“Jesus, Mary, Get Me There!”

By Norman Fulkerson

Many of you might have already seen the article written by Prof. Jeremiah Wells titled “Jesus, Mary, Get Me There; The True Story of an American War Hero”, those that have not might be interested in doing so.

It is an excellent article about Col. Ripley’s destruction of the Dong Ha bridge. Col. Ripley himself considered it to be the best description of the incident he had seen. After his death in October of last year I had the chance to visit the Colonel’s home in Annapolis, Maryland and found several copies of this article in his personal filing cabinet. He had obviously made extras to give to those interested in what he did on Easter Sunday in 1972.

Prof Wells not only provides the historical background that led up to the Easter Offensive, he also gives a very lively an detailed description of the destruction of the bridge itself. One that leaves the reader on the edge of his seat.

See video of this hero's funeral.  Very moving.

 

But back to the article.

What I most appreciate about this article is how the author compares Col. Ripley to a modern day knight: an individual who “went to war in a spirit of self-immolation for… the common good of temporal society.”

Prof. Wells continues:

“Through the centuries, the admiration and appreciation for the fighting man survived a series of Revolutionary and philosophical setbacks that severely affected Christendom; that is, until the arrival of communism. As the latter evil gained in influence, a commensurate decline in the will to fight followed. Time and again, the communists won victories because sufficient support from the printed page and the movie and television screens had effectively disarmed the American and Western fighting spirit. Yet the Pattons and MacArthurs of the world continue to step forward, ready to face death rather than betray the ancient ideals of the warrior. The following story represents our part in honoring that crusading spirit.”

The rest of the story may be read by going to:http://www.tfp.org/student_action/opinions/true_stories/colonelripley.html