Giving #3

Giving #3
By Tommy Franks

Once upon a time, an Englishman (Britain) was born at Oxfordshire, England, in 1874. He came from a long line of military heroes and famous family members. Even though he went to private schools, he was normally at the bottom of the list when it came to academics. The only subject he really liked was English. As a young lad, he trained at Sandhurst Military Academy and later…saw combat as a Calvary Officer at Omdurman, Sudan (1898) with the Nile Expeditionary Force. Afterward, during the 2nd Boer War, he was a London newspaper correspondent.

Although he started out as a Conservative MP (1900), he joined the Liberals in 1904 and was successful as the colonial under-secretary (1905), President of the Board of Trade (1908), home secretary (1910), and First Lord of the Admiralty (1911). However, in 1915 he was made the scapegoat for the Dardanelles disaster in Turkey. As a result, he resigned from his Cabinet post.

After World War 1, he became secretary of state for war and air (1919–21) and remained in politics until 1929. At that point he made several blunders and became rather isolated from his friends in Parliament because of some of his political views of the nation and the world. He seemed to stand alone against fascism. He wanted to renew the world's faith in the true benefits of democracy, but people were not listening. This was his darkest hour. He found this experience of perpetual opposition deeply frustrating. He thought his life was over. He felt bruised and battered. People considered him a “has been”…an old man of controversy. Some of his old buddies did not want to be seen with him. It was bad for their political career. Read on…

But then along came Hitler! This changed everything. Great Britain needed a leader with guts, war experience, and diplomacy. Where could they find such a man? Suddenly, this Military Veteran (oldest son of Lord Randolph Churchill) who had been severely criticized and previously had his reputation and character assassinated…was on the forefront again. This statesman was now 66 years old…But the world needed him. He was now called upon to be the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of England in May 1940. His name: Winston Churchill. The rest is history!

While at the White House in 1941, Churchill suffered a mild heart attack. Later, in 1943, he contracted pneumonia. In 1949, Churchill suffered a stroke. None of this moved him or stopped him! Now, let’s take a look at some of the things he said that made him such a great orator and statesman.

Churchill addressed the House of Parliament three days after becoming Prime Minister. He said, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat."

Later, he said, "Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valor, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altar. Some of you ask, what is our policy? I will say this: It is to wage war, by sea, land, and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us: to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, What is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory… victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror; victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival…no survival for the British Empire…or for what the Empire has stood for…that mankind will move forward toward its goal. But I take up my task with buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men....let us go forward with our united strength.''

"We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields, and in the streets; we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!"
"We have but one aim and one irrevocable purpose. We are resolved to destroy Hitler and every vestige of the Nazi regime. From this nothing will turn us - nothing. We will never parley, we will never negotiate with Hitler or any of his gang."
“If it is thought best for France in her agony that her Army should capitulate (surrender), let there be no hesitation on our account, because whatever you may do, we shall fight on forever and ever and ever!''
"We have not journeyed across the centuries, across the oceans, across the mountains, across the prairies, because we are made of sugar candy."

“Don’t be content with things as they are. The earth is yours and the fullness thereof.”

How did Churchill deal with Iraq in 1917…over 89 years ago? Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the British occupied Iraq and established a colonial government. The Arab and Kurdish people of Iraq resisted the British occupation. By 1920 this had developed into a full scale national revolt, which cost the British dearly. As the Iraqi resistance gained strength, the British resorted to increasingly repressive measures, including the use of poison gas. Churchill thought that gas could be profitably employed against the Kurds and Iraqis. He said, “I do not understand this squeamishness about the use of gas. I am strongly in favor of using poison gas against uncivilized tribes.”

After the war ended in 1945 at the age of 71, they tried to put him out to pasture… but it was short lived. In 1951 at the age of 77, he was back…this time in style, more than ever. He remained as Prime Minister until he resigned his office in 1955 at the age of 81. However, he remained a Member of Parliament until the general election of 1964…He was 90 years old at that time…so, he decided not to seek re-election. During his last years, he was often referred to as “the greatest living Englishman”.

Years earlier (1953), Queen Elizabeth II conferred on Churchill the dignity of Knighthood. He also won the Nobel Prize for Literature during the same year.

Among hundreds of other countless honors and decorations, President John F. Kennedy conferred on him the honorary citizenship of the United States in 1963. Ironically, President Kennedy was assassinated later the same year!

Churchill died in 1965 at the age of 91. His most enjoyable and productive years were from age 66 to 91. Winston Churchill was a selfless and generous giver of himself, his talents, his abilities, and his life! It’s never too late to be a “giver” and enjoy life to its fullest. Life can be full of passion and gusto regardless of age!