November 9, 2022
A movie For Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, 2022.
The saying goes there are no atheists in Foxholes, or evidently, sailing in a convoy in the North Atlantic being pursued by deadly German “wolf-pack” U boats.
The WWII film “Greyhound,” an Apple TV+ original, makes that clear, right away. In an opening scene, we meet U.S. destroyer - “Greyhound” - Capt. Ernst Krause (Tom Hanks) for the first time. It is not face to face, but from behind, Krause down on this knees, praying at his ship’s bunk as the convoy traverses “the Pit” - a deadly, watery no-man’s land in the Atlantic, on the way to re-supply beleaguered Britain from the onslaught of the Nazis.
“Dear’Lord,” the Captain, in his night clothes, prays out loud, “ let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.”
Krause replaces a prayer book or Bible by the side of his bunk. As he dresses for action, the camera lingers on a card stuck into the mirror, not from his sweetheart, but a graphic of a figure and the words, “Jesus Christ, the same, Yesterday, Today, and Forever, Hebrews 13:8.”
Throughout the film, as Krause’s team battles killer U-Boats bent on destroying the merchant convoy, there are references, subtle and overt, to spiritual perspective, strength and endurance needed to overcome the trials encountered along the way.
Tom Hanks wrote this well-done, fast-paced, unpretentious film, which is available now, just before Veteran’s Day. Within is the revealing of the training, endurance and strategy to defeat the enemy, and is not afraid to include direct dependence on Divine inspiration.
Because of that, I believe Greyhound, released in 2020, is destined to eventually be a classic veteran’s film, bypassing others, such as Patton, in the minds of many. Greyhound may not have won the academy award, but will be a beloved story to those who wish to honor the tremendous effort veterans made to repel evil in this world.
Perhaps war is the best time to put aside all of life’s tertiary pleasures, concerns and pursuits to focus on what’s going to get you, and the fighting men around you, through it all. It is easy to think of the “the evil foe” Krause prays about, as the Nazi killers, and so they are, made abundantly clear in the film.
But for those who may see the world in a more analogous spiritual light, the ultimate “evil” comes from a place beyond U-Boats, tanks and murdering armies.
There aren’t enough movies revealing the spiritual foundations and perspective of those fighting for our lives and country. Why that is so, is a great question since faith is the bedrock of so many. But here is a film that features those spiritual perspectives held near and dear to millions of Americans, and by many of those who laid down their lives in WWII for the sake of others, that is, us.
On Veteran’s Day, it may be worth reminding ourselves of the source of their strength, especially if we may need that strength ourselves in the near future.
