Laying Down Our Lives
for Our Friends
A Sermon by the Rev. Todd J. Beiswenger
Note: This sermon was delivered on April 26, 2015, to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of ANZAC Day in Australia. ANZAC stands for Australian and New
Zealand Army Corps, and ANZAC Day is one of Australia’s most important
commemorative occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military
action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during World War I.
In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the expedition that set
out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied
navies. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul), the
capital of the Ottoman Empire, and an ally of Germany.
The Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on April 25, meeting
fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders. What had been planned as
a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the
campaign dragged on for eight months.
At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated from the peninsula, with both
sides having suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. More than 8,000
Australian soldiers had been killed. The Gallipoli campaign had a profound impact
on Australians at home, and April 25 soon became the day on which Australians
remembered the sacrifice of those who died in the war.
A great deal of credit for this sermon goes to the Rev. Thomas H. Rose, whose 2010
Memorial Day sermon in the United States provides much of the content.
W
e have a long-established tradition of honoring the lives of the men and
women who have died in the service of their country. It is right and
fitting that we do this. At this time of year we turn our thoughts to those who
died in battle. Over the years we tend to take a day like this as an opportunity
to mourn for those who have died, but U.S. General George Patton said we
should think differently: “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died.
Rather we should thank God that such men lived.”
Patton was a man who saw a lot of war and knew first hand that war is
a terrible thing. Great horrors are seen, often never spoken of again. When I
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