He Too Was “Unbroken”

Mark Twain once wrote the following metaphor on forgiveness: 

"Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it."

Many of us have read the book, or seen the newly released movie, “Unbroken” which describes the incredible story of determination and forgiveness from Louis Zamporini as a prisoner of Japan in World War 2. The prison camps and death marches, the mistreatment of soldiers and natives and countless war crimes--all of this created deep wakes of sorrow felt by the nations that comprised the Allies. Thousands of American soldiers, like Zamporini, went missing in action and weren't rescued until after the war was over and after they had been made to endure extreme and cruel conditions. My Granddad, John Allen Knox was one of these soldiers who found it within themselves to not only survive the brutal conditions of several German P.O.W. camps, but also to display complete forgiveness toward the Germans that captured, tortured, and starved him and his comrades.

My granddad left a pattern for his progeny to follow. Raised in North Carolina on a large dairy and agriculture farm owned by the Knox family, my Granddad was taught from a young age to develop three things: a strong back, a stronger work ethic, and an even stronger will. Those three things served him well as he endured a horrible situation that no one should have to encounter. 

When I find myself despondent or negative about a challenge or circumstance that rises in my life, I often reflect back on his example of determination and forgiveness in World War 2. It’s a part of my family history that I keep in the fore-front of my mind.