1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,440 Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located 2 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:16,680 in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship 3 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:21,920 Ministries with 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism, 4 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:27,300 discipleship and church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church 5 00:00:27,300 --> 00:00:31,880 and other sermons from throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bickford and I will be your 6 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:36,420 host for this podcast. I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages are a blessing 7 00:00:36,420 --> 00:00:42,400 to you and bring you closer to God. 8 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:54,120 Hello and welcome back to the podcast. Today I've put together a special message for Remembrance 9 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:59,360 Day or Veterans Day which was celebrated yesterday but it's something that's definitely important 10 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:04,600 to me and I wanted to do a special message. So again, my name is David Bickford. I'm the 11 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:10,440 pastor here at the Potter's House Salmon Arm and the title of today's message is Mighty 12 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:16,320 Men of Valor and we're going to be looking at Remembrance Day and Veterans Day throughout 13 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:23,060 this message. So if you're following along with me in the Word of God today, you can 14 00:01:23,060 --> 00:01:30,240 go ahead and turn to 1 Chronicles 12 verses 1 through 2 which will be kind of our launching 15 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:37,280 off point with this message today. As we dive in though, I want to again take a moment to 16 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:45,740 recognize that Remembrance Day, Veterans Day was yesterday and with that, it can be a very 17 00:01:45,740 --> 00:01:50,840 solemn holiday for a lot of people. Again, in the states where I'm from originally, it 18 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:58,400 is called Veterans Day now. I'll kind of explain the reasons why but it's more of a celebratory 19 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:03,880 event versus the more somber event here in Canada. But as we recognize Remembrance Day 20 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:09,160 in Canada and Veterans Day in the United States, we have to understand kind of the history 21 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:13,960 behind it. What are we doing this for? Why are we observing these holidays? Remembrance 22 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:19,260 Day was first observed in 1919 throughout the British Commonwealth and the United States. 23 00:02:19,260 --> 00:02:24,060 It was originally called Armistice Day to commemorate the Armistice Agreement that ended 24 00:02:24,060 --> 00:02:32,520 the First World War on Monday, November 11th, 1918 at 11 a.m. On the 11th hour of the 11th 25 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:38,880 day of the 11th month, that is the whole purpose behind the date on Veterans Day, Remembrance 26 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:44,120 Day and originally was called Armistice Day and in some places it's still called Armistice 27 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:50,960 Day. So like I mentioned, this is a very solemn holiday in Canada that recognizes the sacrifice 28 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:58,220 of young lives in war. And so it's primarily looking at those who we've lost during this 29 00:02:58,220 --> 00:03:04,660 time during any kind of war that has happened in Canadian or Commonwealth history. The American 30 00:03:04,660 --> 00:03:11,240 holiday was changed into Veterans Day on June 1st, 1954 to become a day to honor American 31 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:17,520 veterans of all wars. This change changed the tone of the holiday in the States to one 32 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:22,600 that's more of a celebration than of grief. So in the United States there's also another 33 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:27,740 holiday that's called Memorial Day that's in May and it's meant to honor those who gave 34 00:03:27,740 --> 00:03:32,320 their lives in war. And it's in a lot of ways more similar or in some ways it's more similar 35 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:39,080 to Remembrance Day than Veterans Day is today. But this provides us a picture of war that 36 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:45,040 is made up of both grief and celebration. We remember those who we've lost but we also 37 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:50,960 celebrate all who have served and the sacrifices made by all who are called, pulled, or pushed 38 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:57,800 into service. In the Word of God we see similar stories about service, sacrifice, grief, and 39 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:04,920 celebration as well as duty and honor. The dichotomy between these varying ideas is central 40 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:10,080 to the Gospel message. Christ had to go to the cross and die for our sins if we were 41 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:17,520 ever going to be reconciled to our God. Christ's rising allows us to therefore be redeemed 42 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:23,880 by grace and join in celebration and have direct relationship with our Lord. So as we 43 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:30,080 set time aside to remember those who have served, let us not forget the one who we are 44 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:37,040 called to serve and the sacrifice that he made for us on Calvary. In 1 Chronicles 12, 45 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:42,640 1 through 2 it says, this is about the mighty men of David. Now these are the men who came 46 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:48,000 to David at Ziglag while he could not move about freely because of Saul the son of Kish 47 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:52,800 and they were among the mighty men who helped him in war. They were bowmen who could shoot 48 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:59,240 arrows, sling stones with either the right hand or the left. So right away we get a picture 49 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:04,500 of amazing men who are willing to sacrifice for something that they believe to be greater 50 00:05:04,500 --> 00:05:11,440 than themselves. And I find it very interesting and I'm sure this is something that might 51 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:16,440 resonate with many people out there is that when you find someone who's righteous, when 52 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:24,920 you see someone who you can put your faith in, it's an attracting thing for people. These 53 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:31,360 mighty men saw King David before he was a king and something drew them to service for 54 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:39,880 him. As we dig into this idea of Remembrance Day or Veterans Day, it is good to keep in 55 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:47,240 the right reverence or keep in mind the reverence that King David had for his men. David's mighty 56 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:51,440 men were courageous and valiant warriors. These men were exemplary and it is one of 57 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:55,360 the most interesting pieces of scripture when you look at the numbers of amazing people 58 00:05:55,360 --> 00:06:00,680 that King David was able to attract to his service, many whom came to serve him before 59 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:05,720 he was even crowned king. We know that through the scripture he was anointed king by the 60 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:16,100 prophet Samuel, but this reality of his anointing drew people to him because he was a righteous 61 00:06:16,100 --> 00:06:22,840 man after God's own heart. As a Marine, I myself, I remember being drawn into service 62 00:06:22,840 --> 00:06:28,620 by stories of amazing and courageous men, men who bore the title of Marine, or bore 63 00:06:28,620 --> 00:06:33,560 the title of Marine. These stories of valiant men galvanized and encouraged me to strive 64 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:40,040 to be even just a little more like them. I won't bore you with many stories today, but 65 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:48,240 I do want to highlight one or two. Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph Daly, or also Dan Daly, 66 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:53,600 retired from the Marine Corps. Marine Sergeant with a nearly suicidal courage was awarded 67 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:59,400 two medals of honor and nominated for a third. Sergeant Major Dan Daly is the only enlisted 68 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:04,180 member of the Marine Corps to have earned the Medal of Honor twice. In fact, he is one 69 00:07:04,180 --> 00:07:09,480 of only two Marines to have earned that dual distinction at all. His never give up attitude 70 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:14,320 and fighting spirit carried him through several conflicts and are still worthy of the highest 71 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:21,000 praise today. So let's take a look a little bit at Dan Daly. Dan Daly was born November 72 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:27,120 11th, 1873 in Brooklyn, New York to parents John and Ellen Daly. He had a sister named 73 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:32,200 Mary and a brother named David, and the family eventually moved to Glen Cove on Long Island. 74 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:36,620 According to the Marine Corps University, Daly was a fighter from the early age, likely 75 00:07:36,620 --> 00:07:42,760 due to his small stature. He was only five feet, six inches tall and weighed about 132 76 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:50,760 pounds. So already we've set the stage. Here's a man of short stature, a man with a fighting 77 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:55,740 spirit though. So what's going to happen with this man? As a young man, Dan Daly spent his 78 00:07:55,740 --> 00:08:01,900 time working as a struggling newsboy in Manhattan before enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1899 79 00:08:01,900 --> 00:08:07,280 at the age of 26. Soon after he finished training, he was shipped off to China to serve in the 80 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:16,800 Peking during the Boxer Rebellion. By early August, 1900, Daly's unit was stationed along 81 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:21,800 the Tartar Wall, which was a defensive position south of the American diplomatic compound 82 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:26,880 toward the middle of the month, or middle of the month, intense enemy gunfire forced 83 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:32,940 them from their fortification. But then Private Daly and Captain Newt Hall managed to crawl 84 00:08:32,940 --> 00:08:39,460 back into the wall to mount a defense. On August 14th, Hall left to get reinforcements 85 00:08:39,460 --> 00:08:45,180 leaving Daly all by himself to hold the position. The young Marine single-handedly fended off 86 00:08:45,180 --> 00:08:52,340 repeated sniper attacks and about 400 soldiers who tried to storm the wall until backup arrived. 87 00:08:52,340 --> 00:08:57,020 His valor at action that day earned him his first Medal of Honor, which he received on 88 00:08:57,020 --> 00:09:02,180 December 1901. So let's highlight real quickly. What is the Medal of Honor? The Medal of Honor 89 00:09:02,180 --> 00:09:09,460 is the highest award that a United States service member can attain for actions in combat. 90 00:09:09,460 --> 00:09:19,340 It is the epitome of achievement, if you will, or recognition for courage and valor under 91 00:09:19,340 --> 00:09:27,780 fire. So it's an amazing thing for people to be awarded this even once. It's another 92 00:09:27,780 --> 00:09:33,380 amazing thing on top of that to be awarded it and to live to tell the tale. There are 93 00:09:33,380 --> 00:09:41,100 not many Medal of Honor recipients who actually live past the actions that they're awarded 94 00:09:41,100 --> 00:09:48,380 for their bravery. Most of them are awarded this medal posthumously or after their death. 95 00:09:48,380 --> 00:09:51,580 So this brings me to my first point, which is Remembrance Day, Veterans Day. What is 96 00:09:51,580 --> 00:09:56,920 the purpose of Remembrance Day? Is it meant to be a day that we all sit around and feel 97 00:09:56,920 --> 00:10:01,580 bad for the loss of life? Is it really meant to be such a somber event that it causes us 98 00:10:01,580 --> 00:10:08,580 to stay frozen by our loss? I don't think that this is the intended purpose of the holiday. 99 00:10:08,580 --> 00:10:15,680 I believe that the intent is to remind us to live our lives to the fullest, to sacrifice 100 00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:20,820 in our own ways in order to make the lives of those around us better. We look to the 101 00:10:20,820 --> 00:10:25,300 past to pay honor to those who go before us, but with the goal that we will pick up the 102 00:10:25,300 --> 00:10:30,040 mantle and move forward with life that we have been given because of the sacrifices 103 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:37,180 made. In John 14 26 it says, But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send 104 00:10:37,180 --> 00:10:42,980 in my name, he will teach you all things and bring you to remembrance all that I have said 105 00:10:42,980 --> 00:10:49,300 to you. When Jesus Christ died and rose again, this passage came to fruition on the day 106 00:10:49,300 --> 00:10:55,300 of Pentecost. Sometimes a sacrifice has to be made in order to make room for a bigger 107 00:10:55,300 --> 00:11:01,220 blessing. It is not always easy to see the blessing in the beginning, and it oftentimes 108 00:11:01,220 --> 00:11:06,580 does not make the loss any easier to manage in the moment. The reality still remains that 109 00:11:06,580 --> 00:11:12,740 God does have a plan, and as we look back at history, it is hard to discount the sacrifices 110 00:11:12,740 --> 00:11:18,580 made in World War I and World War II and not see the tremendous blessing that came about 111 00:11:18,580 --> 00:11:24,220 out of those horrible events. As we look to the world stage today, it's 112 00:11:24,220 --> 00:11:30,180 the world teetering again towards a large-scale conflict. It is even more important to remember 113 00:11:30,180 --> 00:11:36,080 that we are standing for, or what we are standing for and who we were standing for in this world. 114 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:40,660 As Christians, we are called to serve an even higher purpose. That is why we turn to the 115 00:11:40,660 --> 00:11:46,180 Word and to the example that we have in David and his mighty men, Joshua and his army, Jesus 116 00:11:46,180 --> 00:11:52,220 our Lord and his disciples. These are the people who we should give the most time and 117 00:11:52,220 --> 00:11:57,900 remembrance. Their sacrifices are why we are here today, able to have a direct relationship 118 00:11:57,900 --> 00:12:05,100 with our Father. I have to cling to this because I have lost friends in military service myself. 119 00:12:05,100 --> 00:12:10,620 I have to believe that God does work these things out for good. What I never want to 120 00:12:10,620 --> 00:12:17,620 do though is to forget those who I've lost, those who served and did not make it home. 121 00:12:17,620 --> 00:12:23,220 With that in mind, I want to read this to you. It is about a friend of mine that I served 122 00:12:23,220 --> 00:12:31,440 with in the Marine Corps. It's somebody that I knew quite well when I was deployed to Iraq. 123 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:39,380 His name was Sergeant Michael Teotau. The article is from a more local newspaper because 124 00:12:39,380 --> 00:12:47,580 he comes from a Filipino background. It reads, the Cordilleran warrior spirit and the Igorot 125 00:12:47,580 --> 00:12:53,180 bravery has been reflected when US Marine Sergeant Michael E. Teotau chose the challenging 126 00:12:53,180 --> 00:12:58,380 and most risky job in the world, becoming an explosive ordinance technician of the United 127 00:12:58,380 --> 00:13:03,420 States Marines. Sergeant Teotau served with the 7th Engineer Support Battalion 1st Marine 128 00:13:03,420 --> 00:13:09,580 Logistics Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Base at Camp Pendleton in 2007. Teotau 129 00:13:09,580 --> 00:13:13,960 lost his life while trying to defuse a bomb he was working on in the Anbar province in 130 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:18,700 Baghdad, Iraq. According to his mom, Michael was able to clear several bombs until there 131 00:13:18,700 --> 00:13:23,540 was only one left that got him. The US military told the family that Michael was defusing 132 00:13:23,540 --> 00:13:28,360 bombs to clear the way for a military convoy when he died. Without Michael, the lives of 133 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:33,080 more officers in that convoy would have been endangered. A friend of Michael, Sergeant 134 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:37,040 Pierce said that he remembered him for his competence while disarming as many as a dozen 135 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:43,460 bombs a day in the middle of an intense firefight. One thing about Mike, he always knew what 136 00:13:43,460 --> 00:13:48,140 was going on, Sergeant Pierce said. If someone asked him what kind of bomb was that, he'd 137 00:13:48,140 --> 00:13:54,060 say it has such and such parameters, you don't want to touch it. Felix Teotau, his uncle, 138 00:13:54,060 --> 00:13:58,260 remembered him as a straightforward guy who since childhood has aspired to become a military 139 00:13:58,260 --> 00:14:03,420 officer. From the time he was a child, he wanted to join the military. He was telling 140 00:14:03,420 --> 00:14:08,100 me before he left that if he came back from Iraq, he was going to help us fix the house 141 00:14:08,100 --> 00:14:14,060 and then go to college, his uncle said. Sergeant Michael Teotau has received numerous accommodations, 142 00:14:14,060 --> 00:14:17,980 including an air medal, presidential unit accommodation, and a Marine Corps good conduct 143 00:14:17,980 --> 00:14:25,720 medal. So when I served with Teotau, we used to call him the Filipino warrior. I was deployed 144 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:34,540 to Iraq in 2003. We were with the HMH 462 or the screw crew, which is a CH 53 helicopter 145 00:14:34,540 --> 00:14:40,780 unit and he was a crew chief at the time. I was a plane captain. I'd said stopped flying, 146 00:14:40,780 --> 00:14:46,580 but I would, we would work together quite often being in the same part of the unit, 147 00:14:46,580 --> 00:14:52,660 the same shop. We used to sit around looking at like gun magazines and thinking, you know, 148 00:14:52,660 --> 00:14:57,020 little paper magazines for you. Those kids, they don't remember that stuff. Thinking about 149 00:14:57,020 --> 00:15:01,300 things that we wanted to do in the Marine Corps. We discussed going EOD. I remember 150 00:15:01,300 --> 00:15:06,900 having conversations with him and I sometimes even feel guilty about having almost like 151 00:15:06,900 --> 00:15:13,380 talked him into being coming at EOD or an explosive ordinance disposal technician. I 152 00:15:13,380 --> 00:15:17,840 even remember being jealous when I learned that he actually did get to cross deck or 153 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:24,540 change jobs from being a crew chief to being an EOD tech. He was a little bit ahead of 154 00:15:24,540 --> 00:15:29,580 me about six months to a year ahead of me from our, our, our entry times into the Marine 155 00:15:29,580 --> 00:15:33,860 Corps. So he crossed decked and he went and did it. And by the time the choice came to 156 00:15:33,860 --> 00:15:38,220 me, whether or not I was going to do that, I, I went a different route. I ended up getting, 157 00:15:38,220 --> 00:15:42,540 you know, married, thank God. And, and I was already saved at that point. So God had a 158 00:15:42,540 --> 00:15:47,020 different plan for my life. The Lord took me in that different direction, but I'll always 159 00:15:47,020 --> 00:15:55,020 remember, you know, my time serving with Teotau, the Filipino warrior. It impacted me a lot. 160 00:15:55,020 --> 00:16:00,820 I even still have the clippings from, from when I, uh, from the Marine Corps times when 161 00:16:00,820 --> 00:16:05,880 his obituaries picture was in there as one of the lost during the, during the early parts 162 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:13,200 of the Iraq war. I have to believe that his impact as you read this article has gone way 163 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:20,180 beyond his death. His sacrifice has gone on to impact so many people. There's, there's 164 00:16:20,180 --> 00:16:24,480 different things I've read in putting this sermon together that just remind me that even 165 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:30,180 though someone has passed, that doesn't mean that their contribution has gone away. And 166 00:16:30,180 --> 00:16:34,420 that is what, you know, remembered state really is about. It's about living our lives to the 167 00:16:34,420 --> 00:16:40,300 fullest because of people like Sergeant Teotau who put their life on the line and he put 168 00:16:40,300 --> 00:16:46,400 his life on the line and in first in serving in the military and then in becoming a crew 169 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:52,120 chief, like, you know, I was a crew chief and it's a very dangerous job in and of itself. 170 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:58,180 But then he went even further to find a more dangerous job as being an explosive ordinance 171 00:16:58,180 --> 00:17:04,300 disposal technician. This life of service is an example. And that is what we should 172 00:17:04,300 --> 00:17:07,700 be remember is his life of service, which brings me my second point, which is David's 173 00:17:07,700 --> 00:17:12,660 mighty men of valor. And we'll look at our text or look at the text of Sam, second Samuel 174 00:17:12,660 --> 00:17:17,980 23, eight through 12. David's mighty men. These are the names of the mighty men who 175 00:17:17,980 --> 00:17:26,700 David had. Jehoshua, Bass, she Beth, a Tacca might. He was chief of the three. He wielded 176 00:17:26,700 --> 00:17:33,340 a spear against 800 whom he killed at one time. And next to him among the three mighty 177 00:17:33,340 --> 00:17:40,180 men were Eliza son of Dodo, son of Ahoy, Ahoy I. He was with David when they defied the 178 00:17:40,180 --> 00:17:45,100 Philistines who were gathered there for battle and the men of Israel with and the men of 179 00:17:45,100 --> 00:17:49,900 Israel withdrew. He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary and his 180 00:17:49,900 --> 00:17:54,620 hand clung to the sword. And the Lord brought about a great victory that day. And the men 181 00:17:54,620 --> 00:18:01,620 returned after him only to strip the slain. And next to him was Shema, the son of Aghi, 182 00:18:01,620 --> 00:18:06,500 the Herite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi where there was a plot of ground full 183 00:18:06,500 --> 00:18:11,020 of lentils and the men fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in midst of the plot 184 00:18:11,020 --> 00:18:15,220 and defended it and struck down the Philistines. The Lord worked a great victory. 185 00:18:15,220 --> 00:18:21,580 When we look at the word of God, we often see that when righteous men are lifted up, 186 00:18:21,580 --> 00:18:25,140 they tend to attract others with the same spirit. Some call it charisma, but in the 187 00:18:25,140 --> 00:18:29,660 case of David, it was his relationship with God that supernaturally attracted the best 188 00:18:29,660 --> 00:18:35,500 of the best to serve with him. These first three of David's mighty men were the inner 189 00:18:35,500 --> 00:18:43,500 circle. They weren't the whole lot. They were the inner circle. And we see these three again 190 00:18:43,500 --> 00:18:49,340 in 2 Samuel 23, 13 through 17. It says, In the three of the thirty chiefs, men went down 191 00:18:49,340 --> 00:18:55,420 and came about a harvest time to David at the cave of Adulam when a band of Philistines 192 00:18:55,420 --> 00:18:59,900 was encamped in the valley of Repham. David was then in the stronghold in the garrison 193 00:18:59,900 --> 00:19:04,980 of the Philistines, was then at Bethlehem. And David said longly, Oh, that someone would 194 00:19:04,980 --> 00:19:11,540 give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is in the gate, that is by the gate. 195 00:19:11,540 --> 00:19:15,460 Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out 196 00:19:15,460 --> 00:19:20,320 of the well of Bethlehem. And that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David. 197 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:25,540 But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the Lord and said, Far be it for me, 198 00:19:25,540 --> 00:19:30,940 O Lord, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of men who went to risk their lives? 199 00:19:30,940 --> 00:19:39,180 Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did. These men do this 200 00:19:39,180 --> 00:19:46,660 amazing, tremendous thing. And David recognizes what they have done. And he says, I cannot 201 00:19:46,660 --> 00:19:53,300 partake in this water that came from such high sacrifice. David's humility gave him 202 00:19:53,300 --> 00:19:57,500 the right perspective when viewing the actions of his men. Bravery and courage of this nature 203 00:19:57,500 --> 00:20:02,300 should not be overlooked or held as something common. It is worthy to be held in reverence 204 00:20:02,300 --> 00:20:07,220 and to give thanks to God for the actions of such men. So as we look again, let's take 205 00:20:07,220 --> 00:20:12,900 a turn back to the story of Sergeant Major Dan Daly, because we're only halfway through 206 00:20:12,900 --> 00:20:18,180 the story for him. He's only gotten his one Medal of Honor at this point. In the summer 207 00:20:18,180 --> 00:20:22,420 of 1915, a revolt in the Republic of Haiti had begun to jeopardize American lives and 208 00:20:22,420 --> 00:20:29,620 property. So Marine Expeditionary Forces were sent in to preserve order and begin a bush 209 00:20:29,620 --> 00:20:34,940 warfare as Marine historians called it. Daly was serving with the 15th Company Mounted 210 00:20:34,940 --> 00:20:39,220 Second Marine Regiment, and they were ordered to carry out extensive patrols into the country's 211 00:20:39,220 --> 00:20:45,300 interior to seek out revolutionary fighters known as the Cacao Bandits. At one point, 212 00:20:45,300 --> 00:20:49,780 several of Daly's comrades had been taken prisoner. He tunneled under the walls of the 213 00:20:49,780 --> 00:20:54,220 prison where they were being held, killed the guards and set his men free. However, 214 00:20:54,220 --> 00:20:58,980 what earned him a second Medal of Honor happened in October during reconnaissance mission from 215 00:20:58,980 --> 00:21:06,220 Fort Liberté. On October 24th, 1915, then Gunnery Sergeant Daly and his detachment were 216 00:21:06,220 --> 00:21:13,420 crossing the river after dark and deep ravine not far from Fort Dipety when they were suddenly 217 00:21:13,420 --> 00:21:18,940 fired upon from three sides by 400 Cacao Bandits who had been hiding in the bushes about 100 218 00:21:18,940 --> 00:21:24,140 yards from the enemy held fort. The surprise Marines were treated to the higher ground 219 00:21:24,140 --> 00:21:28,900 and found a good position that they maintained throughout the night despite being constantly 220 00:21:28,900 --> 00:21:33,900 fired upon. At daybreak, Daly and two other Marines, then First Lieutenant Edward Osterman 221 00:21:33,900 --> 00:21:38,460 and then Captain William P. Upshur led three squads forward in different directions to 222 00:21:38,460 --> 00:21:44,020 surprise and scatter the Cacows. Their efforts worked and there was an instrumental in capturing 223 00:21:44,020 --> 00:21:50,100 Fort Dipety. Daly, Osterman and Upshur all earned the Medal of Honor for their actions 224 00:21:50,100 --> 00:21:57,740 that day. The amazing story of Sergeant Major Daly is not even near over yet. It's an amazing 225 00:21:57,740 --> 00:22:02,500 story of heroism and gallantry. Even better stories are the stories of our savior and our 226 00:22:02,500 --> 00:22:10,780 apostles. But it's a powerful thing to read about what these men can do. But this brings 227 00:22:10,780 --> 00:22:17,540 me to my last point which is Christ our King, the ultimate sacrifice and his defeat over 228 00:22:17,540 --> 00:22:24,140 sin and death. In John 16, 5-11 it says, But now I'm going to him who sent me. None of 229 00:22:24,140 --> 00:22:30,300 you asks me, Where are you going? But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has 230 00:22:30,300 --> 00:22:36,100 filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I 231 00:22:36,100 --> 00:22:40,780 go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will 232 00:22:40,780 --> 00:22:46,180 send him to you, and when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness 233 00:22:46,180 --> 00:22:51,160 and judgment. Concerning sin because they do not believe in me, concerning righteousness 234 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:55,820 because I go to the Father and you will see me no longer, concerning judgment because 235 00:22:55,820 --> 00:23:00,260 the ruler of this world is judged. The Gospel of the New Testament starts a different 236 00:23:00,260 --> 00:23:06,580 epoch for us as Christians and believers. It is the knowledge that even though we experience 237 00:23:06,580 --> 00:23:17,340 loss we are not left alone. Even as the enemy wages war against us, we stand against sin 238 00:23:17,340 --> 00:23:21,900 and the knowledge that the battle is already won. We already know the battle has been won 239 00:23:21,900 --> 00:23:29,620 for by Jesus Christ. John 16, 20, Truly, truly I say to you, you will weep and lament, but 240 00:23:29,620 --> 00:23:35,820 the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. 241 00:23:35,820 --> 00:23:43,980 Very similar to the idea of Remembrance Day, that we weep and we lament, but we also know 242 00:23:43,980 --> 00:23:50,780 that our sorrow will turn into joy. The sacrifices from past generations, the sacrifices of my 243 00:23:50,780 --> 00:23:59,220 generation and today's conflicts, it will be a very, very hard time of sorrow. It has 244 00:23:59,220 --> 00:24:05,020 been a time of sorrow, but it will be something that can be turned into joy. 245 00:24:05,020 --> 00:24:10,180 So in closing, let's finish off the story of Sergeant Major Dan Daley. As his valor 246 00:24:10,180 --> 00:24:14,900 continues, Daley remained in the military throughout World War I, serving in the American 247 00:24:14,900 --> 00:24:21,220 Expeditionary Forces in France from November 17th to the late April 1919. He is injured 248 00:24:21,220 --> 00:24:26,660 twice while fighting in several major campaigns, including the bloody battle of Belleau Wood 249 00:24:26,660 --> 00:24:34,300 in June 1918. During that fight, he put out a fire at an ammo dump that could have caused 250 00:24:34,300 --> 00:24:38,660 disastrous explosion. Then a few days later, he attacked and captured the enemy machine 251 00:24:38,660 --> 00:24:44,700 gun and placement all by himself before rescuing several wounded comrades while under fire. 252 00:24:44,700 --> 00:24:51,180 At Belleau Wood, when his Marines were outnumbered, outgunned, pinned down, the then first sergeant 253 00:24:51,180 --> 00:24:57,060 famously ordered the attack and leapt forward shouting a battle cry to his beleaguered men 254 00:24:57,060 --> 00:25:02,980 where he says something a little untoward. He says, come on you SOBs, do you want to 255 00:25:02,980 --> 00:25:08,340 live forever? It's a pretty famous saying and it's pretty 256 00:25:08,340 --> 00:25:13,420 coarse, but here he is. He's in battle. Daley's tenacity helped lead the Marines to clear 257 00:25:13,420 --> 00:25:19,060 the woods and win the battle for the Allied forces. His actions earned him an Army Distinguished 258 00:25:19,060 --> 00:25:24,020 Service Cross and the Navy Cross. From the French government, he also received the Medal 259 00:25:24,020 --> 00:25:32,660 Militaire and the Croix de Guerre with a Palm and French Victory Medal with four clasps. 260 00:25:32,660 --> 00:25:38,100 The biggest distinction of Dan Daley was that he was humble till the end. Daley was offered 261 00:25:38,100 --> 00:25:42,660 a commission many times to become an officer throughout his 30-year career, but he always 262 00:25:42,660 --> 00:25:47,460 turned it down on the grounds that he would rather be an outstanding sergeant than just 263 00:25:47,460 --> 00:25:55,980 another officer. Daley was also known to have talked about the exploits of others who fought 264 00:25:55,980 --> 00:26:00,140 bravely, but when it came to talking about himself, he was always tight-lipped. Marine 265 00:26:00,140 --> 00:26:06,340 Q University biography of Daley said that while he was a natural for publicity, he disdained 266 00:26:06,340 --> 00:26:10,580 it and disliked all the fuss made over him. Daley continued to be known as one of the 267 00:26:10,580 --> 00:26:16,500 most decorated men to serve as a Marine, nicknamed Devil Dog by many of his compatriots. He was 268 00:26:16,500 --> 00:26:21,820 described by the famed counterpart Major General Smedley Butler, the only other Marine Corps 269 00:26:21,820 --> 00:26:26,820 double Medal of Honor recipient as the fightingest man ever to serve in the United States Marine 270 00:26:26,820 --> 00:26:35,100 Corps. That term Devil Dog that was used as a nickname for Dan Daley became a name 271 00:26:35,100 --> 00:26:40,020 that all Marines to this day are known by because of that Battle of Belleau Wood. The 272 00:26:40,020 --> 00:26:45,740 actual term used by the Germans was Teffelhunden. When they were talking about the Marines during 273 00:26:45,740 --> 00:26:53,540 this battle, they said that these Marines are like dogs from hell. Their veracity, their 274 00:26:53,540 --> 00:27:00,420 fighting spirit, and to this day that's something that Marines always look back to. 275 00:27:00,420 --> 00:27:05,940 So we all have heroes, heroes in our life, heroes we know and heroes that we don't know. 276 00:27:05,940 --> 00:27:11,420 We also have heroes in the faith, those who went before us and made righteous stands so 277 00:27:11,420 --> 00:27:15,860 that we could be counted as sons and daughters of the living God. So on this Remembrance 278 00:27:15,860 --> 00:27:20,380 Day Veterans Day weekend, let's remember the sacrifice made, but let's also remember why 279 00:27:20,380 --> 00:27:25,860 sacrifices are made. They are made so that we can live and we shall live because of those 280 00:27:25,860 --> 00:27:32,980 sacrifices and rejoice. So I just want to end by reading in Flanders Field. This is 281 00:27:32,980 --> 00:27:40,940 the poem that was written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae that really sums up the Canadian 282 00:27:40,940 --> 00:27:43,380 into the Commonwealth Remembrance Day. 283 00:27:43,380 --> 00:27:49,140 In Flanders field the poppies blow, between the crosses, crosses row on row, that mark 284 00:27:49,140 --> 00:27:53,880 our place and in the sky, the larks still bravely singing fly. 285 00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:58,280 Scarce heard amid the guns below, we are the dead short days ago. 286 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:04,700 We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and were loved and now we lie in Flanders 287 00:28:04,700 --> 00:28:10,820 field. Take up your quarrel with the foe, to you from failing hands we throw, the torch 288 00:28:10,820 --> 00:28:16,740 be yours to hold head high, if you break faith with us who die. We shall not sleep though 289 00:28:16,740 --> 00:28:21,060 poppies grow in Flanders fields. 290 00:28:21,060 --> 00:28:26,860 This was published in Punch Magazine December 8th, 1915 and it's the reason why the red 291 00:28:26,860 --> 00:28:31,460 poppy is worn in most of the Commonwealth countries to celebrate Armistice Day and Remembrance 292 00:28:31,460 --> 00:28:33,620 Day. 293 00:28:33,620 --> 00:28:42,540 But remember that our Savior who went to the grave for us, he sacrificed himself for us 294 00:28:42,540 --> 00:28:47,700 so that we could come back in to right relationship with God and he is the greatest of things 295 00:28:47,700 --> 00:28:48,700 for us to remember. 296 00:28:48,700 --> 00:28:52,340 If I could have every head bowed, every eye closed, obviously for driving, keep your hands 297 00:28:52,340 --> 00:29:03,780 attendant to, but if you're not, I want you to bow your head and remember that the purpose 298 00:29:03,780 --> 00:29:07,460 for Remembrance Day is obviously to look at the sacrifice of those who have served in 299 00:29:07,460 --> 00:29:14,780 wars and passed away and the idea of Veterans Day is to give honor to the sacrifice of both 300 00:29:14,780 --> 00:29:20,860 those that have passed and both that are living today that have served in our militaries, 301 00:29:20,860 --> 00:29:30,500 who have served honorably protecting Western civilization, which is anchored in the Christian 302 00:29:30,500 --> 00:29:35,300 morality, which is anchored by the Bible. 303 00:29:35,300 --> 00:29:39,660 What we have today is because of what others have sacrificed before us, but no greater 304 00:29:39,660 --> 00:29:43,500 sacrifice is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 305 00:29:43,500 --> 00:29:50,380 The sacrifice he made on the Calvary for us is what we should most remember and it's what 306 00:29:50,380 --> 00:29:58,220 many of these service members who have passed laid their lives down for us, is for our ability 307 00:29:58,220 --> 00:30:01,180 to come to Christ in repentance. 308 00:30:01,180 --> 00:30:06,060 So if you're not saved this morning, if this message has impacted you in some way and you 309 00:30:06,060 --> 00:30:10,300 know that you're not right with God, I want you to signify that with an uplifted hand. 310 00:30:10,300 --> 00:30:15,560 Wherever you are, I can't see it, but obviously God can see everything and he can see your 311 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:18,080 heart right now. 312 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:23,700 So with that, if you did raise your hand, I want you to repeat this simple prayer after 313 00:30:23,700 --> 00:30:24,700 me. 314 00:30:24,700 --> 00:30:28,900 Dear Lord God, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you sent your son Jesus Christ 315 00:30:28,900 --> 00:30:33,160 who died on the cross for my sin. 316 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:40,360 I accept Jesus into my heart as my Lord and Savior as I repent from my sins and I thank 317 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:44,620 you for your grace washing me clean by the blood of the Lamb. 318 00:30:44,620 --> 00:30:47,360 In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 319 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:51,940 It's a very simple prayer, but if you said that and you meant that, I feel the Holy Spirit 320 00:30:51,940 --> 00:30:56,520 will work upon you even in this moment, but that means you have passed from death into 321 00:30:56,520 --> 00:31:01,620 life as a new creation in Jesus Christ. 322 00:31:01,620 --> 00:31:09,060 And now is the time to put that memory of what Christ done for us, who's done for all 323 00:31:09,060 --> 00:31:13,740 of us, because our God is a living God, Jesus is alive. 324 00:31:13,740 --> 00:31:18,400 So he sacrificed in death, but he rose from the grave to bring us that right relationship 325 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:19,400 with God. 326 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:23,200 So take that and remember that. 327 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:27,840 So make Remembrance Day, make Veterans Day, make every holiday about the one who gave 328 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:33,280 the ultimate sacrifice so that we could be washed clean of our sins. 329 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:37,840 I thank you for joining me for this special message. 330 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:47,320 As a Marine myself, these military holidays have a special impact for me and I just felt 331 00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:54,440 it right to make sure that we express both honor for those who have sacrificed here on 332 00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:59,440 earth, service members from the Canadian military, the American military, the British military, 333 00:31:59,440 --> 00:32:06,880 all the militaries from the Western world, but also to highlight the truth that the one 334 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:13,440 who we should really remember is Jesus Christ who died on Calvary for us and rose from the 335 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:16,000 grave that we might be saved. 336 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,720 Thank you again and I can't wait for you to come back next time. 337 00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:24,760 Thank you for listening to the P.H.S.A. Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. 338 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:29,480 Be sure to follow us on Instagram at pottershouse underscore salmon arm to keep up to date on 339 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:30,480 what we're doing. 340 00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:37,480 Join the conversation and discover how Jesus Christ can revolutionize your life.