By Ken Yates

INTRODUCTION

Whether we realize it or not, we all look for examples to follow. This is more obvious when we are young. If we played baseball, we might have watched how a famous major league player played the game and tried to imitate him. Good examples motivate us. We can look at them, and they can cause us to want to be better. We can become more like them.

Sometimes, good examples are obvious. If a young person wants to be a better basketball player, he can listen to how Michael Jordan or Larry Bird practiced or watch current professional players play.

But sometimes, great examples are hard to spot. We might not notice them for different reasons. A short, unathletic old man might be an excellent basketball coach. He might help an aspiring player improve more than watching Jordan dunk a basketball.

I clearly remember when some great examples walked around, and most people did not notice them.

TEACHING AT THE INFANTRY SCHOOL

The US Army Infantry School is located at Ft. Benning, GA. It is a large building where current and future army leaders are trained. Of all the branches in the army, the infantry is the most physically challenging. As you might expect, students at the infantry school are young and physically fit. They come to learn the art of warfare, especially as it is fought in the trenches. It is a place full of testosterone.

There are also plenty of prominent examples to emulate. Young, fit captains are often the instructors. They have often just returned from combat and have led soldiers in difficult and dangerous missions. Many have been wounded. They are destined to be future military leaders.

New lieutenants rightfully look up to them. They joined the military to be like these leaders. They can see themselves being just like them in five or ten years. They listen in class to gain the mental knowledge they desire and then work out in the gym to meet the physical demands that will be placed upon them. These young officers have plenty of examples to follow.

I taught ethics at this school for three years. (I was not an infantry officer!) I watched as the students looked up to their infantry instructors. We had many visitors to the school. They also were impressed by the quality of these teachers. Anybody could look at them and conclude that the army was in good hands. If these visitors were thinking of joining the army, these men might be the final reason for doing so. For a long time, the army motto was, “Be all you can be.” A high school student who wanted to serve his country in the infantry would see what he could be in these men.

But in that big building, with all its classrooms, there were two outstanding examples for an infantry officer to follow who often went unnoticed. I doubt if a single visitor ever realized it. The same was true for many of the lieutenants. But they could have learned more from them than the captains they idolized.

RALPH AND GORDON

These two examples were named Ralph and Gordon. Their names don’t conjure up images of heroic examples to follow, nor did their appearance.

When I was there, Ralph was approaching 80 years of age. He was a former soldier who would come by the office on occasion, and we would have some coffee or eat breakfast. I am sure being around infantry officers brought him many fond memories. Since my office was on the fourth floor, he took the elevator. He was a small man from southern Georgia. He was certainly not going to win any weightlifting contests among the students and instructors at the school.

Gordon was younger than Ralph but still in his 50s—that is old in the infantry world. We worked in the same office. He was the oldest and the smallest of the 50 or so soldiers who worked on the fourth floor. I spent a great deal of time with Gordon. Our desks were right next to each other. We walked together through that large building on many occasions. I don’t think a single visitor ever noticed him, and neither did most of the students.

The same was true for Ralph. Gordon at least wore his military uniform. Ralph was always in civilian clothes and would not stand out in that place. I don’t ever remember a student saying anything to him. Many probably thought he was lost.

Little did all those who passed them in those hallways know that they were the greatest examples any infantry officer could follow.

INFANTRY OFFICERS EXTRAORDINAIRE

Very few people who first saw Ralph or Gordon in the Infantry School realized these two men were the greatest infantry officers in the building. If somebody were looking for examples of heroic leaders, they would be at the top of the list. In the Korean War, Ralph had led a group of infantry soldiers on a hilltop. The Chinese army sent wave after wave of men to take that hill. Ralph, as the leader, turned the tide of the battle. He was wounded numerous times in the process.

Gordon did a similar thing in the Vietnam War. Many men and their descendants alive today owe their lives to Ralph and Gordon. A search of these men online will explain why President Nixon gave Gordon our nation’s highest honor and why President Biden did the same for Ralph. Just look up Gordon Roberts and Ralph Puckett.

Recently, Ralph died. Even though hundreds passed him in the halls of the Infantry School and did not appreciate his valor, the magnitude of what he did was evident. The body of Ralph, a boy from southern Georgia, lay in state in the US Capitol Rotunda.

The message? If you are looking for a soldier to emulate, look at Ralph. I wonder how many missed the opportunity.

A LESSON FOR BELIEVERS

The author of Hebrews tells us to imitate the spiritual heroes among us. He writes, “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct” (Heb 13:7). He tells his readers that there are examples for them to follow in their midst. These examples are the older believers who have led them in the past.

One of the reasons he points to these men is that they might be easy to overlook. In our culture, youth is celebrated. Those we should be looking up to might not be as exciting as up-and-coming leaders. Maybe they don’t move as quickly as they used to, or they don’t understand the younger generation. They are not tech-savvy. They seem out of touch.

But we should look at their lives and listen to their words. If they have lived like Christ and accurately know His Word, follow their example. We can learn a lot from them.

We can also be that kind of example. We don’t have to fight on a hill in Korea or the jungles of Vietnam. Any believer can be a hero of the faith. We can ask the Lord to make us the believer others can look up to.

Such believers are valuable to the church. Let us look around and ask who those kinds of believers are in our lives. Let’s not pass them in the hall and not realize how important they are.

The President of the United States honored Ralph when he died. Think of the honor faithful believers will receive from the King when they see Him. It will be better than a funeral in the Rotunda. Let’s give them some of that honor now.

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Ken Yates is a retired Army chaplain (Lt. Col). He has many theological degrees, including a Ph.D. from D.T.S. in New Testament. He leads the GES international ministry, cohosts the daily podcast, and assists Bob in all aspects of the GES ministry. His new book, Mark: Lessons in Discipleship, is a wonderful explanation of Christ’s call to discipleship. He and his wife, Pam, live in Columbia, SC.