“I will guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved.”
The first general order is drilled into every recruit’s mind from the first day of military service. At 94 years of age, WWII Veteran, Jack Roche of Cordele, is still faithfully standing his post.
Every weekday morning, a few people gather at the Christ Episcopal Church in Cordele for Daily Prayer. Two of the most faithful are both veterans and in their 90’s. Bob Bright and Jack Roche both flew in the Army Air Corp in WWII.
When Covid-19 swept through the nation, the Episcopal Church stopped all services including the daily prayer time. Jack felt that the prayer time was important for the church and community.
For the first few weeks after the cessation of services, Jack went through the prayer service by himself at home. He said that his dog was the only other participant, but he was not going to stop.
Jack insisted that there must be some way for people to participate together. Skip Wright, one of the other faithful participants suggested a Zoom Call.
At 94 years of age, Jack readily agreed. He got help setting up his computer and learned to use Zoom. The prayer time on Zoom actually gained more participation than the in-person meetings.
Jack Roche is one of those veterans who still takes that first general order seriously. He was called to be a leader in daily prayer for his church, community, state, and nation. He was not going to let a Covid-19 shutdown stop him.
Jack will stand faithfully and, “quit my post only when properly relieved.” When he finally does quit his post, the next words he will hear are, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
Thank you, Jack for standing your post. Thank you to all who served our nation.
As we come to the close of another Veterans Day, below are a few articles I wrote about veterans from the past. I hope that you enjoy reading them.
Bob Bright POW
Bob Bright is still going strong. He was shot down over Europe and taken POW by the Germans.
Two WWII Veterans Reminisce
My father, Robert Cole, (left) and the late Billy Forrest (right) were in training when President Truman dropped the atomic bombs on Japan to end the war. It is quite likely that they, along with tens of thousands of young Americans, would have died in that war had it not been for Truman’s decision.
They both went to Japan after the surrender to help Japan rebuild. Today, Japan is one of our strongest allies.
He Still Remembers D-Day
Julian Parker of Cordele still remembers wading on that beach on June 6, 1944. The experience of war and death had such an effect on him that when he got home, he took his hunting rifle out to the woods and buried it.
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