Helping Others

The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2:4, “ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” The last blog talked about how two are stronger than one. But to get two people, one person must put the interest of someone else above their own. The military has many examples of people who have put the needs of others before their own and in some cases, they have paid the ultimate sacrifice to save their comrades.

Medal of Honor Recipient CH(CPT) EmilJ. Kapaun illustrates looking out for the interest of others. CH Kapaun was captured on 2 November 1950 for the second time as he volunteered to stay behind to care for the wounded. CH Kapaun even during captivate continued to care for the sick, obtained food for others, and continued to put the needs of others before his own needs. His fellow prisoners credited CH Kapaun’s actions for saving many lives. CH Kapaun did not survive his time as a Korean Prisoner of War (POW) camp and succumbed to his own wounds and prison maltreatment on 23 May 1951. This ultimate sacrifice for the needs of others while a POW would result in CH(CPT) Kapaun being awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously.

The military has always taught its members to work together to accomplish the mission. We have learned to look out for our fellow servicemembers as they are an important part of the team. The lesson was that there is strength in numbers and when we band together we can accomplish more, and sometimes that requires us to put our agenda aside to help others.

In Luke Chapter 10, verses 25-37 we can read the story of the Good Samaritan. In the parable told by Jesus, he tells us that a man was heading to Jerusalem when he was robbed and left for dead on the road. Two people walked by him, and these two people should have stopped and helped but instead moved to the other side of the street and continued their journey. A Samaritan stopped and helped him. The interesting part of the story is that the Jewish people looked down on the people of Samaria and went out of their way so they would not interact with them. The Samaritan saw someone that was in trouble and needed help. He cleaned and dressed his wounds then took him to the local inn and paid for his stay until he was well enough to travel.

How many times have we moved to the other side of the street and walked by a fellow veteran who was struggling? How many times have we told ourselves that we will have more time tomorrow to help? How long does it take to stop and show some compassion to someone who is struggling? We can take a moment and help but we have to stop and be willing to help.

One way one can help is by simply lending an ear and allowing someone to express their feelings. We can stop for a moment during our busy days to help someone get a box off the bottom self because they cannot reach it easily. We can take a moment to check in on a fellow veteran that we know is struggling with past experiences and just let them know they are not alone in this battle.