Eighteen Wheel Philosophy

God and Heroes

By Mel Hansen, The Eighteen Wheeler Philosopher

This picture of the soldier has what they call the 50 yard stare. I remember looking at a picture of a World War II Vet in what I think was a Time Life Book. It made an impression on me because of the look on the GI’s face. As I was looking at it at the kitchen table, my dad walked by, glanced at the picture...read aloud to himself..."50 yard stare"…and continued on to the sink to get a cold cup of water. As he walked back by he put his hand on my shoulder and said... “They’ve titled that wrong!...that’s not the 50 yard stare, that there my boy is the...I’ve lost my soul!...stare. I’ve seen that look on numerous soldiers and when you see it, you want to get them help ASAP because they can become as dangerous as the enemy you are fighting!” And he continued out the kitchen door to go start doing the evening chores.

A few years later after I graduated high school and was about to leave on my church mission to

Adelaide, Australia, Dad and I were mending fences over on the east side of the lake and broke for lunch. While we were eating I asked dad if he remembered the event above because I had been thinking about it while we were fencing that morning, especially him saying it was the “I’ve lost my soul stare”. He said he did and I asked him to explain why he called it that. He was silent for quite a while...he never answered all the questions I asked him about the war. I was beginning to think he wasn’t going to answer but after a final tug to drain all of the Coke from the can and tossing it out the window into the back of the truck, which was usually a sign that lunch is over and time to get back to work, he looked at me and then said, “there is such a thing as a 50 yard stare, caused by constant shelling, machine gun fire, stress etc. most only had it for a while and then snapped out of it and was able to return to normal duty, those who didn’t got help as soon as possible. But those who got that, "I’ve lost my soul" look were just plain and simple, right damn scary and dangerous! They no longer have a belief in God, humanity or themselves! They no longer possess any feelings at all! Because of the things they’ve seen humans do to each other they lose all color in their eyes and have no facial expressions.  Killing and death has consumed them. You might as well be dead because that’s all you feel inside!”

He went on to say, “Son, a man has to believe in something bigger and stronger than himself. He has to believe in God to get through the horrors of war, otherwise he will not!” I asked my dad if he ever became that way?  He sat for about 15 seconds or more without saying anything, and I didn’t press the point.

But he told me about the two golden books that the Garden City Ward gave to him right before he left for the war, one is The Book of Mormon, the other is Gospel Principles. I now have these books that he carried with him throughout the war. He told me he would pull them out occasionally and read a few passages when he felt that he might be slipping. He said, ”my mother believed them, so I decided to have faith in her faith. By the end of the war I had come to know that there truly is a God, for only God could have brought me home.”

So today is Veterans Day. Happy Veterans Day to we, who benefit from those who have died...sacrificed through service for what we enjoy today... and dare I say...protest against!

As for me I will proudly, stand, in support, honor and reverence for those who have/are serving in our military. Especially for those veterans who have first-hand experienced the sights, sounds, smells, loss of comrades in combat. I support and honor the families who have lost loved ones, or have had loved ones who have lost body parts, or are suffering mental illness. May we as a nation be worthy of your sacrifice!  May we provide for your needs. May God bring solace to your soul, and heal what is broken.

I will kneel to God, to give thanks for each and everyone of you and your families. To that same God my father came to know, believe, and trust in.