"Jesus, Mary, get me there..." (Colonel John Ripley while blowing up the Dong Ha bridge in Vietnam.)
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Just this morning, I heard the great war hero Colonel John Ripley died in his sleep early Saturday morning.
It was very sad news indeed. I had met him a few times, and was deeply impressed by his nobility of soul. He was a real-life hero, a gentleman, a Catholic, a warrior.
He was also a good friend of TFP and had attended some of our functions. To TFP members, in a copy of the book "The Marines", he wrote:
"In appreciation and in admiration of my friends in the American TFP, and the TFP worldwide. The great faith you portray and the values you represent have an influence far greater than what you can imagine.
"In particular, your self-discipline, focus on your mission, and your constant positive attitude in the face of adversity gives you the image, and makes you the envy, of many marines."
Col. Ripley is most famous for blowing up the bridge at Dong Ha in Vietnam. He accomplished this act of epic heroism after three days of intense combat, without any food or sleep. A few sips of water from his canteen provided his only sustenance. This superhuman feat crippled the 1972 North Vietnamese Easter invasion which ended in defeat. Thus, the government honored Col. Ripley’s leadership, heroism and self-sacrifice at Dong Ha with a Navy Cross, America’s second highest military decoration.
Col. Ripley is also a man of faith. He attributes the destruction of the Dong Ha bridge to the grace of God and the Blessed Virgin Mary. He related how he felt all physical strength evaporate while placing explosives under the bridge.
To continue, he composed a simple rhyming prayer: “Jesus, Mary, get me there… Jesus, Mary, get me there…” He repeatedly said this prayer on the bridge and a supernatural assistance came to his aid at a much-needed time.
He stated: “This aid was tangible. It was all-consuming.” His mission would have been impossible without it
After this operation, Col. Ripley’s mission was far from over. Unlike Hollywood movies, in which a bridge blows up and everyone lives happily ever after, the North Vietnamese found an alternate route.
During the next days of fighting, Life Magazine published a famous picture of Col. Ripley running as a mortar round blows up nearby.
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Now, it's our turn to pray for the eternal rest of his soul.
For him, it's our duty to repeat Col. Ripley's impromptu prayer under the bridge at Dong Ha, "Jesus, Mary, get him there..."
May he be THERE with all of God's heroes, in Heaven, forever. Amen.
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