- Capt. John Paul Jones, November 16, 1778, in a letter to le Ray de Chaumont.

The above quote embodies a spirit of boldness, of courage and self-sacrifice. This spirit is the hallmark of the U. S. Navy, and the military in general, in a wartime environment.

Such sacrificial acts are still evident today, as in the case of Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on January 11, 2007. Dunham was in Karabilah, Iraq on April 14, 2004 when an insurgent leaped out of a vehicle and attacked him. In the ensuing struggle the insurgent released a grenade and Dunham immediately warned his fellow Marines and covered the grenade with his helmet and body.

The nature of warfare dictates that people will die. Over 600,000 lives were lost on both sides in the first month of World War II during the German advance on Paris. 5,000 American lives were lost in just the first 15 days in the battle for Iwo Jima. History is replete with war stories of self-sacrifice and horrendous casualty rates in the face of insurmountable odds.

I am in no way minimizing the deaths of so many American and coalition forces in the continuing effort in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the globe. I have seen many dead with my own eyes and wept and prayed as their pictures and personal effects were being inventoried. I do not offer a political solution or a march for peace. Recent peace protests around Washington, D.C. commemorated the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

Although some protestors are politically motivated other protestors express a genuine hatred for not just this war, but their perceived wrong of any war. The question remains: What does peace really mean, and how do we get there? Historically, Americans have never traded liberty for peace – chosen to be conquered rather than fight for the right to live free. Protestors can only protest because they have the freedom to do so, freedom purchased by the blood of patriots from the Revolutionary War until today. Americans have never backed-down from a fight. John Paul Jones captured this fighting spirit in his words. But how does faith fit into warfare?

Part of the answer may be found in a statement I heard once from a protestor: ‘‘Nothing is worth dying for....” I felt sad for this protestor, that he had nothing or no one in his life that he loved enough to die for – or, if one were to invert the statement, he had nothing to live for. This gave me pause to think: There are a lot of things and people I would die for. I think of my wife and children, I think of my mother and father, I think of other relatives and friends who, given the opportunity, I would rather die than them.

The question I invite readers to ask of themselves is: For whom would you die? The answer points to another question: For whom are you living? In the Christian tradition, Jesus’ death is reflected in this same spirit of self-sacrifice to which people of all faiths can relate: No one has greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. Almost four years ago Dunham laid down his life for his friends – so they would live instead of him. He intentionally went into harm’s way. It is recorded in the Christian tradition that Jesus also intentionally went into harm’s way – Jesus laid his life down not only for his friends but to demonstrate his love and commitment to all of humanity. So the question persists for each of us: For whom would you die? The answer to that question – different for each one of us - points to that person or ideal which we love more than our own life.