I know a Real G.I. Joe

               My business partner Dave Smith and I have enjoyed some very positive feedback from our readers and almost unilaterally, the most popular article in our newsletter is the "Lesson's From Mac" section. It happens to be one of my favorite sections as well and I thought that it would be great if I shared some insight from a great friend of mine, Joe Wohlfeil. Joe Wohlfeil lives in Gresham, OR and is 95 years old. Joe served in the U.S. Army from December 1941- December 1945.

               Every time Joe and I visit, he has a great story to tell from one of his many experiences in the Army. One of my favorites is about his experience in what used to be known as Burma (now Myanmar). Joe was a 2nd Lieutenant who was attached to the now famous commando unit, Merrill's Marauders.  This story particularly stood out to me because of the amazing faith and courage that was needed to survive and triumph through a deadly and miserable war. As he shared his experience with me, I began to draw several parallels in my mind between his personal history and the current economic market. Obviously, economic catastrophes do not even come close in comparison with war. The misery and death of war is incomprehensible. However, I believe it is fair to say that there may be some valuable lessons that can be learned from the most deplorable circumstances a person endures during a war. Joe has taught me a lot about the necessity of faith and strength in an effort to win a hopeless battle.

              Joe tells me that when he first joined the army everyone had advised him to never volunteer for anything. The reason was that when volunteers were requested, the details about the volunteer work were rarely given and sometimes the work was downright awful. Joe always had a different attitude about volunteer work. He said that he always volunteered because even though some of the experiences may have some challenges, the potential for great opportunities would arise as well and valuable lessons could be learned. That was his attitude when 3,000 men were sought to volunteer for a dangerous and hazardous mission into the Burma wilderness in an effort to eradicate the Japanese from the surrounding area.  It was an important and extremely dangerous mission because they were grossly outnumbered. The plan was to strategically place each platoon in various areas rather than walking the guys in one collective area so that the Japanese would not be able to completely surround and sabotage the soldiers.

              Once Joe and his soldiers were positioned, they soon realized that they were behind enemy lines - not good. This meant that they were surrounded by the Japanese army and their mission was going to be more complicated than they first understood.  In this position, the only food they could rely on was food that was air-dropped by C-47 aircraft. The C-47 airplanes were responsible for delivering food and ammunition to the soldiers. This was treacherous because it was painfully obvious to the Japanese exactly where they were located. Many times soldiers would be ambushed just working to pull in the packages and food. He taught me that the soldiers completely ignored the feelings of fear in their minds because dwelling on them would only be paralyzing. In that sense, fear would make them more susceptible to injury. Joe said that the focus of the soldiers had to remain on getting the mission completed so that they could get on that plane ride back home.

The more I talk with Joe the more I realize how important qualities of faith, courage and belief play in all of our lives. While things around us may seem tough and sometimes even unbearable, we must remember to focus on the truly important things in life like our families, spiritual food, health and our profound inner will to survive and succeed. We don't have to suffer things like Joe suffered but we can be strong like he was and win a great victory in the face of overwhelming odds.