(gentle music)
- As the nation gets ready
to kick off a scaled-backIndependence Day,
this evening we bring you stories
of American resilience and resolve.
Hi, everyone, and thanks for joining us.
I'm Jenna Browder.
- And I'm John Jessup.
Well, neither rain nor sleet nor snow
or even a global pandemic will stop
the Army's Old Guard fromits hallowed mission.
- In tonight's top story,CBN's Gabe Lamonica
reports on the soldierstasked with guarding
and burying our nation's heroes.
- For now, Arlington National Cemetery,
is closed to the public,
with funerals closed to the media.
Still, the mission of TheOld Guard here continues.
("Taps" playing)
The final call plays on.
Those 24 notes, known as "Taps,"
marking the end of a day on base.
And a national sign oftribute to fallen heroes.
(planes zooming)
Even in the midst of a pandemic.
This remains a place immune to change.
♪ With a mighty ocean (indistinct) ♪
From the eternal flame,
marking the grave ofPresident John F. Kennedy,
(heels click)
To the Tomb of the Unknown,where The Old Guard
stands watch over the restingplace of unnamed soldiers.
- In keeping with thedignity of the ceremony,
it is requested that everyoneremain silent and standing.
- [Gabe] The usualcrowds who silently watch
this ceremonial changing of the guard,
are absent now.
But the American soldier,known but to God,
remains under constant,and meticulous watch.
- For us, it doesn'tmatter if it's a hurricane,
or in this case, if it's a pandemic,
we are always here.
We are always guarding.
- [Gabe] Through a hurricane,
and even during the 911 terror attacks.
In rain, snow, sleet, and gloom of night,
these watchmen have kepta 24 hour a day vigil
for more than 80 years.
And the coronavirus isn'tabout to scratch that record.
- That's a crazy look.
- [Gabe] But, this is thefirst time they've worn masks
in close quarters.
- Holt!
- [Gabe] And masks are now worn
during funeral services and burials.
- Please accept this flag
as a symbol of our appreciation
of your loved one's honorableand faithful service.
- [Gabe] Even as the nation'sveterans, and their families,
continue to receive full military honors.
- The unknowns deserve that.
Our country deserves that.
This place represents thevery best of this country.
Quite frankly, at a timein which we need reminding
of what our very best looks like.
- [Gabe] That very best,
represented by an elite group of soldiers,
sometimes standing still as statues.
(trumpets blowing)
This is the oldest active duty regiment
in the US Army.
But beyond the pomp and circumstance,
(weapons firing)
the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment
is a fully trained andcertified Army combat unit.
("Star Spangled Banner" playing)
To serve as a sentinel, in what is known
as the official escort to the president,
is considered one of theArmy's highest honors.
("Taps" playing)
For them, the honor is in the mission.
The guards don't wearmasks while keeping watch,
but they do keep their social distance,
during the changing of the guard,
and the all-important uniform inspection.
The motto of The Old Guard.
"Touch me not."
Gabe Lamonica, CBN News,
Arlington National Cemetery.
- Alright, thank you, Gabe.
Well, as America's longestwar winds down in Afghanistan,
suicides in the U.S. military
are up for the 5th straight year.
- National SecurityCorrespondent, Eric Philips,
shows us how one Christian group
is working to change that.
- "Power through the battle."
That's a mantra ofphysical military training.
But what about the mind?
I spoke to one woman whosaw this gap firsthand,
when her husband took his own life
at the height of his military career.
And I spoke to some, whobelieve they have solutions.
Major John Ruocco servedas a Marine Corp pilot
for 15 years.
A really good one,according to his wife, Kim.
And the accolades fromher don't stop there.
- My husband was a reallygreat dad and husband
and a superior Marine,and helicopter pilot.
But he battled depression
and post-traumatic stress
and unreasonable trauma and grief.
- [Eric] A battle he lost in 2005.
- [Kim] I had, at the time, two boys.
They were eight and ten years old.
So, really was thrown into this world
of surviving a military suicide loss.
- [Eric] A social worker by profession,
Kim often sensed subtile changesin her husband's behavior,
during phone calls.
- I asked him directly if hewas thinking about suicide,
if he was feeling so badly
that he was thinking about suicide.
And he said I would neverdo that to you and the boys.
And then he killed himselfa couple hours later.
- [Eric] John became partof the growing statistic
of active military and veterans,
who have committed suicide.
The latest Pentagon research shows
increases over the last five years,
with more than 500 militarysuicides in 2018 alone.
A Veterans Administration report
indicates some 6,000veteran suicides each year,
between 2005 and 2017.
- [Kim] Men slightly morelikely to die by suicide,
and women veterans, twice as likely.
- [Eric] Dr. Heather Kelly,
is Director of Military andVeterans' Health Policy,
at the American Psychological Association.
- It's a complicated problem,
and a lot of differentreasons for different people.
About half of thosemilitary service members,
who die by suicide, have never deployed,
much less, seen combat.
So, they're subject to life's stress
that has nothing to do with their service,
just like the rest of us.
- You don't know what thecenter of your back is!
- The culture continuesto be the biggest battle
in suicide prevention within the military.
- [Eric] But there is help.
After her husband's death, Ruocco started
The Assistance Programfor Survivors, or TAPS.
- When there is a suicide,
they are immediately connected to us.
And so, we're able to thenreach out to those survivors,
assess their needs,stabilize them with trauma,
with mental healthissues, with suicide risk.
And then, help them withsuicide-specific issues,
like how do you tell your children.
- [Eric] On the preventionside, the American Bible Society
has rolled out the GodUnderstands Campaign,
to help service memberswho are battling depression
and other mental health challenges.
It consists of testimoniesfrom people like Bryan Flanery,
who attempted suicide, while in the Army.
- Spoiler alert, I failed.
- Almost every day, atthe start of my day,
I remember sitting inthat empty barracks room,
and I let myself feel the emotions again.
The hopelessness, the pain, the anguish.
And then, I look aroundat my life today, right?
And I see how God truly, Hedidn't put a band-aid on it,
but He truly restored my soul.
- So that emphasis behindthe God Understands
is for people to listen to other stories,
to realize that they're not the only one
that's feeling like they've failed.
They're not the only one
that ever would walk thisjourney by themselves.
- Groseclose says social distancing
only magnifies feelings of isolation,
and that could cause thealready growing suicide number
among service members to spike.
He says God Understands provides a unique
human and divine connection.
Is this what we need tostave off that trend?
- The way of ending veteran suicide,
is with Jesus.
- In fact, experts sayfaith is what's known as
a protective factor,when I comes to suicide.
In other words, those whoidentify with all faiths,
are at lower risk for suicide.
The God Understands Campaign aims to reach
20,000 service members,
between Memorial Day and the 4th of July.
Eric Philips, CBN News.
- [John] Up next, a World War II hero
remembers the angel that saved his life
in the worst naval disaster,in American history.
(upbeat music)
- [Announcer] Come home tothe sounds of southern gospel,
from CBN Radio.
You'll enjoy a richsouthern blend of bluegrass,
classic gospel andsouthern gospel favorites,
like The Gaithers, the Crab Family
and bluegrass sounds like Mountain Faith.
So, make yourself at home,
with the all new CBN Southern Gospel,
now available at CBN Radio.com.
(banjo music)
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- Meet the pastors whoare preaching the gospel
in a fresh, fearless way.
(upbeat music)
I'm Roberto Torres-Cedillo.
Join me each week for Next Gen Voices.
And watch God transform a generation.
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- [Announcer] Prophecythousands of years old.
- [Woman] We were calledto be a light to the world.
- [Announcer] Being fulfilled today.
Discover how.
Get "To Life."
Call 1-800-700-7000.
- [Man] We consider itour duty to reach out
and help others around the world.
- [Announcer] For a gift of $10 or more,
you can own the acclaimedCBN documentary, "To Life."
Just call 1-800-700-7000,or log onto CBN.com.
- To treat a human, no matter what he is,
which religions hehave, which color he is,
this is what I'm doing.
- [Announcer] See how the people of Israel
are fulfilling prophecy.
- History is being written,
and I wanna be a part of it.
- [Narrator] By sharing their knowledge.
- In Africa, in Asia, inSouth America, in East Europe.
- [Announcer] And their love.
- This is how we work.
This is us.
- [Announcer] Get "To Life."
Call 1-800-700-7000, or log onto CBN.com.
- Well, welcome back.
As we gear up for Independence Day,
we wanted to bring you
the courageous story of a man
who served aboard the USS Indianapolis.
- Japanese torpedoessunk the naval cruiser
during World War II.
CBN's Mark Martin brings us the story
of Edgar Harrell, whowas on board that day.
- [Mark] On a small farm in Kentucky,
Edgar Harrell heard aboutthe war in the Pacific
on the radio.
After listening to reports ofMarines losing their lives,
he wanted to help.
- I thought, ya know, I'm 18 years old,
and I'd already registered for the draft.
I thought now I don't wantto wait and be drafted.
I want to get in the Marine Corp.
- [Mark] The heavy cruiser,the USS Indianapolis
became his home.
- [Edgar] When I sawthat big Indianapolis,
you can imagine the countryboy, what he thought of that.
- [Mark] Harrell sawfierce combat on the ship.
Events that shook him to the core.
The 95 year old vividlyrecalls one harrowing incident
when a Japanese kamikazeplane struck the Indianapolis,
in the battle for Okinawa.
- I can remember seein' that plane,
thinkin' that life is over.
This is the end of life!
Because he's divin' for the fantail.
- [Mark] Harrell survived that attack.
But nine of his shipmates did not.
The Indianapolis had to returnto the states for repairs.
Eventually, it left San Francisco Bay,
heading back to the South Pacific
on what would be its final mission.
On board, importantcomponents of the atomic bombs
that would be dropped onHiroshima and Nagasaki.
Crew members unloaded thewar-ending cargo at Tinian Island.
Harrell says their next assignment
was to head to the Philippines,
to prepare for the main invasion of Japan.
- Captain McVay asked for an escort,
and they'd tell him, youdon't need an escort.
Well, may I say,
they were not tellin' the truth.
They could've said, you need an escort!
Why?
Because four days before,we lost a destroyer,
the USS Underhill.
We lost 129 boys.
And we were to go through that very area.
- [Mark] Why Navy leadersmade that decision,
Harrell says, remains a mystery.
And that brings us to July 30, 1945.
A Japanese submarinespots the Indianapolis
in the Philippine Sea,
and fires a spread of torpedoes.
Two hit their mark, andin less than 15 minutes,
the ship goes down.
Around 900 of the nearly 1,200 man crew,
who survived the initial attack,
find themselves oil-soaked,
many with injuries, clingingto Kapok life jackets
in the shark-infested waters.
- Then I thought of Mom and Dad back home.
I thought of six younger brothers,
a older sister, a younger sister.
And I thought of this certain brunette
that said that she would wait for me.
And I tell the Lord, I don't wanna die.
I wanna live!
- [Mark] Harrell, who is 20 at the time,
says he began to think of scriptures.
- I'll never leave you nor forsake you.
Seemingly, that came to mind.
No audible voice,
but I knew that theLord was bigger than me.
Lord, you're speaking to my heart.
I'm gonna make it.
Well, I didn't know I'm gonnabe out there, 4 1/2 days.
- [Mark] 4 1/2 days ofunbelievable horror.
No food, no water and yet
surrounded by water in all directions,
along with sharks.
He says, shipmates, notin their right mind,
some because they were injured,
others because they drank salt water,
began to hallucinate.
- He leaves a group
and he gets out 50, 75 yards,
and you hear a blood-curdling scream,
and you see that Kapok go under.
And then, like a fish cork,
then that Kapok brings that body back up.
But by now, all the blood and more.
More sharks, more fins.
And they are kind offighting over what was there.
- [Mark] Despite witnessingscenes like that,
Harrell refused to give up hope.
He believes God directed himand several of his buddies,
to a crate of rotten potatoes.
The hearts of the potatoeswere still edible.
He also believes God senta small rain cloud one day,
to provide desperately needed water.
- So what do you do?
Thank you, Lord, thankyou, Lord, thank you!
And that little rain cloud comes over,
and you get a few drops
of maybe a few tablespoons full of water.
- [Mark] The brutalconditions took their toll.
The number of sailorsand Marines dwindled down
to a little more than 300.
Finally, a plane flew overthe area, low to the water.
A miracle, because the pilot,Lieutenant Wilbur Gwinn,
wasn't looking for the survivors.
He did not even know they were missing.
No one did.
- Lieutenant Gwinn goes aft,he opens the bomb bay door,
and in just a flash, he looksdown at the ocean below,
and what he saw was an oil slick.
- [Mark] Flying even lower,Gwinn, who they called Angel,
sees debris, sharks andsharks attacking survivors.
He radios for help,
and eventually 317 crewmembers of the USS Indianapolis
are pulled from the water.
Harrell spent months inhospitals, recovering.
After everything Harrell went through,
it's easy to see whyhe's a decorated Marine.
He was even awarded the Purple Heart.
Here is the letter, dated August 13, 1945.
"The Purple Heart is awarded
"by the Medical Officer in Command
"to Edgar Alvin Harrell,
"for wounds received in action
"against an enemy of the UnitedStates, on July 30, 1945."
He went on to marry Ola, thebrunette who waited for him.
Harrell shares his storyof God's providence
at schools and churches.
He calls it a ministry.
He and his son, David,
also chronicled the unforgettable story,
"Out of the Depths."
- There's not a day thatgoes by, many, many times,
that I just look up andsay, "Thank you, Lord."
- [Mark] Mark Martin, CBNNews, Clarksville, Tennessee.
- [Announcer] Too often, wecarry baggage from our past.
You know what it's like.
It affects everything,and everyone in our lives.
It's always there,
weighing us down and keeping us
from achieving true happiness.
But do you know God never meant for us
to be trapped in the past?
You can be free of your baggage.
Learn how God's forgivenessleads to changed lives,
and new beginnings.
Call the 700 Club.
- [Efrem] I'm Efrem Graham,
and this is Studio 5.
Cruise with me, as Idiscover the good things
happening in the world of music,
sports, television, and movies.
- The fact that Ryan Coogler
was gonna be directing the film,
I knew that somethingspecial was gonna happen.
- [Ephrem] We'll chat with artists,
at the forefront of entertainment,
and explore the connection
between popular culture and faith.
- I asked my pastor, Isaid, well, does that mean
I'm supposed to be a preacher?
He says, well, no, youalready have a pulpit.
- [Ephrem] Watch Studio 5,Wednesday night at 9:30.
- [Announcer] (speakingin a foreign language)
- [Woman] This is ournature, as a country.
- [Announcer] To makethe world a better place.
- [Man] Literally, wefelt the earth shaking.
- [Announcer] The ChristianBroadcasting Network presents,
"To Life, How Israeli Volunteersare Changing the World."
- This film needs to be seen by everyone.
- I was in tears.
- [Announcer] Now, you canown the inspiring documentary,
"To Life" on DVD.
- There is blood on our handsif we know and we walk away.
- I'm so grateful that this film was made.
- [Announcer] "To Life" can be yours,
for a give of $10 or more.
Call 1-800-700-7000, or log onto CBN.com.
- [Man] We know that everyminute counts to save a life.
- It'll bless Israel.
It'll also bless
all the friends of Israel.
- [Announcer] Discover the untold story
of how Israeli volunteers
are making the world a better place.
Call 1-800-700-7000, or log onto CBN.com
to get your copy today.
- Nearly nine years ago,
an earthquake rattled Washington D.C.,
causing hundreds of millionsof dollars in damages
across the city.
- And more than $34 million tothe National Cathedral alone.
Ben Kennedy reports onhow the iconic church
is being repaired.
- [Ben] It's officiallyknown as the Cathedral Church
of St. Peter and St. Paul.
The stately structureoffers spectacular views,
vaulted ceilings and more than200 stained glass windows,
including one depicting space,
which is especially unique.
A real piece of the moon is in the window?
- Yeah, that's right, yeah.
It's the only place in Washington
where you can actuallysee a piece of the moon.
- [Ben] Seven grams oflunar rock, to be exact.
- It was not just rock thatthey returned to earth.
But in an exciting way,
the very horizon of eternity.
- [Ben] Donated by the crew of Apollo 11,
led by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
- [Neil] One small step for man,
one giant leap for mankind.
- [Ben] Long before thathistoric landing, came creation,
symbolized in this window.
10,000 pieces of hand-blown glass
highlight God creatingthe heavens and the earth.
The Cathedral allowed CBNNews a rare, up-close look.
- If you look at the top of these windows,
there you have the Supreme Court
and the White House,and then the US Capital.
- [Ben] The Cathedral sitsabove all those famous places,
making it the highestpoint in Washington D.C.
It is there that stonegargoyles and grotesques
are believed to ward off evil spirits.
(ominous music)
But one stone sculpture draws visitors
to the dark side.
- This is the north side of the Cathedral,
the dark side of the Cathedral.
Which is why he is where he is.
- [Ben] He is noneother, than Darth Vader?
May The Force be with you
when tryin' to track down Darth Vader.
As you'll see, he's not easy to spot.
Now, I'm no Jedi, so I hadto travel 20 stories up,
through an elevator, justto get a better site,
up top of the Sith Lord.
- People come and theyjust wanna see Vader,
and they stand rightdown there on the ground,
like that guy, right there.
You walk by, and they're lookin'
and they're lookin' and they're lookin',
and they just wanna see him.
- [Ben] A design competition,
during the 80s Star Warscraze, sparked an entry,
which ended up earning thewell-known villain his spot.
- It's actually been great,
because it's one form ofengagement that the people have,
with the Cathedral.
Which sometimes is all they need.
And then they wanna come back
and they wanna see what's inside.
And then maybe they wannacome back and go to church.
So, whatever it takes tolure people in the door.
Vader has a purpose.
- [Ben] His purpose could be the force
behind helping the Cathedral recover
from the millions in damages,caused by the 2011 earthquake,
that rattled the nation's capitol.
- [Reporter] A magnitude 5.3earthquake has been felt.
- Here you can see the,this is earthquake damage.
- [Ben] Repairing and replacing stonework
costs big bucks.
Money the Cathedral doesn't have.
That's where visitors anddonors can make the difference.
- A lot of people do visitthe National Cathedral.
What are the numbers?
How many we talkin'?
- All told, visitors and worshipers,
we get about 750,000 a year.
- Oh, wow.
- On Christmas and Easter, our big ones.
- [Ben] During those services,priests and special guests,
have shared God's message,
from the Canterbury pulpit for decades.
- A lot of people have preached from here,
Billy Graham, the Dalai Lama,
Martin Luther King, obviously, yeah.
- [Ben] Influencers, touristsand a faithful following,
keep the WashingtonNational Cathedral running.
And having the force onthe grounds, doesn't hurt.
Especially with new Star Wars movies
bringing in new generations.
- You can come back toit time and time again,
and no matter where you are in your life,
or your life circumstance,
you can find something new and enriching,
something to move yourfaith to the next place.
- [Ben] After spending a day inside,
we only got to see a fraction
of what the NationalCathedral has to offer.
So bottom line, it appearswe'll just have to come back.
For CBN News, I'm BenKennedy, in Washington.
- [John] Ben gets allthe great assignments.
Well still ahead,
Americans may vote for their presidents,
but how ultimately chooses them?
The answer, when Faith Nation returns.
(upbeat music)
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It's packed with games, activities
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- [Announcer] From Washington D.C.,
uncompromising stories, interviews
and analysis from veteran journalists.
David Brody.- Escalating fight.
- [Announcer] Jenna Browder.
- Chose his words carefully.
- [Announcer] Ben Kennedy.
- Plan to join him.
- [Announcer] And Amber Strong.
- For impeachment growsa little bit louder.
- [Announcer] Bringing you thepolitical news that matters.
- We get out, and tell the story
of the progress that we'remaking in this country.
- [Announcer] Watch Faith Nation.
Weeknights at six, onthe CBN News Channel.
(intense music)
- We will move the American Embassy
to the eternal capitol ofthe Jewish people, Jerusalem.
- [Announcer] As the nations rage.
You can stand with Israel.
- History is being written,and I wanna be a part of it.
- [Announcer] Call 1-800-700-7000,
and get "To Life."
- [Woman] This is ournature, as a country.
- [Announcer] Discover the untold story
of how Israeli volunteersare changing the world.
- [Man] We consider itour duty to reach out
and help others around the world.
- [Announcer] For a gift of $10 or more,
you can own the acclaimedCBN documentary, "To Life."
- To treat a human, no matter what he is,
which religions hehave, which color he is,
this is what I'm doing.
- [Announcer] Support Israelin their time of need.
Get "To Life," now available on DVD.
Call 1-800-7-7000, or log onto CBN.com.
- [Woman] And I wish thatother people, around the world,
could see this side of Israel.
- Welcome back.
It's a common desire towant strong leadership,
especially in times of crisis.
History has plenty ofexamples, both good and bad.
- As Paul Strand reports,it's important to remember
who truly calls the shots.
- God is in charge, right now
with the president of the United States.
But not just this one.
Every other one before,and every one after.
And God is working out His will.
- [Paul] Dr. Peter Lillback
and his Philadelphia-basedProvidence Forum,
highlight the many timesGod has touched America
and it's leaders, throughout its history.
- When Paul was on theAreopagus, in Acts 17,
he said to the Athenians, Godestablishes the boundaries
in times of nations.
And so, yes, the Biblesays He raises up leaders,
and He puts them down.
Now we don't know if that is for blessing
or for judgment.
But absolutely, Donald Trump is leading
because of God's purpose.
But that's also true of Barak Obama.
It's also true of George Washington.
And Abraham Lincoln.
And as hard as it is to say this,
even the tyrants and dictators of history.
God is working through all of them.
And when we have apresident we don't like,
the Bible tells us we're still to respect
those in authority.
But also call them tothe higher law of God,
and say, are you following His standards?
- If a president willfollow God's standards,
Lillback insists it'll bring godly wisdom
and blessing to America.
- A lot of people say,oh the Ten Commandments,
God is cruel, God is mean,
and He's takin' away my pleasure.
It's not at all true.
This is the Creator saying,
do you wanna know the best way to live?
Follow my will.
- [Paul] Such a follower leads his nation
to seek God's will and ways.
- We ask the question,what's right, what's wrong?
That is the great historyof America, at its best.
- God is well-pleased to guide and prosper
such a people.
- They know to do the rightthing and the right way,
and the right time.
That brings blessings to many.
That's our prayer.
- In other words, at sucha time of global crisis,
rather than looking for government leaders
to solve all the problems,
people need to look higher,
to the God who putsthose leaders in place.
Paul Strand, CBN News, Washington.
- Thanks, Paul.
And thank you, for watchingthis special edition
of Faith Nation.
- Have a great 4th of July.
We'll see you next week.
(upbeat music)
