Omar Nelson Bradley was by any standard or measure a remarkable man. He was born in Missouri in 1893, and his parents were humble people. Interestingly, he was born on President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, Lincoln is generally considered America’s greatest president, and his memorial in Washington DC is one of the wonders of that great city. Bradley seemed to inherit something of Lincoln’s greatness.
Bradley learnt early in life the necessity of working hard and of personal integrity. His father died when he was fifteen, and he had to give a lot of help to his mother, who took in lodgers to make ends meet. Despite the work he did at home, he was also a hard-working student, and maybe this trait was due to his late father’s influence as his father had been a school teacher. Bradley graduated from school with high grades and then went to the military training school at West Point. There, he was a hardworking student, an excellent athlete, and a wonderful marksman. Out of a class of 164, he graduated forty-fourth in 1915. Yet he was the first in his class to reach the rank of general.
He was under six feet in height, weighed only 145 pounds, and was prematurely grey. Indeed, he started to go grey in his late teens. He lost some of his teeth in an ice skating accident and had to wear dentures from an early age. Yet he was determined at all times to pursue excellence, and through quiet determination and competency, he rose up the ranks of the army. He spent twelve years as a major, and at times, it seemed he would never rise further, and then he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. He never achieved the rank of full Colonel because instead, he was made a full General.
During the Second World War, he commanded American forces in North Africa and Sicily before playing a major part in commanding and directed American forces on the D Day landings and breaking out into northern France. He received many decorations during his illustrious career, including Distinguished Service Medals, Silver Star, and Presidential Medal of Freedom, amongst numerous more. He eventually became the United States Army Chief of Staff and then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Eisenhower who later became President said of Omar Bradley: “Your leadership, forcefulness, professional capacity, selflessness, high sense of duty and sympathetic understanding of human beings combine to stamp you as one of America’s great leaders and soldiers.”
It was a very fitting tribute to a soldier who did not have the brilliance or arrogance of the more flamboyant General MacArthur or the harshness and obscenities of General Patton but standing alongside them was Omar Bradley and he was always a family man who deeply loved and cared for his family. He was an elder and leader of his church, where he was highly respected and held in great esteem. He was a quiet, humble man who was able with the help of God to commit his life to the service of his country and achieve high status as a leader of men. He cared for his troops as a reflection of the care he knew that God had both for himself and for the soldiers under his command.
Christian faith is not simply a nice idea or a hopeful necessity. It is a real connection with God through Jesus Christ, which works out into a life lived for the glory of God and the welfare of people who need help. The Christian life is not about selfish blessing but care towards others as exemplified by the Lord Jesus who came not to be served but to serve others and ultimately He served all of us by giving His life on Calvary for our sins. We praise God today for His finished work and seek Him with all our hearts to be our Saviour.
DAILY MESSAGES WITH MEANING (08/01/25)
Written by PAUL YOUNG
All photos courtesy of Unsplash
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