Celebrating Heroes

When I was a boy the only way I had to know anything about my father's service in World War II was from books we bought about B-29s. One picture that features prominently in several of the books I own is of a left gunner that is dangling outside of his plane. The captions for this picture and accompanying narrative tells this happened 30,000 feet above Nagoya, Japan, on January 3, 1945. The left gunner's blister of the "American Maid" was hit and Sgt. James Krantz was blown outside of the plane where he dangled for 15 minutes without oxygen. He was held to his plane by a harness he had made for himself after seeing the top gunner's blister shot out on the previous mission.

Fast forward to December 2003. A few days after Christmas I come home and find a section of the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle in my back door. My cousin Jackie had put it there. The paper featured an article of two Clarksville veterans. One of those men was Sgt. Krantz. I had seen the picture for years and never knew the man in the picture lived less than an hour a way for my entire life. I looked up his phone number and called him up. He invited me to come by his house for a visit which I did on New Year's Eve. He was the first B-29 veteran I had knowingly met in my life.

From my first visit with Mr. and Mrs. Krantz I knew I had met two extraordinary people. A friendship developed. It wasn't long before I took Vicki and the kids to meet them. Vicki was impressed as well. Mr. Krantz and I kept in touch. He encouraged me to go to the 73rd Bomb Wing reunions where he introduced me to other veterans who have become dear friends over the years. Mr. Krantz came out to speak to students at East Robertson High School twice on my invitation.

I got an email Tuesday from Mr. Krantz's daughter, Cathy, telling me that He had passed away the previous evening. Vicki and I went to the funeral on Friday. I am sad, but I know his health had been failing. He and Mrs. Krantz had recently celebrated their 70th anniversary. He also leaves behind 5 children, 12 grandchildren, and 22 great grandchildren. More importantly, Mr. Krantz leaves behind a legacy for his family and all who had the pleasure of meeting him.

Mr. Krantz loved to tell about his experiences in the war, but he told his story with such humility you knew that while the experiences were life changing he didn't define his entire life by them. His life, as you would hear early in your conversation with him, was defined by his relationship with Jesus Christ. Everything about Mr. and Mrs. Krantz pointed to their love for and faith in God.

Vicki and I were reflecting on this as we drove to the funeral. We were both captivated from the moment we met them. This was because when you met them you know, right from the start, you are loved and accepted just as you are. They shared a gift of celebrating people and making you feel like you are the most important person in the world. They always seemed to have room to love more. From the first meetings Vicki and I both came away saying, "Wow! We want to be like them."

Mr. and Mrs. Krantz loved to go to the 73rd Bomb Wing reunions. Their love for others allowed them to play a special role there as many legacy members like myself come to learn answers to questions that have been unanswered for far too long. Their genuine tenderness has helped these people heal and have closure for pain they have dealt with for decades in many cases.

I think what makes Mr. and Mrs. Krantz so special is that they got what is truly important in life. Someone once asked Jesus what is the greatest commandment in all the Bible. Quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." And then He continued with the second greatest commandment by quoting Leviticus 19:18, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Mr. and Mrs. Krantz understood this. They didn't have to work at obeying these commandments, expressing them just came naturally. These two commandments, which are central to everything else in the Bible, are simply part of the fabric of who James and Mildred Krantz are. Mr. Krantz may be a war hero, but his true heroism lies in how he lived his life for God.

Jackie, that newspaper you stuck in my door is one of the best gifts I've ever received. I wish I could have gotten to Clarksville to visit more often, but at least I got to meet a very special man who touched me at a deep level. When I took the National Teachers Exam some twenty years ago I almost flunked the writing portion of the test. This was because I was asked to write an essay about my hero. I had no hero at that time and found it difficult to write the required essay. I would not have the same difficulty today.

Joe