Last week, we read of a Quirky Old Man, Eddie Rickenbacker. This week, we will see a flashback of the courage of a hero.
Rickebacker first gained fame as a daring racecar driver before becoming America’s top-scoring fighter ace of WWI and a Medal of Honor recipient. He eventually became president of Eastern Airlines. When Rickenbacker was 52, he was asked by the Secretary of War to travel to the WWII Pacific theater as a nonmilitary observer. His mission: to evaluate and report on the status of U.S. Army Air Forces combat units in Australia, New Guinea and Guadalcanal.
The mission comprised of Rickenbacker and six other crew members flying a well-worn, B-17 plane converted into a transport plane.
Their first stop was for re-fueling on a designated island. An hour before the estimated arrival time, Captain Cherry throttled back and began the descend. The B-17 crew looked for their island destination, but did not see it. Because of an -out-of-adjustment navigation system, they had no bearings and were nearly out of fuel. And no land in sight! They had no choice but to ditch the plane in the rough and choppy waters. They grabbed what they could of the survival rations, life jackets and three small life rafts in less than a minute before splashdown. Most of the survival equipment was lost during the splashdown. Rickenbacker’s escape hatch was above a wing, so he helped the others climb out. They found themselves in six-foot swells, but the worse part was they were lost at sea and no way to radio for help!
The crew floated for days on the rough waters of the Pacific. They founght the sun, sharks, hunger and thirst. By the eighth day, their rations ran out. They were hundreds of miles from land, and no one knew where they were. Every day across Americal millions wondered and prayed that Eddie Rickenbacker might somehow be found alive.
The men needed a miracle!
One afternoon, they had a simple devotional service and prayed asking the Lord for a miracle. They tried to nap. Eddie leaned back and pulled his military cap over his eyes. Time dragged on. All he could hear was the slap of the waves against the raft.
Suddenly, Eddie felt something land on the top of his cap. It was a seagull.
He sat perfectly still – planning his next move. With a flash of his hand and a squawk from the gull, he managed to grab it and wring its neck. He tore the feathers off, and he and his starving crew made a meager meal of it. Then they used the intestines for bait and caught fish, which gave them food and more bait. They had their first miracle!
21 Days at Sea ~
All but one were able to endure the rigors of the sea until they were rescued by the crew of two US Navy floater planes.
This story is a perfect example of the sacrifice of One for the saving of others. Millions of others! That One is Jesus Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God who died for the sins of the world. We are like the Rickenbacker crew – lost, helpless, and doomed to die. But God, in His mercy sent His Son to rescue us and reconcile us to Himself. And that is our miracle!