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“Pay your obligations to everyone . . . respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor” (Rom 13:7).

Do you ever wonder who we will think of as our Nation’s heroes in fifty years? Or 100 years? 

It seems to me we are running low on true heroes these days. We are tearing down statues and monuments to the past with fierce swiftness. And whatever you might think of the men or women memorialized in statues and monuments, you must ask, “Is it good for a Nation to demolish its past or seek to erase its national memory?”

So, I ask again, whom will we honor and respect when our grandchildren are growing old? Harvey Milk? LGBTQ+ Online Influencers? AI bots? The inventor of the Abortion “Kill Pill”? Marxist College Professors? 

Yeah, we are definitely running low on national heroes. 

The irony of a recent statue of Billy Graham unveiled in our US Capitol was not lost on me. Ask 100 public high school or elementary school students who Billy Graham was and then weep at the ignorance. Then, tell them who he was and what he preached (that explicit faith in Jesus Christ was the only way to heaven and all other religious roads lead to hell), and then ask them whether they think he deserves a statue in our Nation’s Capitol. You will surely weep again. 

Yesterday, I met a true hero. My wife and I were on the tail end of a short vacation, and on our way home stopped to worship with the saints at Main Street Baptist Church in Lexington, KY. This historic congregation was started by a freed slave over 160 years ago. Although the City of Lexington and the venerable Rupp Arena threatened to literally swallow this church up in recent years, the gospel still rings forth from her pulpit under the faithful shepherding of men like Pastor Victor Sholar and Elder Cornelius (who preached a powerful sermon yesterday from Luke 17:11-19). 

During the meet and greet portion of the gathering, I shook the hand of a frail, old brother seated two rows behind me. The sister sitting in front of me then informed my wife and me that his name was Brother Glendell Bennett, and that he was a Tuskegee airman, and that he was 100 years old. The church that morning announced a new scholarship in his honor, available to young men or women who were pursuing entrepreneurship or other vocational training not requiring a standard college degree. 

Now, that’s showing honor to whom honor is due! 

And it occurs to me that so often in our day-to-day hustle and bustle, we blow right by true heroes. I am so thankful I took the time yesterday to walk two rows back and shake Brother Bennett’s hand. The Nation is not likely to ever memorialize him with a statue. And, we may never have another President worthy of our respect and admiration, and we may never recognize another military giant such as Generals George Patton or Colin Powell. But so long as the Glendell Bennett’s are among us, we will never lack for true heroes. May God make it so. And may God help us to slow down, meet people, look them in the eyes, shake their hands, hear some of their stories. In God’s kind providence, we just might find ourselves a few new National Heroes.  

On this Memorial Day, when we honor the thousands upon thousands of men and women who gave their lives for our Nation, let’s remember that the vast majority of them were not well-known. Not famous. Only known to a few family members and friends. In small towns all across this land. 

And they are heroes. 

For a brief snapshot of Glendell Bennett’s lifetime of service, see https://www.wkyt.com/2024/03/03/former-tuskegee-airman-celebrates-100th-birthday/.

by Keith McWhorter