and dependable intelligence sources.
For example, intelligence reports throughout 1950 reported that there were a large number of Mao’s Army in Korea. It cautioned against spreading troops too thin in the harsh terrain of the mountainous North Korean countryside. But MacArthur bought into his own hype. He and General Almond ignored solid military intelligence and created a strategy that was a disaster.
Even by December of 1950, MacArthur was boldly assuring Washington that the troops would be shipping home for Christmas. However, the U.S. Marines had just fought one of the most difficult battles of its history around the Chosin Reservoir. The weather was brutally cold. The two-week long battle pitted 30,000 U.S., ROK and British troops against 120,000 Chinese forces. They were largely surrounded and cut off from vital supplies and reinforcements. With casualties mounting, there was only one way to avoid catastrophic defeat…break out to the sea…and fight their way back. It was a nightmare of unimaginable proportions and over 6,000 Americans lost their lives. Tragically, it could have been avoided.
This weekend, as we remember the six thousand lives lost—as well as many others—we remember the horror their loss brought to wives, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, grandparents and children. This historical narrative was a sobering lesson of the terrible cost of pride. Pride is a blinding and horrific force, and it often causes irreversible repercussions for ourselves and others. MacArthur was an extremely talented officer and had proven it over and over again in World War II. But—as is common with all of us when we experience success—his pride quickly became insatiable and brought great tragedy to thousands. MacArther had to live for the rest of his life with the knowledge that he was, in part, directly responsible for the loss of 6,000 American lives.
It scares me to the core to imagine the long-lasting tragic repercussions of my own pride.
This coming weekend, as we remember the service members who gave their lives for freedom, I am also reminded of an even far greater sacrifice made for every human on earth. Jesus Christ humbled Himself and gave His life to purchase our eternal freedom from death! His gift of salvation gives us the opportunity to live a life of humble sacrifice and be part of the freedom quest for others.
We, as Christians, are called to be leaders in the epic spiritual warfare against the ravages of sin! I don’t want anyone to die on my watch—do you? What a responsibility! We must be vigilant against our pride, lest it blind us and we be taken captive by it. The Prophet Jeremiah, inspired by God, wrote this of the great calamity of pride and a lesson to remember:
Hear and give ear: Do not be PROUD, For the Lord has spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before He causes darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death and makes it dense darkness.
But if you will not hear it, my soul will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive. Jeremiah 13:15-17
