When Hollywood Had Heroes: What Got Jimmy Stewart Through 20 Combat Missions

Jimmy, my main squeeze

 The Golden Era: A Time When Hollywood Was Patriotic and Actors—Gasp!—Read the Bible

The oft-quoted maxim, “They don’t make them like the used to,” surely must apply to my man Jimmy, who was–and is–my favorite actor in the whole wide world. As someone else once said, “He was a prince of a man.”

In fact, I’d always vowed that when Jimmy Stewart died, I’d wear black for a week. I was completely serious. Unfortunately, I was on an outdoor adventure travel writing assignment in Washington state when Jimmy Stewart slipped the surly bonds of this earth, and I doubt my then-editor would have taken too kindly to my sending photos of myself dressed in black hiking gear. 

But I digress. My point here is that Jimmy Stewart was far more than a consummate actor, dedicated family man and all-around standup guy. He was also a rarity among today’s celebs—a decorated war veteran who served his country with great distinction.

Just as important, he loved God–without embarrassment. Brig. Gen James Maitland Stewart acknowledged his dependence upon his Supreme Commander during his time in the trenches (more like the air ways since he was, after all, an Air Force man) and, as such, he found particular comfort in the famous “Soldier’s Psalm”: Psalm 91.

Read the following letter Jimmy’s dad wrote him—a letter that he found so emotional, he was apparently unable to read it to his son aloud.

My dear Jim-Boy,

Soon after you read this letter, you will be on your way to the worst sort of danger. Jim, I am banking on the enclosed copy of the 91st Psalm. The thing that takes the place of fear and worry is the promise of these words. I am staking my faith in these words. I feel sure that God will lead you through this mad experience. I can say no more. I only continue to pray. Goodbye, my dear. God continue to bless and keep you. I love you more than I can tell you. – Dad
I think we can see why Jimmy’s dad had a difficult time reading these words to his son. How easy it would have been for him to give in to worry and anxiety over the potential fate of his son during war time. But clearly, he didn’t give into that spirit of fear. Jimmy’s father chose to believe, as I do, that “God had not given him a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” Where did that assurance come from? God’s Word, the same Word that promises us victory in battle if we “make the Most High your dwelling–even the LORD, who is my refuge.”

It sure worked for Jimmy. He returned home a decorated war hero, unharmed, even though his record included twenty combat missions! The rest of the world benefitted by his father’s abiding faith because post-war, his son delighted—and continues to delight—moviegoers with such great film classics as: It’s a Wonderful Life, Harvey, Rear Window, and The Man Who Knew Too Much … to name just a few! (His performance in It’s a Wonderful Life was so compelling, it prompted then-President Harry S. Truman to say of Stewart, “If Bess and I had a son, we’d want him to be just like Jimmy Stewart.”)

During the height of the battle, Stewart said he learned to lean on the comforting words contained in his tattered copy of Psalm 91.  

You and I can lean on those words, too. After all, it’s not just soldiers who face the battlefield every day. The Bible gives us some “fighting words”, instructing us to “endure hardness like a good soldier” and to “fight the good fight of faith.” 

God’s Word also makes it clear who our real enemy is, which is not people or even nations. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). We would be wise to remember this truth the next time we encounter opposition and respond by bending our knees in prayer.

 

The Soldier’s Psalm: Psalm 91

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 

2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

 5 You will not fear the terror of night,
       nor the arrow that flies by day,

 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
       nor the plague that destroys at midday.

 7 A thousand may fall at your side,
       ten thousand at your right hand,
       but it will not come near you.

 8 You will only observe with your eyes
       and see the punishment of the wicked.

 9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
       even the LORD, who is my refuge-

 10 then no harm will befall you,
       no disaster will come near your tent.

 11 For he will command his angels concerning you
       to guard you in all your ways;

 12 they will lift you up in their hands,
       so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

 13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
       you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

 14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
       I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
       I will be with him in trouble,
       I will deliver him and honor him.

 16 With long life will I satisfy him
       and show him my salvation

Read more about "The Soldier's Psalm"
Read more about Jimmy Stewart's military career 
Video with Jimmy narrating about his war experiences
Read more about the power of the spoken Word to bring His promises into our lives!

Blogged by: Jenni Keast