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Recently, I watched an old 1962 film starring Jeff Chandler, called "Merrill's Marauders." This war movie shows the astonishing courage and determination of Frank D. Merrill and his men. It also demonstrates the courage of Jeff Chandler, the man who acted the part of Frank Merrill. Both men achieved their goals one step at a time even though they were in severe pain.In 1944, Merrill's unit was sent to Burma to help prevent the Japanese from getting through into India and then linking up with Hitler's forces.The soldiers had done their stint of military duty both in Burma and elsewhere and were looking forward to getting some leave. Instead they were given two further tasks which seemed impossible - attacking the Japanese railhead at Shaduzup and capturing the airfield at Mitchina.These targets were behind enemy lines and the light armed 'marauders' or rangers had to travel through swamps and thick Burmese jungle to avoid discovery.They were not always able to collect supplies from air drops since the enemy, seeing the parachutes, might be waiting to ambush them.They were frequently very hungry, stressed and deprived of rest and were, as a result, vulnerable to typhus and malaria. Morale was low.They felt they were being used without consideration by their top commanders. However, they just had to keep going. There was no other unit which could relieve them.When the soldiers looked like collapsing Merrill told them to take "one step; .just one step further."Step by step, anything is possible because if you keep going, you will eventually reach your goal. Merrill's men kept going.The men did not know that their leader, Brigadier-General Frank Merrill, had suffered a heart attack before coming to Burma and was in severe danger of having another. However, he, too, kept going one step at a time. He shared all the problems faced by his men.At one point in the film on the long trek to Mitchina and faced with potential mutiny, Frank suffered a second heart attack and collapsed into unconsciousness.The soldiers then realized what he had been going through and, inspired by his example, continued their journey and successfully captured the airfield base at Mitchina.They had walked over 1000 miles through extremely dense jungles and had emerged with victory. The famous Chinese proverb could have been written especially for them:"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."Of course, the journey can only continue one step at a time.Most of us can take our steps without being hunted down by forces who are determined to kill us. We do not have to walk in very poor health through swamps and jungles. We do not have to suffer from lack of food, sleep and clean water.In fact, taking one step at a time should be no problem for us at all. If we feel like complaining, we might just buy a copy of the film and watch it one more time!In five major and thirty minor engagements, Merrill's marauders defeated the veteran soldiers of the Japanese 18th Division (conquerors of Singapore and Malaya) who greatly outnumbered them.The marauders would move to the rear of the main forces of the enemy and disrupt the supply lines. The climax of their behind-the-lines operations came with the capture of Mitchina Airfield, the only all-weather airfield in Burma.In July 1944, the Marauders were awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation. In August 1944, what remained of Merrill's Marauders was absorbed into the 475th Infantry.Jeff Chandler had his own problems during part of the making of the film. At one point, he had severe back pain and would spend the night in traction so that he would be able to take the next step of acting his role in the morning.He knew from personal experience what it was like to take one step at a time when you are in pain. He died before the film was released after an operation on his back. Sadly, Merrill's Marauders was his last filmFrank Merrill, too, died after an operation. Sometimes, a hospital can be a more dangerous place than a battlefield.Hopefully, the history of Frank Merrill and the Marauders and of Jeff Chandler, the great movie actor, will inspire the rest of us to start and continue our own journey of a thousand miles one step at a time even if we are in physical or mental pain or both.
Article Source: http://www.content.onlypunjab.com
John Watson is an award winning teacher and 5th degree blackbelt martial arts instructor. He has written several ebooks on motivation and success topics. One of these can be found at <www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php>
You can also find motivational ebooks by authors like Stuart Goldsmith. Check out <www.motivationtoday.com/the_midas_method.php>
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