Special orders
Horror gripped the heart of the World War I soldier as he saw his best friend
fall in furious battle with his own eyes. Caught in a trench with continuous
gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier asked his lieutenant if he might
go out into the “No Man’s Land” between the trenches to bring his fallen
comrade back.
“You can go,” said the Lieutenant, “but I don’t think it will be worth it. Your
friend is probably dead and you may throw your own life away.” However,
the Lieutenant’s words didn’t matter, and the soldier went anyway.
Miraculously he managed to reach his friend, hoist him onto his shoulder,
and bring him back to their company’s trench. As the two of them tumbled
in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer appeared to check the
wounded soldier, then looked kindly at his friend. “I told you it wouldn’t be
worth it,” he said to the soldier groaning under a profuse bleeding wound.
“You see? Your friend is dead, and you are mortally wounded.”
“It was worth it, though, sir,” the soldier said.
“How do you mean, ‘worth it’?” responded the Lieutenant, shaking his head.
“Your friend is dead!”
“Yes sir,” the private answered. “But it was worth it because when I got to
him, he was still alive, and I had the satisfaction of hearing him say, ‘Jim, I
knew you’d come.”’
- From This Little Light Of Mine
A true friend is the greatest of all blessings and the one which we take the
least thought to acquire.
- Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucald
