Prepare to Abandon Ship
Lt. Joseph Pollard went aboard the USS Yorktown on May 27 and sailed with her three days later. As one of the ship’s medical officers, he prepared his men and equipment for the action ahead. On June 4, the Japanese task force was finally sighted. The Yorktown’s aircraft were armed, fueled, and launched late that morning. An eerie lull ensued. Finally, at about 2:00 p.m. the aircraft began returning, many with battle damage. In the midst of recovery operations, the general quarters alarm was sounded, alerting the crew to an enemy attack. Suddenly two sickening thuds shook the ship, resulting in an immediate hard list to port.
Pollard remembered: “Just then word came over the speaker, ‘Prepare to abandon ship!’ I was dumbfounded. It was uncomprehensible. A man lying beside me with one foot shot away and a severe chest wound turned his head towards me and asked, ‘What does this mean for us?’ and turned his head away. He knew that he would have no chance in the water.”76
We have sympathy for anyone like this who is suddenly jolted from calm conditions to utter chaos. How would you or I react? We hope we would be cool and confident in a crisis, but we never know until it happens. We can only pray for courage under fire and the ability to think clearly. Confidence in God and in our relationship to him is a big advantage at such a time. Jesus promised, “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding”(Philippians 4:7). This peace pertains not only to our long-term spiritual well-being, but also helps us find confidence and a calm mind in an emergency.
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
—Acts 4:13