Rising nearly 1,500 feet above the jungles below, Hill 488 was just 25 miles west of
Chu Lai, Vietnam, and it was the perfect place for a Marine Corps recon team but for one minor factor…it was deep in enemy controlled territory, well maybe two, and surrounded by massive enemy buildups. Like David facing Goliath, the 16 Marines and 2 Navy Corpsmen were pitifully small in the face of overwhelming odds.
It was June 12, 1966 in the early days of the United States involvement in the Vietnam war and as the sun was falling behind the western horizon several helicopters moved to the top of Hill 488 to drop off Staff Sergeant Jimmie Howard and his 15 marines. Two Navy Corpsmen completed the small unit delegated the mission of watching for enemy troop movements in the valley below and calling in artillery and air strikes on them. For two days Howard and his men did their jobs well. The North Vietnamese control of the area was disrupted by the effectiveness of the American firepower. It
didn’t take long for the enemy to figure out that there had to be someone in the area watching them, directing the fire upon their every move. By the 3rd day Howard’s Battalion Commander A. J. Sullivan began to sense the danger the small recon patrol faced and offered to pull them out. S/Sgt Howard believed he could hold out one more day and requested permission to remain on the hill. By the time word reached
Chu Lai that a full
NAV battalion of 200-250 well trained soldiers were moving on Hill 488, it was too late to pull Howard and his men out. Somehow they would have to survive the night.
Everyone in the patrol knew it was coming. S/Sgt Howard placed his Marines in strategic positions around the summit of the almost barren hilltop, with orders to pull back into a tight perimeter the moment the enemy struck. That moment came at 10 o’clock at night, only 12 feet from one of the Marine defenders. As the enemy swarmed the hill amid gunfire, grenades, mortars and support from four .50 caliber machine guns, Howard’s men pulled back into a tight circle only 20 yards in diameter. Back-to-back they began to defend their small area, counting on each other to work as a team to do the impossible. S/Sgt Howard moved among his men, encouraging them, directing their fire, shoring up the weaknesses in the perimeter. For most his Marines it was their first major test of combat. Huddled in the darkness amid the crash of grenades and mortars, the sky filled with tracer rounds, and outnumbered more than 10 to 1; the leadership and inspiration of S/Sgt Howard was all that sustained the men.
Then quiet engulfed the hill as the enemy pulled back, their fanatical human wave assault initially repulsed. S/Sgt Howard looked around him. Every one of his young Marines and both Corpsmen had been wounded in the initial attack. Several were dead. Worse, he knew the enemy would return in force again at any moment. Grabbing the radio Howard told Colonel Sullivan back at
Chu Lai, “You have to get us out of here” But no rescue force could reach Howard’s men that night..the Marines would have to hold out until dawn.
Then, from down the hill the enemy began to taunt the few survivors on Hill 488 shouting into the darkness, “Marines, You die in an hour.”
One of Howard’s men asked, “Can we yell back at them?”
With nothing to lose Howard told his brave young men, Sure, yell anything you like.” They did, and soon their taunts back to the enemy were met with gunfire. The enemy was preparing to swarm the hill once again. The beleaguered Marines caught the enemy off guard as they joined voices in a “horse laugh”. The enemy suddenly stopped shooting and there was stoned silence. The enemy could not understand how a group of men terribly outnumbered could be laughing.
S/Sgt Howard knew the quiet would not last long. He surveyed what remained of his Marines and found that ammunition was running low. The grenades were gone, expended during the first wave of the assault. So he issued one of the most unusual combat orders in Marines history…
“Throw Rocks!!”
As incredible as the order sounded, it worked. When the enemy soldiers began to push their way through the sparse brush and knee high grass to probe the perimeter, Howard’s men threw rocks at them. Mistaking the rocks for grenades the enemy soldiers would move quickly out into the open, allowing the defenders clear shots that made every round of remaining ammunition count.
The Marines held the hill for another 5 hours and were finally rescued shortly after daybreak. After the 12 surviving men were safely back at
Chu Lai it was realized that among them they only had 8 rounds of ammunition remaining.
This story was found at
Home of Heroes http://www.homeofheroes.com/David vs Goliath 1 Samuel 17 Another story of facing overwhelming odds.
I believe the above
stories tells us three things:
1. We need to know our Enemy
2. We need to know our equipment and
3. We need to know who has our back covered.
Let’s look at this same concept using Ephesians 6.
We need to know our enemy.
Ephesians 6: 10-12
A Fight to the Finish
10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
In Job 1: 8 we see that Satan and his demons are very powerful but they can only do what God allows them to do. (James 4: 7 Resist and he will flee)
We need to know and use our equipment
Ephesians 6: 14-17
13-18 Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
Belt of Truth - The Roman soldier girded themselves with a belt, from which hung strips of leather to protect the lower body. Truth is crucial because dishonest Christians cannot hope to withstand the lies of Satan. The truth referred to here is integrity, a life of practical truthfulness and honesty.
In John 14: 6 Jesus declares, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” and it is this truth that holds all our Armor together.
Breastplate of Righteousness - The breastplate of Roman times went completely around the body, so that the back of a warrior was also protected. The breastplate was made of hard leather or metal.
The righteousness that the breastplate represents is not the righteousness of Christ, which all believers possess, but the practical, righteousness and deeds of the believer. This breastplate protects the Christian’s heart from wrong desires.
In proverbs 4: 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.
Let’s look at 2 Corinthians 6: 1-10 3 We put no obstruction in
anyone's way [we give no offense in anything], so that no fault may be found and [our] ministry blamed and discredited. 4 But we commend ourselves in every way as [true] servants of God: through great endurance, in tribulation and suffering, in hardships and privations, in sore straits and calamities, 5 In beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless watching, hunger; 6 By innocence and purity, knowledge and spiritual insight,
longsuffering and patience, kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned love; 7 By [speaking] the word of truth, in the power of God, with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand [to attack] and for the left hand [to defend]; 8 Amid honor and dishonor; in defaming and evil report and in praise and good report. [We are branded] as deceivers (impostors), and [yet vindicated as] truthful and honest. 9 [We are treated] as unknown and ignored [by the world], and [yet we are] well-known and recognized [by God and His people]; as dying, and yet here we are alive; as chastened by suffering and [yet] not killed; 10 As grieved and mourning, yet [we are] always rejoicing; as poor [ourselves, yet] bestowing riches on many; as having nothing, and [yet in reality] possessing all things.
The life we live either fortifies us against the attacks of Satan’s kingdom or makes it easier for him to defeat us.
Shoes of the Gospel - A Roman’s soldier’s feet were shod with hard, studded shoes. Paul used this image to represent the preparation of the gospel of peace. This may mean either that the gospel is the firm foundation on which Christians are to stand or that the Christian soldier should be ready to go out to defend and spread the gospel. Good footwear could mean the difference between winning and losing.
Shield of Faith - In some translations verse 16 reads Above all else take up the shield of faith…. This may mean that the shield is to be used against everything. It may also mean that the shield is to cover the whole armor. A Roman’s soldier’s shield typically measured 2 ½ to 4 feet. The Christian’s shield offers protection against all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Flaming arrows could not penetrate the fireproof shield of the ancient Roman soldier, nor can the assaults of Satan penetrate to the believer who places his or her faith in God.
Psalm 3: 3 But you are my shield, and you give me victory and great honor.
Helmet of Salvation - The intricately designed Roman helmet protected the soldier’s head and also made him look taller and more impressive. For Christian’s the helmet of salvation is to protect our minds from the things Satan will try to get us to think about that would not be pleasing to God.
Proverbs 23: 7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. As one who reckons, he says to you, eat and drink, yet his heart is not with you [but is grudging the cost].
Sword of the Spirit - The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, is the only offensive weapon in the believer’s armor. This weapon is not necessarily the Bible as a whole, but the specific word that needs to be spoken in a specific situation. To have the precise word ready, a person must know the Bible intimately. 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 (James 4: 7 Resist and he will flee)
Know who has your back.
Ephesians 6: 18 In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
Just like the marines under Sgt Howard’s command covered each other’s back you can have the assurance of knowing that through your continued prayers you will have God’s Holy Spirit covering your back. We all can benefit from having an accountability partner who not only holds us to a set of standards of our choosing but who has permission to speak into our life words of life. God has made us to be relational, with Him and with others.
Today some of you are facing giants or an enemy that appears to be larger than Goliath or maybe the giant is too small for the eye to see and it wants nothing more than to destroy you through discouragement. Some of you are faced with the giants of wrong thoughts, wrong desires of the heart, and some do not put on the shoes of sharing the gospel, others are fearful of relationships and sometimes you forget to put on the full armor available to you.
I encourage you to take the time to know who your enemy is, to know what your weapons are that you can use to defend yourself and to know who has your back.
