June 6 will mark the...
Illustration
June 6 will mark the sixtieth anniversary of the D-Day invasion in Europe. One of the abiding images of that time is that of paratroopers from the three airborne divisions boarding their planes the evening of June 5 in preparation for their jumps. The HBO series, Band of Brothers, spent some time displaying how burdened these young troopers were by their equipment. That evening they boarded their flight only with the assistance of others. The necessities of dropping behind the invasion beaches as part of the plan demanded that they arrive as a self-sufficient force. This requirement presented itself in the soldiers having to carry so much equipment and ammunition that they weighed almost twice their own body weight when they jumped. The heavy weapons were disassembled and distributed among multiple jumpers. Everyone carried a few mortar shells. Thus boarding planes could be managed only with assistance and pre-jump routines only managed by acts of teamwork. Once on the ground all that was needed for their effective performance of their duties needed to be available until soldiers and additional supplies coming across the invasion beaches could relieve them.
The text centers on the all-sufficiency of Christ.
The text centers on the all-sufficiency of Christ.
