A Real War

THE FIFTH CAVALRY Regiment was committed to battle early in the Korean War, even though it was understrength and ill-prepared to face the determined advance of the North Korean army. Overconfident in the beginning, the men had to taste the bitter pill of defeat, suffering heavy casualties and forced retreats. These depressing circumstances began to take their toll on morale as disillusionment with the war set in.

Nineteen-year-old Pvt. James Lutze was with Headquarters Company, Fifth Cavalry, and experienced these setbacks firsthand. He expressed his feelings in a letter home:

The question on the lips of the G.I. over here is, “What are we fighting for?”

This is no “police job” as Mr. Truman says, it is a real war, but not the kind most people at home can realize. We are fighting [against] men who can live for a week in the mountains with just a little bag of rice. Where we have to travel by road they travel over the mountains and beat us to where we are going.

About half the members of our battalion have been killed or wounded. Among the latter is our battalion commander and six other officers including my section leader.

Well, we withdrew again last night for about 10 miles and again the enemy knew we were moving, because they shelled the road. It’s an old saying here on the lines that if you kill one Korean, there are 10 more to take his place.

In closing, all I can say is this: give us reinforcements, or pull out what is left of us—which isn’t many.

In a confused and confusing world, those of us who follow Jesus Christ can also become discouraged by the apparent strength of our opposition. The forces of secularization seem to be advancing on all fronts. The advantage we have, however, is the certain knowledge of “what we are fighting for.” Each of us has a mission to fulfill in building up God’s kingdom. We also have the advantage of knowing that victory is certain and that his kingdom will prevail over every power in this world.