When Larry D. Cripps was drafted into the US Army in the summer of 1969, he had no way of knowing that he would ultimately be serving with one of the Army's most formidable and historic combat units, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. While participating in combat operations in South Vietnam and Cambodia, Cripps witnessed the harsh realities of warfare, including pain, sorrow, destruction, severe injuries, and numerous deaths.
Amid horrifying sights, smells, and sounds, bloodstained battlefields, and near-death experiences, Cripps learned to dig deep to find any measure of goodness, hope, truth, and light. When faced with death and exhaustion, he resisted the temptation to give in to despair, focusing instead on timeless principles such as faith in God, love for family, duty to country, and sacrifice for his fellow soldiers. These principles gave him the strength to keep going.
When hospitalized for an injury in an Army medical facility in Long Binh, South Vietnam, which was understaffed due to recent military cutbacks, Cripps raised his hand to aid severely wounded patients on his right and left. He tended to their wounds throughout the night and offered comfort and reassurance during the day. When explosives killed three of his closest friends shortly before their scheduled return home, he found a private place and wept with every fiber of his being. Cripps had learned throughout his time in Vietnam that when death comes to your doorstep with a smile, you do the only thing anyone can do: smile back and keep moving forward.
Through it all, Cripps refused to abandon hope, a virtue instilled by his parents whose deep-seated faith was shaped during the harsh realities of the Great Depression and the Second World War. This theme is also the focus of his new book, "The Hope of War: A Chaplain’s Journey to Abiding Faith, Enduring Hope, and Love Under Fire," released by Emissary Publishing this past Memorial Day.
Set against the backdrop of some of the most significant periods in American history—the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and the cultural upheavals of the 1960s and early 1970s—Cripps skillfully portrays what it was like for a small-town farm boy from the Blue Springs Community near Smithville, Tennessee, to come of age during this tumultuous era. Additionally, he develops how these events influenced his perspective on the world and helped prepare him for his subsequent role as a Navy Chaplain. In this capacity, he was allowed to serve at the highest levels of command during a career spanning two additional wars: Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks resulting in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom.
Based on his own transition struggles after the Vietnam War, Cripps dedicated the last 10 years of his naval career to collaborating with Navy medical and mental health professionals. Together, they advocated for senior US Marine Corps leaders to create and implement programs to support Marines and Sailors as they transitioned from the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan to everyday life. Cripps played a crucial role in these efforts, which led to his assignment to establish similar initiatives for the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, the brown water side of the Navy, and the renowned Navy SEALs. Both commands are part of the rapid deployment and reactionary forces under the US President and the Secretary of Defense.
On Saturday, November 9, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Captain Cripps and his wife, Charlene, will be hosting a Freedom Celebration/Charity Event at the DeKalb County Community Complex located at 712 S. Congress Blvd. in Smithville. This event is a fundraiser in collaboration with the Wounded Warrior Project and the Mighty Oaks Foundation. The purpose of the occasion is to pay tribute to the men and women of America’s Armed Forces, veterans, first responders and their families.
The program will include pop-up vendors offering delicious foods and delectable treats, an attractive pictorial display of Cripps' military career, and a memorial to the young men of DeKalb County who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. There will also be patriotic performances by local talent, a presentation by Captain Cripps about his new book and the motivation behind its publication, and finally, a book signing session for those interested.
Pre-registration costs $20 per person, and children 12 and under get free admission. All proceeds from the event go to the above-mentioned charities. To sign up, go to https://thehopeofwar.com/ on the Emissary website. The deadline for pre-registration is November 8, 2024.
