Podcasts about troubled

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster, we are re-releasing our four-part series on the tragedy.

Pastor Keith's Sunday morning sermon entitled, “When My Heart is Troubled”. This sermon covers John 14:1-6.To learn more about CCPV, visit us on our…Website: www.ccpomonavalley.comInstagram: @calvarychapelpomonavalleyFacebook: @ccpomonavalleyYouTube: @CalvaryChapelPomonaValleyFind us on the Church Center App!

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In this message, we explore what it means to live with peace when our hearts feel troubled. This teaching challenges us to trust the Father and the Son, anchor our hope in Jesus' covenant promises, and follow Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life—through every season of uncertainty.Scripture: John 14:1-6Speaker: Pastor Kyle HornerDid you make a decision to follow Christ today? We'd love to support you—email us at info@theconnectchurch.com.Learn more about The Connect Church and stay connected: https://linktr.ee/theconnectchurch

John 13:36-14:4,36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”Let not your hearts be troubled. The text was chosen months ago. And your pastors believe it was chosen before the foundation of the world for this church, on this Sunday, January 25, 2026.“Let not your hearts be troubled.” (John 14:1)Has your heart been troubled this week?Pastor Jonathan talked last week about Jesus giving his disciples both a new commission — that we love one another — and a new location. For the first time, these men were going to follow Jesus in a world without Jesus. A world without Jesus. We know that kind of world, don't we? Most weeks, we live out there in a world without Jesus, and we see and feel his absence in all kinds of ways… Some of you were deeply troubled long before last Sunday — you've been staring down serious financial trouble. Or stubborn marriage trouble. Or sudden health trouble. Or heartbreaking trouble with your kids. All this might feel small compared to what weighs on you most right now. I know because we pray for you as pastors. You have laid in bed at night and wondered, Jesus, where are you? Why would you leave me here, to deal with this?Every week, we live out there in a world without Jesus. And then once a week, we come together here, and it feels like he's really here… He is of course here, we all know that. We say it at the end of every service, Matthew 28:18-20,“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. . . . And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”He was with us last Sunday, and he's with us this Sunday, and if he doesn't return, he'll be with us next Sunday, whatever comes. He'll never leave us or forsake us… And yet we can't see him. But when we come together like this, it's almost like we can — the singing, the preaching, the praying, the one-anothering — this gathering pulls his throne back down out of the clouds for an hour or two, just long enough for us to run back in and spend 6 days facing all the things that trouble us. And then, last week, the trouble broken in and interrupted even that. Or did it? It's true that the service we had planned didn't immediately continue as planned, that a scene unfolded that none of us wanted to witness much less experience, but as I watched it all happen, standing right over there, Jesus was so real in the chaos. Jesus was really real. He was real in you.One mom injured herself rushing another family out of the Sanctuary. More moms quickly getting our kids to the safest part of the building. Men like Pastor Mike and the other Pastor Mike and Ben and Tommy and Eli and Warren and others quickly standing to shield others and calmly but firmly surround the protestors. Our people engaging the aggression with calmness, kindness, and truth. Attempting to talk and reason with them. Praying for them, and even with one or two of them. Pastor Jonathan, with mics shoved in his face, responding with Jesus and Jesus and more of Jesus. We're here to worship Jesus! And then since Sunday, you haven't stopped. Every day, sometimes hour by hour, we've watched dozens of you rise to meet some need.I've talked to a number of you now who have gone to visit immigrants in our church community who are hurting and afraid, bringing food and Scripture to strengthen them.You keep stepping up, each in your own way, to comfort one another, to feed one another, to protect one another, to pray for one another.We heard in the sermon last Sunday:“They will know you are my disciples by the way you love one another.”And, brothers and sisters, the whole world knows we worship Jesus because of how you loved one another last Sunday.But last Sunday was troubling — the state of our city is deeply troubling. And the sermons of the last couple months are helping me process the trouble. Just a few verses before we get to verse 1, we heard, John 13:21,“After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.'”What does that mean? It means it's not always wrong to be troubled. There is an unholy troubled — an unholy anxiety, an unwillingness to trust God. May God guard us from that. But Jesus knew Judas was going to betray him, he knew why he was going to die, he knew he was going to rise from the dead, he knew he was saving the world from their sins — and he was still troubled. It's not always wrong to be troubled.And so, when Jesus says to his disciples here, with his own heart troubled by Judas, “Let not your hearts be troubled,” I don't think this is mainly fatherly correction — “Boys, stop being so worried and upset about all of this.” He's certainly not afraid to confront and correct them (in fact, he corrects Peter right here in these verses), but that's not the tone here. No, this isn't mainly fatherly correction; this is fatherly encouragement for battle. They needed courage to face the trouble ahead, and a good father knows how to give courage in moments like these. These men have good reasons to be troubled, and he's reminding them they have even better reasons to trust him and take heart. And he gives us reasons right here in these verses.My three main points are questions:How could he leave?Where did he go?How do we get to him?1. How Could He Leave?Before I get to how Jesus strengthens his friends, we need to try and feel their trouble with them. We all know the things we're troubled about — I know what's troubling me — but what was troubling them? I'm thankful that we put the end of John 13 with the beginning of 14. John 13:36, our first verse, helps define the trouble for us:“Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, where are you going?'”It's a little hard for us to put ourselves in their shoes, isn't it? They were desperate for a savior, for a king to come and conquer Rome. And they really believed this was their king. He's here. And now this is the moment. We're going up to Jerusalem again, but now we have the promised Messiah, the king, the champion. We're going up there and we're going to win. This time's going to be different. We don't have to live in a world without our king anymore.And then as they gird up their loins and prepare for battle, the Messiah says, “Actually, I'm going to leave you now.” What! It felt like their savior was leaving right when they needed saving. . . . The wine at the wedding, and the bread and fish in the dessert, and even raising Lazarus from the dead, that's all amazing, but we need you now, Jesus. Like, none of that means anything if you don't come through for us now. You're supposed to be the one who delivers us. . . . And now you're deserting us? You're leaving us to try and live here, without you?Now, we know where he's going, and so we want to say, “Hey Peter, relax, it's going to be alright. He's going to die and rise. You're going to win — like really, really win.” But we do the same thing they're doing, don't we? We might not get in Jesus's face like Peter did, but we ask the same questions — we do if we're human anyway. Some of you were asking verse 36 questions this week. Jesus, you're just going to leave us here — with this? Jesus, why did you have to leave? If you loved us, why would you let us go through all this without you? You were already here! You could have just stayed and made all of this right by now. How could you leave?How could he leave? He had to leave. The question we should ask is: Where did he need to go? And that's really what these next verses are about.2. Where Did He Go?“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”Where was Jesus going when he left his disciples behind? He says he was going to his Father's house, and he was going to prepare a place for them, for us.He's talking about heaven, the place where God dwells. That's where he was going. But why did he call heaven “the Father's house”? . . . The Bible doesn't talk this way about heaven a lot. I think Jesus calls heaven a house at this particular moment, right before intense suffering and opposition, because he wanted them to know that heaven isn't just a shelter for forgiven believers — no more sin, no more fear, no more tears. That would be an improvement on these cities. That would be an improvement on any city. It's certainly better than eternal destruction in hell. No, Jesus wanted these men to know, in the face of great danger, that heaven is more than a shelter; it's a home — it's a place where you belong, where you're loved, where you feel safe. It's a place for family. The heaven Jesus bought for you is a home — and don't you want a new home? Don't you want to be a part of that kind of family? You might think you have a great home, in a great part of town, hemmed in by great neighbors, but even there you're hit with waves of heartache and temptation and uncertainty. Because of sin and all the horrible consequences of sin, we all want to go home. We're all out of place here. And some of us feel that more than others. You feel very, very far from home here. Jesus is going to say in just a few verses, “I will not leave you as orphans . . . ” (John 14:18). I'm going to provide a home for you. A place to belong. A place to be loved. A place where you are fully and finally safe.And in that house, he says, there are many rooms. Why did he say that? Because he wants us to know that there's plenty of room.“For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).Heaven isn't going to be like the inns in Bethlehem when Christ first came. No, there's always room in this house. Do you want to live in this house? There is room for you — and there's room for everyone you know (and everyone they know). If every soul in these cities turned to Jesus, he'd have a place for every single one of them. And that's our mission as a church. This is a big, big house, and our prayer is that God would fill up the rooms — that he would bring many, many in our city home, even through the horrors of what's happening right now. The people in our city are hurting and divided and afraid and they need a King. I've prayed, with all the extra attention on our church, Lord, fill up the rooms! Make Jesus impossible to ignore. And make him impossible to resist. There's always room in this house. He won't turn you away.And if you'll believe in Jesus, not only is there room for you, but there's a room for you. Listen to him carefully, “In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” When you get to this house, he's not going to be scrambling around to make room (Hey, Epaphraditus, can you bunk with Aquila until we find a spot for Pastor Max?). No, there will be a place prepared for you. And when you get there, you're going to know it's yours. Our kids got a number of things for Christmas this year, but the biggest hit was a case of colored pencils my wife bought for our son. I didn't know my wife had gotten this gift for him, and so when he opened it and I saw his eyes, I cried. I cried! Why did I cry about some colored pencils?Because as soon as I saw it, and saw him holding it, I knew it was the perfect gift for him. You could have shown me that pencil case anywhere in the world, and I would have said that's something my wife would buy for our boy, because she's a good mom who knows and loves her son. No child in the world is going to love this more than he does. That's what your room's going to be like. Your place in heaven. It's going to be obviously yours, prepared for you.Some of you have never had a home like that. A lot of people feel that way in Minneapolis and St. Paul right now. You sit in your home, in this city, and it feels like anything but home here. You're anxious. You're angry. You're troubled. And into that persistent sense of homesickness, Jesus says, “If you're with me, Oh I have a home for you. I'm going to prepare a place for you.”And the best part of the home he makes for you is going to be him. “In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”So he left to prepare a place for you, and he's coming back to make sure you get there safely. Did you hear that? He's not going to prepare a place for you and then waiting to see if you can get there on your own. No, when it's time, he's going to come back, pick you up, and escort you there himself. Not one of you will be lost or left behind.And when you get home, he'll be at the center of everything you love about that place. You'll be happier than you've ever been — Do you believe that about heaven? You'll be happier than ever before, and it's not going to be about the colored pencils he put next to the bed — it's not going to be about all the things you'd want to do if you could do anything you want in heaven (and I think we'll do all those things in heaven). No, you'll be happier than you've ever been, and it'll be because he's there. I promise you. You won't have to convince yourself he's the best. No, it'll be so good to be with him that it'll be a little hard to believe that he's really just there, every day, for thousands and thousands of years.More than anyone besides the Bible, Randy Alcorn has helped me long for that home. He says in his book on heaven,“Nothing is more often misdiagnosed than our homesickness for Heaven. We think that what we want is sex, drugs, alcohol, a new job, a raise, a doctorate, a spouse, a large-screen television, a new car, a cabin in the woods, a condo in Hawaii. What we really want is the person we were made for, Jesus, and the place we were made for, Heaven. Nothing less can satisfy us. . . . Not only will we see his face and live, but we will likely wonder if we ever lived before we saw his face!” (Heaven, 166, 172)So he's going to the Father's house, which has many rooms, there's a room prepared for you, with him at the center, and he's coming back to make sure we get there. But how do we get there?3. How Do We Get to Him?Verse 3:“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”You don't think you know. That's exactly what Thomas says in the next verse,“Lord, we don't know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Pastor Jonathan will preach those verses in a couple weeks, but we get a taste even here in these verses. When Jesus says, “I go to prepare a place for you,” what did he mean by prepare? Did he mean he had to leave because he needed to do some work on the house to get it ready for us? Is he framing out doors and laying sheet rock on a couple floors? No, this isn't that kind of preparation. The house is finished. All the rooms are ready. No one has been forgotten, and no detail has been missed. The problem isn't the readiness of the house; the problem at this point in the Gospel of John is that there's no way to get in. When he says he's going to prepare a place for them, he's going to install the front door. And this glorious door is made of two horrifying beams of wood. He's going to die for his friends. That's really why he had to leave. When he says he's preparing a place, he's opening the home. And so yes, where's he going? He's going to the Father's house. But he gets there through the grave. “I am the good shepherd,” he told them. “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. . . .” (John 10:11). He's going to die for their sins, so that they get to go home. He's going to lay down his life for the sheep, for his friends. As he's leaving them, we realize he's not abandoning them; he's rescuing them. All they can see is the immediate threat — we can relate to that — all they can see is the immediate threat ,but he was focused on a far greater threat. They're focused on little Rome, and he's about to go to war against hell — and he's going to win.Colossians 2:13–15:“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” How could he leave? Where was he going? That's where he's going. “And,” he says verse 4, “you know the way to where I am going” (John 14:3–4). Again, you don't think you know the way — we've felt that way this week, haven't we? We don't think we know the way forward, but we do know the way, because we know him.Even You, PeterAs we turn to the Table, then, that leaves us with three verses I've said almost nothing about. This is chapter 13:36–38. I'll be brief here, in closing, but I'm so jealous for you to see this. “Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, where are you going?' Jesus answered him, ‘Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.' 37 Peter said to him, ‘Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.' 38 Jesus answered, ‘Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.'”Next verse, next words out of his mouth, in the very next breath as far as we know:“Let not your hearts be troubled.”Think about that. “I will lay down my life for you!” “No you won't, Peter. You're going to fail me, you're going to disown and betray me three times today . . . . and I'm still going to lay down my life for you, so you don't have to be troubled.” He doesn't say that to Judas (he's already left by now), but he says it to Peter. I'm going to prepare a place for you, Peter. Yes, even you. And so I say to you this morning, it doesn't matter how you have betrayed him and how many times you have betrayed him — how many times you have run from him and sinned against him. Maybe you betrayed him three times in the last 24 hours. It doesn't matter where you're coming from this Sunday. And it doesn't matter where you were sitting, standing, or shouting last Sunday. If you will turn and believe, he has prepared a home for you. You can be forgiven. His death can cover you. His wounds can heal you. His house can shelter you. Yes, even you.So, Cities Church, let not your hearts be troubled.

In this sermon, Pastor Marshall Segal expounds upon John 13:36-14:4 where Jesus gives a sort of fatherly encouragement to his followers. They have good reasons to be troubled, and he's reminding them they have even better reasons to trust him and take heart.

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33 Listen to other great sleep mediations on Amen.Sign up for a 7-day free trial of Formed.Support this podcast and the Augustine Institute by becoming a member of the Mission Circle. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How did 19th century Maryland pro-slavery advocates weaponize witch trial narratives against Connecticut abolitionists? Returning guest Dr. Richard Ross III reveals a fabricated 1848 witch trial story designed to discredit Connecticut's anti-slavery movement following the Amistad U. S. Supreme Court case victory.This conversation explores the intersection of witch trial history and American slavery through the curious case of Juliana Cox, a completely fictional Connecticut witch whose story appeared in Maryland newspapers to embarrass Connecticut abolitionists. We consider how missing colonial documents created space for propaganda, examine the real Connecticut witch trials that were hidden for generations, and discuss how witch trial rhetoric became a political weapon in debates over slavery and abolition.Dr. Ross shares research on how the Wyllys family papers disappeared into private collections, why Connecticut's witch trial history remained largely unknown until the 20th century, and the deliberate creation of a witch trial hoax borrowed from English folklore sources to serve pro-slavery political goals.Connecticut witch trial records and their disappearance into private collectionsThe Amistad trial and Connecticut abolitionist movementFabricated witch trial narratives as political propagandaHow pro-slavery advocates compared abolitionists to Salem witch trial accusersThe real witch trials of colonial Connecticut finally documentedAlice Young: Connecticut's first executed witchExamining bodies for witch marks in colonial New EnglandLiterary and political uses of witch trial rhetoric in 19th century AmericaDr. Richard Ross III is a historian and Professor Emeritus from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he taught a seminar on New England witch trials for over ten years. He is the author of Before Salem: Witch Hunting in the Connecticut River Valley, 1647-1663 and has conducted extensive research on colonial Connecticut witch trials and 19th century American social history.Connecticut witch trials, slavery and witchcraft, Amistad trial, abolition movement, colonial Connecticut, witch trial propaganda, Richard Ross historian, Alice Young witch trial, Connecticut abolitionists, slavery history, colonial New England, witch trial records, 19th century America, anti-slavery movement, political propaganda, witch hunt history, Maryland newspapersThe Thing About Witch Hunts explores historical witch trials and contemporary witch persecution worldwide. Hosted by End Witch Hunts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Sarah Jack.LinksConnecticutwitchtrials.orgBuy the Book: Before Salem: Witch Hunting in the Connecticut River Valley 1647-1663 Buy the Book: Contagion in Prussia, 1831 Buy the Book: American Body Snatchers End Witch Hunts NonprofitSalem Witch Trials Daily Program

Content Note: This episode of How to Survive discusses inpatient rehab and a troubled teen residential program. Listener discretion advised for discussions of restrictive treatment environments and institutional harm involving minors.This week on How to Survive, Danielle and Kristine talk about inpatient rehab before Charlie Nelson Jacobs joins to discuss his experience surviving a highly problematic and abusive troubled teen residential program—and share some thoughts on the teen treatment industry.

We've got a dictator nicked out of his bed, Iran in full revolt and Minneapolis right behind it and we are only two weeks into 2026. Sheesh!Welcome to season 7 of the podcast! It is absolutely wild that we are here with all of you. Started at the height of COVID in response to recognizing the intentional polarization and slop put forth by the mainstream media, we continue on our journey to offer up qualified perspectives to expand the dialogue surrounding events. You don't have to agree and that's okay. We dream of a World in which you can disagree with someone yet respect their stance so let's give it a try. Why not? Stay safe homies. Troubled waters lay ahead.

Carthage, Rome, and Imperial DeclineThe final debate explores the historical destruction of Carthage to illuminate the modern American Empire's troubled trajectory and uncertain future. Germanicus advances a provocative thesis: the United States now more closely resembles Carthage—a wealthy, financialized, multicultural mercantile power relying on paid soldiers and foreign contractors—than the cohesive, destiny-driven Republic of Rome whose citizen-soldiers conquered the known world through shared sacrifice. They observe how historical narratives are invariably shaped by victors, noting that figures from Napoleon to modern filmmakers consistently utilize defeated enemies like Carthage or the Nazis to define national identity and justify present ambitions. A striking reversal emerges from their analysis: Russian propaganda now appropriates Roman symbols of martial virtue, disciplined unity, and civilizational mission, while the United Statesappears increasingly as a "flabby empire of financial usury" potentially facing its own Carthago delenda est moment at the hands of more vigorous rivals. The discussion concludes with a somber warning drawn from Byzantium's fall in 1204, when Crusaders who should have been allies instead sacked the great city: a disunited nation lacking shared vision and collective willingness to sacrifice stands vulnerable to sudden, catastrophic collapse, potentially ending the "American Empire" far sooner than its citizens imagine possible.1450 VIRGIL: DIDO WELCOMES AENEAS TO CARTHAGE

This past Sunday Dr. Bobby Kelly walked us through John 14:1-7. That Jesus reminds us that trouble is a real part of life, but it does not have to control our hearts. In a world filled with uncertainty and fear, He calls us to trust in God and in Him. Jesus offers hope by promising a prepared place—our true home with the Father—and assures us that we are not left to find the way on our own. He declares that He Himself is the way, the truth, and the life, making a restored relationship with the Father possible. When our hearts are troubled, peace is found by trusting Jesus and following Him as the only way home.

John masterfully focuses our attention on the Upper Room just hours before the cross. How could Jesus love—even pursue—His own betrayers? In this message from John 13, Pastor Philip Miller unveils three astonishing realities of Jesus' love: cascading from the Father to the Son, to his disciples, and to all people. Discover the magnitude of Jesus' relentless love. This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at https://moodyoffer.com or call us at 1-800-215-5001.  Moody Church Media [https://www.moodymedia.org/], home of "Moody Church Hour," exists to bring glory to God through the transformation of lives.  Dr. Philip Miller is the 17th Senior Pastor of The Moody Church. He and his wife Krista are graduates of Cedarville University ('04) and both hold Th.M. degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary ('10) as well as Doctor of Ministry degrees from Wheaton College ('25). They live in Chicago with their four children: Claire, Violet, Cora, and Jude. Pastor Philip is passionate about proclaiming God's Word, cultivating healthy ministry, and investing in future leaders.  SUPPORT:  Tax Deductible Support: https://www.moodymedia.org/donate/  Become an Endurance Partner: https://endurancepartners.org/    SUBSCRIBE:   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MoodyChurchMedia  Daily Devotional and Weekly Digest: https://www.moodymedia.org/newsletters/subscription/ 

John masterfully focuses our attention on the Upper Room just hours before the cross. How could Jesus love—even pursue—His own betrayers? In this message from John 13, Pastor Philip Miller unveils three astonishing realities of Jesus' love: cascading from the Father to the Son, to his disciples, and to all people. Discover the magnitude of Jesus' relentless love. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/173/29?v=20251111

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Chapters 14 to 17 encapsulate the last words of Jesus to His disciples before His crucifixion. Join Reverend Alexander as he explores the depths of Jesus' love, the challenges faced by His disciples, and the divine comfort offered to those with troubled hearts. Discover how Jesus' caring ministry provides hope and assurance in times of doubt and fear on Hear the Word of God. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/581/29?v=20251111

WE'RE BACK, BABY! New year, new episode. Join Paige as she takes Mando thru the finale of our series on the Troubled Teen Industry. Big warning up top: This is a rough one. But hey, we missed ya.  Also, we have a Patreon! [Insert Air Horn Noises Here] If you'd like to donate and join our cult, please visit www.patreon.com/cultpodcast or visit our website and click on the Patreon tab.   Also also, if you'd like to listen to Armando's new show, Boyfriend Material, click this link right here or go to linktr.ee/midnightsnack.tv

Message 2 of "The LET Factor" Ronnie Phillips is the Lead Pastor at Abba's House in Chattanooga, TN and founder of Ronnie Phillips Ministries International.   ronniephillips.org

ABOUT POLAR WARPOLAR WAR: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic by Kenneth R. Rosen (January 6, 2026/$29.00 hardcover) offers a blend of travelogue and frontline reporting that reveals how climate change, military ambition, and economic opportunity are transforming the Arctic into the epicenter of a new cold war in which the planet's great powers are struggling for dominance.Russian spies. Nuclear submarines. Sabotaged pipelines. Undersea communications severed in the dark of night. The fastest-warming place on earth-where apartment buildings, hospitals, and homes crumble daily as permafrost melts and villages get washed away by rising seas-the Arctic stands at the crossroads of geopolitical ambition and environmental catastrophe. As climate change thaws the northern latitudes, opening once ice-bound shipping lanes and access to natural resources, the world's military powers are rushing to stake their claims in this increasingly strategic region. We've entered a new cold war-and every day it grows hotter.In POLAR WAR, Rosen takes readers on an extraordinary journey across the changing face of the far north. Through intimate portraits of scientists, soldiers, and Indigenous community leaders representing the interests of twenty-one countries across four continents, he witnesses firsthand how rising temperatures and growing tensions are reshaping life above and below the Arctic Circle. He finds himself on the trail of Navy SEALs training for arctic warfare, embarks on Coast Guard patrols monitoring Russian incursions, participates in close-quarter-combat training aboard foreign icebreakers in the Arctic sea ice, and visits remote research stations where international cooperation is giving way to espionage and the search for long-frozen biological weapons.POLAR WAR concludes with a prescriptive Appendix, "Reigning in the Arctic," in which Rosen elucidates "several definite and immediate steps American lawmakers and the current presidential administration must take to not only advance our national security in the arctic but also preserve the region for generations to come."Drawing on hundreds of interviews and three years of reporting from the frontlines of climate change and great power competition, Rosen's deeply researched and personal accounts capture the diverse landscapes, people, and conflicted interests that define this complex northern region. The result is both an elegy for a vanishing landscape and an urgent warning about how the race for Arctic dominance could spark the next global conflict.ABOUT KENNETH R. ROSENKenneth R. Rosen is the recipient of a Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism and the Bayeux-Calvados Award for War Correspondents, a two-time finalist for the Livingston Award for his work in Syria and Iraq, and an Ira A. Lipman Fellow at Columbia University. He is the author of Troubled and Bulletproof Vest, and his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic & WIRED. He divides his time between Western Massachusetts and Northern Italy with his wife and their three children.https://kennethrrosen.com/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/i-am-refocused-radio--2671113/support.Subscribe now at YouTube.com/@RefocusedNetworkThank you for your time. 

Send us a textHolidays shouldn't feel like a gauntlet of barking, lunging, and white-knuckle car rides. We dig into the real reasons dogs struggle when routines change and show how a clear plan, games-based training, and smart logistics turn stressful trips into confident adventures. From the first few minutes at a new training centre to that important “second time in” when food finally starts to matter, we break down simple steps that lower arousal and build focus where it counts.We walk through transport challenges with options for every situation—train routes and easy taxi hops, supportive pick-ups, and the comfort of dog-friendly cottages right on site. If your dog hates the car, you'll get a practical progression: feed near the vehicle, reinforce calm in the parked car, introduce engine noise, and layer in tiny drives. We add body-confidence games like wobble boards and skateboards to help motion-sensitive dogs learn that movement can be predictable and safe. Safety gets its own spotlight: crates, fitted bedding, secure harnessing, and daily short trips that make travel normal instead of a big event.Hands-on coaching can reveal what video misses. Subtle tells—shoulders dropping, weight shifts, scanning—guide the choice of games that change behaviour fast. We share real cases, including a reactive collie whose “big show” was really uncertainty, and how giving her a clear job flipped the script. Food logistics are solvable too: arrange raw deliveries from local suppliers, stock high-value rewards, and use your cottage as a training lab to rehearse visitor protocols and calm settles that transfer home.Whether you're travelling with a reactive Frenchie or flying in to sharpen your skills with a demo dog, the theme is possibility. Age isn't a barrier, and neither is past struggle. Want to make your next trip easier? Start small, stack the wins, and build momentum. If you're ready for support, grab the £1 Games Club trial for full course access or book the £20 Watch One consult to map your plan. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs hope, and tell us where you're headed next—what's the one change you'll try this week?Support the showIf you're loving the podcast, you'll love our NEW Sexier than a Squirrel Dog Training Challenge even more! Get transformational dog training today for only £27!Want even more epic dog training fun and games and solutions to all your dog training struggles? Join us in the AbsoluteDogs Games Club!https://absolutedogs.me/gamesclub Want to take your learning to the next level? Jump into the games-based training membership for passionate dog owners and aspiring trainers that know they want more for themselves and their dog - Pro Dog Trainer Club! https://absolutedogs.me/prodogtrainerclub And while you're here, please leave a review for us and don't forget to hit share and post your biggest lightbulb moment! Remember, no matter what struggles you might be facing with your dog, there is always a game for that!

The NFL regular season is over, and the Bolts look like they're in trouble. Can they win at New England? NFL Bad Football: Seahawks, Rams, Jaguars, Texans, Patriots, Steelers, Raiders, Browns. Will NFL Heads roll with Raiders, Browns, Jets, Cowboys, Cardinals, Falcons. NCAA QB Derby Kentucky, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Indiana, North Carolina, Nebraska, Central Florida. Aztecs football 25 players hit the portal. MLB Free Agency talks Red Sox, Phillies, Mets, Blue Jays, Astros, Brewers, Marlins. Aztecs 3OT win over Boise St. The College Basketball Game is Broken! John Calipari, Tom Izzo, Dan Hurley. Got a question or comment for Hacksaw? Drop your take in the Live Chat on YouTube, X or Facebook to get involved in Fans Forum. Here's what Lee Hamilton thinks on Monday, January 5, 2026.   1)...CHARGERS-BRONCOS "BOLTS-TROUBLED (11-6)"   2)...NFL SCOREBOARD....FINAL SUNDAY "BAD FOOTBALL-FINAL WEEKEND"   SEAHAWKS...LA RAMS JAGUARS...TEXANS PATRIOTS...STEELERS RAIDERS...CLEVELAND   3)...NFL BLACK MONDAY "WHOSE HEAD ROLLS?"   RAIDERS BROWNS JETS DALLAS ARIZONA FALCONS   4)...COLLEGE FOOTBALL 'QB-DERBY-TRANSFER PORTAL'   KENTUCKY...ARIZONA STATE OKLAHOMA STATE...INDIANA NORTH CAROLINA...NEBRASKA CENTRAL FLORIDA   5)...AZTECS FOOTBALL "25--TRANSFER PORTAL"   TREY WHITE OWEN CHAMBLISS DWAYNE MCDOUGLE DALESEAN STALEY HUNTER GREEN KYLE CRUM JP MIALOVSKI   ================== (HALFTIME...DIXIELINE LUMBER) ... ================== 6)...MLB-FREE AGENT TALKS PICK "BIG MONEY-BIG TRADES"   RED SOX...PHILLIES METS BLUE JAYS...ASTROS --------- BREWERS...MARLINS ----------- 7)...SAN DIEGO STATE-BASKETBALL...NITE TO REMEMBER…AZTECS-BOISE LOGO "HISTORICAL 3OT-SHOOTOUT" ------------ 8)...COLLEGE BASKETBALL IN CRISIS…JOHN CALIPARI/DAN IZZO/DAN HURLEY "COACHES-GAME IS BROKEN" -----------   #MLB #redsox #bluejays #astros #phillies #mets #marlins #brewers #pirates #PADRES #dylancease #ajpreller #CRAIGSTAMMEN #SUNGMUNSONG #DODGERS #alexbregman #BOBICHETTE #TATSUYAIMAI #nfl #JETS #PATRIOTS #RAVENS #BROWNS #STEELERS #JAGUARS #CHIEFS #CHARGERS #RAIDERS #BRONCOS #PANTHERS #49ERS #RAMS #SEAHAWKS #raiders #PETECARROLL #markdavis #chargers #justinherbert #rams #matthewstafford #pukanacua #MIKEVRABEL #drakemaye #lamarjackson #aaronrodgers #deshaunwatson #mylesgarrett #KEVINSTEFANSKI #liamcoen #trevorlawrence #patrickmahomes #bonix #BRIANFLORES #RAHEEMMORRIS #samdarnold #kylermurray #JONATHANGANNON #nil #transferportal #ncaa #sandiegostate #aztecs #seanlewis #sdsu #treywhite #jordannapier #oregon #danlanning #DANTEMOORE #indiana #CURTCIGNETTI #FERNANDOMENDOZA #oklahomastate #nebraska #BOISESTATE #NORTHTEXAS #billbelichick #briandutcher #milesbyrd #bjdavis #MAGOONGWATH #markzeigler #JOHNCALIPARI #DANIZZO #DANHURLEY     Be sure to share this episode with a friend! ☆☆ STAY CONNECTED ☆☆ For more of Hacksaw's Headlines, The Best 15 Minutes, One Man's Opinion, and Hacksaw's Pro Football Notebook: http://www.leehacksawhamilton.com/ SUBSCRIBE on YouTube for more reactions, upcoming shows and more! ► https://www.youtube.com/c/leehacksawhamiltonsports FACEBOOK ➡ https://www.facebook.com/leehacksaw.hamilton.9 TWITTER ➡ https://twitter.com/hacksaw1090 TIKTOK ➡ https://www.tiktok.com/@leehacksawhamilton INSTAGRAM ➡ https://www.instagram.com/leehacksawhamiltonsports/ To get the latest news and information about sports, join Hacksaw's Insider's Group. It's free! https://www.leehacksawhamilton.com/team/ Thank you to our sponsors: Dixieline Lumber and Home Centers https://www.dixieline.com/  

Send us a textA boy who reads at three and crushes tests at five should be unstoppable, right? Neil Henderson's story bends that assumption until it snaps. We follow a brilliant kid raised amid family rupture who rockets past classmates, dazzles teachers, and learns a dangerous lesson: results without effort feel the same as results with it. That belief shadows every choice he makes as freedom expands faster than discipline.With mentor Weldon Slayton offering rare structure, Neil thrives on advanced work and intellectual play. Then a new world opens at a top science and math boarding school—games, first love, and the heady thrill of finding a tribe. Instead of sharpening his focus, the freedom feeds his appetite for novelty. Grades slip, probation follows, and he returns home determined to own his reputation. In a cluttered basement strung with posters and trophies, he shapes a persona that is equal parts prodigy and provocateur.What begins as a shy crush from Kenyatta turns into a secret, high-stakes romance—bikes hidden in the woods, locked doors, and a furious discovery that ripples through both families. Neil cycles between charm and cold logic, arguing that feelings and actions can be neatly separated. Around the table, his Dungeons and Dragons strategies grow sharper and darker: less questing, more scheming; less teamwork, more control. Friends notice they're being played. The patterns of the game echo in life—manipulation over trust, quick wins over earned growth.This chapter of the Von Stein family tragedy examines how intelligence without guardrails can curdle into power-seeking. We explore gifted education's blind spots, the lure of role-playing as social currency, and the moral drift that follows when accountability never keeps pace with ability. If you've ever wondered how a promising mind can become its own worst teacher, this story offers a gripping, uneasy answer.If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—what moment hit you hardest? Support the show

On January 4th, Bob Ingle preached from John 14:1-14 in the forty-ninth message of our series through the Gospel of John.

John 14:1-3English Standard Version14 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

As 2026 begins, all of us are carrying hopes, plans, and uncertainties into the new year. As we return to John's Gospel, we find the disciples in a similar place, and they're full of anxiety about what lies ahead. This Sunday, we'll reflect on Jesus' words to these anxious disciples and how what he says offers us a foundation for our lives that is steady, trustworthy, and full of hope.

Even a troubled soul can find true joy.

The Hidden Moment That Changed the World The Homily centers on the Annunciation (Luke 1:26–38) as the hidden . . . . . . yet decisive turning point of human history. Though proclaimed quietly to a single listener . . . Mary . . . it is an announcement of universal significance: the Word takes flesh. The Homily emphasizes how God's greatest act enters the world not through spectacle, but through humility, attentiveness, and consent. An Event Hidden from the World Yet Thunderous with Eternity Mary is portrayed as the one who is already listening when heaven speaks. Gabriel's greeting . . . “Hail, full of grace” . . . reveals her true identity, known fully only by God. Troubled but attentive, Mary questions not from doubt but from reverent understanding. When she says, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord,” her obedience allows the ineffable, eternal Word to become incarnate within her. The Homily also highlights the paradox of the Annunciation: an event hidden from the world yet thunderous with eternity, a public salvation accomplished in private obedience. Mary becomes the living “book” in whom the unspeakable Word is written. The Church, contemplating this mystery especially in Advent as it prepares for Christmas, and asks for the grace to imitate her humility, attentiveness, and surrender to God's will. Listen more to The Hidden Moment That Changed the World ------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Quote from the Homily As the angel completes his message to her, Our Lady says to the angel, behold. Note how remarkable this is!!! Now this is Our Lady speaking to heaven . . . She says, behold and now Our Lady speaks her own truth, her understanding of the truth that heaven has given her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Art Work The Annunciation.: Netherland Painter: Robert Campin: 1422 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why was this image selected: This work places the Annunciation within the texture of daily life, emphasizing the “fullness of time” arriving quietly in a domestic setting. It visually expresses the theological claim that God enters history not through power, but through grace-filled obedience. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gospel Reading: Luke 1: 26-38 First Reading: Isaiah 7: 10-14

Wednesday December 17, 2025

Jesus warned that in the last days people's hearts would be troubled by all the crises taking place in the world, but he also gave us a great promise. Subscribe to daily devotions e-mails: https://wcm.link/ddsub

THE SOMERS MUTINY: SPENCER AND CAPTAIN MACKENZIE Colleague Richard Snow. Snow introduces the Somers mutiny, focusing on midshipman Philip Spencer, a troubled youth obsessed with pirates, and Captain Mackenzie. Mackenzie, who changed his name for an inheritance, is described as a "flogging captain" with a literary reputation and a morbid fascination with executions, setting the stage for tragedy. NUMBER 5

Peace for Troubled HeartsSeries: Wonderful Counsellor (2025) Preacher: Cory BrockSunday MorningDate: 21st December 2025Passages: John 14:1-11John 14:25-27

Preacher: Russell Horner

For a deeper study of God's Word, plus daily resources for your walk with Jesus, visit https://passionequip.com/.—With Passion City Online, you can join us every Sunday live at 9:30a and 11:45a, and our gatherings are available on-demand starting at 7p! Join us at https://passioncitychurch.com—Subscribe to our channel to see more messages from Passion City Church: https://www.youtube.com/passioncitychurch—Looking for content for your Kids? Subscribe to our Passion Kids Channel:https://passion.link/passionkidsonline —If you would like to give to our house, visit https://passioncitychurch.com/give/—Check out Passion's books, music, and more at https://passionresources.com/—At Passion City Church, we believe that because God has displayed the ultimate sacrifice in Jesus, our response to that in worship must be extravagant. It is our privilege and our created purpose to reflect God's Glory to Him through our praise, our sacrifice, and our song. —Follow Passion City Church: https://www.instagram.com/passioncity/ Follow Louie Giglio: https://www.instagram.com/louiegiglio Passion City Church is a Jesus church with locations in Atlanta and Washington D.C. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We dive into the tragic murders of Rob Reiner & his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. Their son Nick Reiner has been arrested and charged with 1st degree murder with special circumstance. We go through what is publicly available regarding the murders and dive into the tumultuous and complex relationship Nick had with his parents and also look into his past which has included addiction issues and homelessness since he was a young teenager.We also go through what people who knows the family have said since the murders happened. ALL MERCH 10% off with code Sherlock10 at checkout  - NEW STYLES Donate: (Thank you for your support! Couldn't do what I love without all y'all) PayPal - paypal.com/paypalme/prettyliesandalibisVenmo - @prettyliesalibisBuy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/prettyliesrCash App- PrettyliesandalibisAll links: https://linktr.ee/prettyliesandalibisMerch: prettyliesandalibis.myshopify.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/PrettyLiesAndAlibis(Weekly lives and private message board)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pretty-lies-and-alibis--4447192/support.

In hour 4, Spadoni, Shasky and Bonta discuss Lacob's email back to a fan about the Warriors struggles.

Advent Week 2

Two Women Inspiring Real Life with Stephanie Coxon and Kathy Anderson-Martin – A veteran nurse and medical researcher confronts what she witnesses on the front lines during the pandemic. Troubled by contradictions in care and policy, she begins researching on her own and finds a new calling. Now retired, she speaks out boldly on medical freedom, faith, and responsibility in a critical moment...

Gary and Shannon examine a foiled terror plot in Los Angeles and what it reveals about ongoing security threats. Guest Jessica Steinman of No Matter What Recovery L.A. joins the conversation to discuss the growing mental health challenges facing children and teens. Plus, listeners weigh in during Talk Backs as parents share the difficult realities of navigating relationships with their adult children.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

General Spaatz's Hesitation and the Missions of Enola Gay and Bockscar: Colleague Evan Thomas explains that General "Tooey" Spaatz, troubled by civilian deaths in Europe, demanded written orders before commanding the atomic attacks on Japan, contrasting the execution of the Hiroshima mission with the "snake bit" Nagasaki raid, where pilot errors and cloud cover caused the bomb to miss its target, reducing the death toll. 1939  TOKYO

EP. 240: I'm talking about something that's all around us but often goes unnoticed, air pollution, and the ways it can quietly affect our hormones, reproductive health, and overall well-being. I break down what the research actually shows, how everyday exposures, from traffic, indoor toxins, and even common household products, can impact your body, and what you can do to start reducing your toxic load.  → Grab a Jaspr Air Scrubber before their best deal of the year ends. Get an extra $100 OFF on top of their holiday sale when you use code DRTYNA at checkout: https://jaspr.co/DRTYNA Topics Discussed: → How does air pollution affect your hormones? → Can PM 2.5 cause early menopause? → Does toxic air impact fertility in men and women? → What are the hidden dangers of indoor VOCs? → How can you reduce your exposure to air toxins? Sponsored By: → Paleo Valley | Head to https://paleovalley.com/drtyna to save 15% on your order today! → Manukora | Head to https://manukora.com/DRTYNA to save up to 31% plus $25 worth of free gifts with the Starter Kit, which comes with an MGO 850+ Manuka Honey jar, 5 honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon, and a guidebook! → Qualia | Boost your energy, recovery, and resilience at the cellular level with Qualia NAD+. Go to https://qualialife.com/drtyna for up to 50% off at and use code DRTYNA for an extra 15% off. → Puori | Go to https://puori.com/DRTYNA and use the code DRTYNA to save 32% on your first subscription OR get 20% off sitewide. The code works on their already discounted subscriptions giving you almost a third off the regular price. → VivaRays | Go to https://VivaRays.com and use code DRTYNA for a special discount. → Vandy | Ready to give Vandy a try? Go to https://vandycrisps.com/TYNA and use code TYNA for 25% off your first order. On This Episode We Cover:  → 00:00:00 - Introduction  → 00:03:09 - Updated DUTCH test results → 00:08:08 - Benefits of air filtration → 00:09:42 - Different filtration systems → 00:14:06 - Managing pet allergies → 00:17:55 - How filtration impacts pet health → 00:19:31 - Air pollution and midlife women → 00:23:13 - Traffic pollution and reproductive health → 00:25:07 - Air pollution and early menopause → 00:30:37 - Endocrine disrupting chemicals → 00:36:47 - Air pollution and osteoporosis risk → 00:39:37 - Infertility and environmental toxins → 00:45:13 - Overview of hormonal disruption → 00:48:01 - Air pollution and thyroid function → 00:48:51 - Impacts on men's hormonal health → 00:51:20 - Nutrition and lifestyle strategies for detox Show Links:  → Jaspr Air Scrubber | https://jaspr.co/DRTYNA → Dr Tyna's Holiday Gift Guide  → Amazon Store → AquaTru | Go to https://aquatruwater.com/?oid2=50&affid2=2320&c=docereconsultinggroup now to save.  Further Listening  → EP. 238: You Need to Become an Air Snob Because Mold Happens | CEO Mike Feldstein of Jaspr → EP. 175: Air Quality, Mold and Autoimmune Issues The Hidden Links | with CEO Mike Feldstein of Jaspr → EP. 181: My Holiday Gift Guide | Solo Disclaimer: Information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional, or any information contained on or in any product. Do not use the information provided in this podcast for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or other supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. Information provided in this blog/podcast and the use of any products or services related to this podcast by you does not create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Dr. Tyna Moore. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent ANY disease.

Last time we spoke about the beginning of the battle of lake Khasan. On a frost-bitten dawn by the Chaun and Tumen, two empires, Soviet and Japanese, stared at Changkufeng, each certain the ridge would decide their fate. Diplomats urged restraint, but Tokyo's generals plotted a bold gamble: seize the hill with a surprise strike and bargain afterward. In the Japanese camp, a flurry of trains, orders, and plans moved in the night. Officers like Sato and Suetaka debated danger and responsibility, balancing "dokudan senko", independent action with disciplined restraint. As rain hammered the earth, they contemplated a night assault: cross the Tumen, occupy Hill 52, and strike Changkufeng with coordinated dawn and night attacks. Engineers, artillery, and infantry rehearsed their movements in near-poetic precision, while the 19th Engineers stitched crossings and bridges into a fragile path forward. Across the river, Soviet scouts and border guards held their nerve, counting enemy shadows and watching for a break in the line. The clash at Shachaofeng became a lightning rod: a small force crossed into Manchurian soil in the restless dark, provoking a broader crisis just as diplomacy teetered.   #179 From Darkness to Crest: The Changkufeng Battle Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. As remarked in the 19th division's war journal "With sunset on the 30th, the numbers of enemy soldiers increased steadily. Many motor vehicles, and even tanks, appear to have moved up. The whole front has become tense. Hostile patrols came across the border frequently, even in front of Chiangchunfeng. Tank-supported infantry units were apparently performing offensive deployment on the high ground south of Shachaofeng." Situation maps from the evening indicated Soviet patrol activity approaching the staging area of Nakano's unit near the Tumen, moving toward Noguchi's company to the left of Chiangchunfeng, and advancing toward Matsunobe's unit southwest of Shachaofeng. Russian vessels were depicted ferrying across Khasan, directly behind Changkufeng, while tanks moved south from Shachaofeng along the western shores of the lake. The 19th division's war journal states "Then it was ascertained that these attack forces had gone into action. All of our own units quietly commenced counteraction from late that night, as scheduled, after having systematically completed preparations since nightfall." Meanwhile, to the north, the Hunchun garrison reinforced the border with a battalion and tightened security. All evidence supported the view that Suetaka "in concept" and Sato"(in tactics" played the main part in the night-attack planning and decisions. Sato was the only infantry regimental commander at the front on 30 July. One division staff officer went so far as to say that Suetaka alone exerted the major influence, that Sato merely worked out details, including the type of attack and the timing. Intertwined with the decision to attack Changkufeng was the choice of an infantry regiment. The 76th Regiment was responsible for the defense of the sector through its Border Garrison Unit; but the latter had no more than two companies to guard a 40-mile border extending almost to Hunchun, and Okido's regimental headquarters was 75 miles to the rear at Nanam. T. Sato's 73rd Regiment was also at Nanam, while Cho's 74th Regiment was stationed another 175 miles southwest at Hamhung. Thus, the regiment nearest to Changkufeng was K. Sato's 75th, 50 miles away at Hoeryong. Although Suetaka had had time to shuffle units if he desired, Sasai suggested that troop movements from Nanam could not be concealed; from Hoeryong they might be termed maneuvers. Suetaka undoubtedly had favorites in terms of units as well as chiefs. K. Sato had served longest as regimental commander, since October 1937; Okido's date of rank preceded K. Sato's, but Okido had not taken command until 1938. He and Cho were able enough, but they were unknown quantities; T. Sato and Cho were brand-new colonels.  Thus, K. Sato was best known to Suetaka and was familiar with the terrain. While he did not regard his regiment as the equal of units in the Kwantung Army or in the homeland, K. Sato's training program was progressing well and his men were rugged natives of Nagano and Tochigi prefectures. From the combat soldier's standpoint, the Changkufeng Incident was waged between picked regulars on both sides. The matter of quantitative regimental strength could have played no part in Suetaka's choice. The 74th, 75th, and 76th regiments each possessed 1,500 men; the 73rd, 1,200. Even in ordinary times, every unit conducted night-attack training, attended by Suetaka, but there was nothing special in July, even after the general inspected the 75th Regiment on the 11th. It had been said that the most efficient battalions were selected for the action. Although, of course, Sato claimed that all of his battalions were good, from the outset he bore the 1st Battalion in mind for the night attack and had it reconnoiter the Changkufeng area. Some discerned no special reasons; it was probably a matter of numerical sequence, 1st-2nd-3rd Battalions. Others called the choice a happy coincidence because of the 1st Battalion's 'splendid unity' and the aggressive training conducted by Major Ichimoto, who had reluctantly departed recently for regimental headquarters. Coming from the 75th Regiment headquarters to take over the 1st Battalion was the 40-year-old aide Major Nakano. By all accounts, he was quiet, serious, and hard-working, a man of noble character, gentle and sincere. More the administrative than commander type, Nakano lacked experience in commanding battalions and never had sufficient time to get to know his new unit (or they, him) before the night assault. He could hardly be expected to have stressed anything particular in training. Since there was no battalion-level training, the most valid unit of comparison in the regiment was the company, the smallest infantry component trained and equipped to conduct combat missions independently. Sato valued combat experience among subordinates; Nakano's 1st Battalion was considered a veteran force by virtue of its old-timer company commanders. All but one had come up through the ranks; the exception, young Lieutenant Nakajima, the darling of Sato, was a military academy graduate. For assault actions synchronized with those of the 1st Battalion, Sato selected Ito, the one line captain commanding the 6th Company of the 2nd Battalion, and Takeshita, 10th Company commander, one of the two line captains of the 3rd Battalion. In short, Sato had designated five veteran captains and a promising lieutenant to conduct the night-attack operations of 30-31 July, the first Japanese experience of battle against the modern Red Army. During the last two weeks of July, numerous spurious farmers had gambled along the lower reaches of the Tumen, reconnoitered the terrain, and prepared for a crossing and assault. Scouts had operated on both the Manchurian and Korean sides of the river. Major Nakano had conducted frequent personal reconnaissance and had dispatched platoon and patrol leaders, all heavy-weapons observation teams, and even the battalion doctor to Sozan Hill, to Chiangchunfeng, and close to enemy positions. In Korean garb and often leading oxen, the scouts had threaded their way through the Changkufeng sector, sometimes holing up for the night to observe Soviet movements, soil and topography, and levels of illumination. From this data, Nakano had prepared reference materials necessary for an assault. Hirahara, then located at Kucheng BGU Headquarters, had established three observation posts on high ground to the rear. After Chiangchunfeng had been occupied, Hirahara had set up security positions and routes there. Regarding Changkufeng, he had sought to ensure that even the lowest private studied the layout. Formation commanders such as Takeshita had volunteered frequently. Sato had also utilized engineers. Since the order to leave his station on 17 July, Lieutenant Colonel Kobayashi had had his regiment engage in scouting routes, bridges, and potential fords. Sato's 1st Company commander had prepared a sketch during 3% hours of reconnaissance across from Hill 52 during the afternoon of 18 July. Captain Yamada's intelligence had contributed to the tactical decisions and to knowledge of Russian strength and preparations. The most important information had been his evaluation of attack approaches, suggesting an offensive from the western side, preferably against the right flank or frontally. This concept had been the one applied by the regiment in its night assault two weeks later; Yamada had died on the green slopes he had scanned. Cloudy Saturday, 30 July, had drawn to a close. The moment had been at hand for the 75th Regiment to storm the Russians atop Changkufeng. Setting out from Fangchuanting at 22:30, Nakano's battalion, about 350 strong, had assembled at a fork one kilometer southwest of Changkufeng. The roads had been knee-deep in mud due to intermittent rain and downpours on 29–30 July. Now the rain had subsided, but clouds had blotted out the sky after the waning moon had set at 22:30. Led by Sakata's 1st Platoon leader, the men had marched silently toward the southern foot of Changkufeng; the murk had deepened and the soldiers could see no more than ten meters ahead. It had taken Sakata's men less than an hour to push forward the last 1,000 meters to the jump-off point, where they had waited another two hours before X-hour arrived. Scouts had advanced toward the first row of wire, 200–300 meters away. Platoon Leader Amagasa had infiltrated the positions alone and had reconnoitered the southeastern side of the heights. Sakata had heard from the patrols about the entanglements and their distance and makeup. While awaiting paths to be cut by engineer teams, the infantry had moved up as far as possible, 150 meters from the enemy, by 23:30. Although records described Changkufeng as quite steep, it had not been hard to climb until the main Russian positions were reached, even though there were cliffs. But as the craggy peak had been neared, the enemy defenses, which had taken advantage of rocks and dips, could not have been rushed in a bound. It had been 500 meters to the crest from the gently sloping base. The incline near the top had been steep at about 40 degrees and studded with boulders. Farther down were more soil and gravel. Grass had carpeted the foot. Japanese Army radio communications had been in their infancy; wire as well as runners had served as the main means of linking regimental headquarters with the front-line infantry, crossing-point engineers, and supporting guns across the Tumen in Korea. From Chiangchunfeng to the 1st Battalion, lines had been installed from the morning of 29 July. Combat communications had been operated by the small regimental signal unit, 27 officers and men. In general, signal traffic had been smooth and reception was good. Engineer support had been rendered by one platoon, primarily to assist with wire-cutting operations. Nakano had ordered his 1st Company to complete clearing the wire by 02:00. At 23:30 the cutters had begun their work on the right with three teams under 1st Lieutenant Inagaki. Since the proposed breach had been far from the enemy positions and there were no outposts nearby, Inagaki had pressed the work of forced clearing. The first entanglements had been breached fairly quickly, then the second. At about midnight, a dim light had etched the darkness, signaling success. There had been two gaps on the right. On the left side, Sakata's company had hoped to pierce the barbed wire in secrecy rather than by forced clearing. Only one broad belt of entanglements, actually the first and third lines, had been reconnoitered along the south and southeastern slopes. Sakata had assigned one team of infantry, with a covering squad led by Master Sergeant Amagasa, to the engineer unit under 2nd Lieutenant Nagayama. Covert clearing of a pair of gaps had begun. The Russian stakes had been a meter apart and the teams cut at the center of each section, making breaches wide enough for a soldier to wriggle through. To the rear, the infantry had crouched expectantly, while from the direction of Khasan the rumble of Soviet armor could be heard. At 00:10, when the first line of wire had been penetrated and the cutters were moving forward, the silence had been broken by the furious barking of Russian sentry dogs, and pale blue flares had burst over the slopes. As recalled by an engineer "It had been as bright as day. If only fog would cover us or it would start to rain!" At the unanticipated second line, the advancing clearing elements had drawn gunfire and grenades. But the Russians had been taken by surprise, Sakata said, and their machine guns had been firing high. Two engineers had been wounded; the security patrol on the left flank may have drawn the fire. Sakata had crawled up to Lieutenant Nagayama's cutting teams. One party had been hiding behind a rock, with a man sticking out his hand, grasping for the stake and feeling for electrified wire. Another soldier lay nearby, ready to snip the wire. The enemy had seemed to have discerned the Japanese, for the lieutenant could hear low voices. Although the cutters had been told to continue clearing in secrecy, they had by now encountered a line of low barbed wire and the work had not progressed as expected. Forced clearing had begun, which meant that the men had to stand or kneel, ignoring hostile fire and devoting primary consideration to speed. The infantrymen, unable to delay, had crawled through the wire as soon as the cutters tore a gap. Ten meters behind the small breaches, as well as in front of the Soviet positions, the Japanese had been troubled by fine low strands. They had resembled piano-wire traps, a foot or so off the ground. The wires had been invisible in the grass at night. As one soldier recalled "You couldn't disengage easily. When you tried to get out, you'd be sniped at. The wires themselves could cut a bit, too." Sakata had kept up with the clearing teams and urged them on. On his own initiative, Amagasa had his men break the first and third lines of wire by 01:50. Meanwhile, at 01:20, Nakano had phoned Sato, reporting that his forces had broken through the lines with little resistance, and had recommended that the attack be launched earlier than 2:00. Perhaps the premature alerting of the Russians had entered into Nakano's considerations. Sato had explained matters carefully, that is, rejected the suggestion, saying Changkufeng must not be taken too early, lest the enemy at Shachaofeng be alerted. The entire battalion, redeployed, had been massed for the charge up the slope. In an interval of good visibility, the troops could see as far as 40 meters ahead. A little before 02:00, Nakano had sent runners to deliver the order to advance. When the final obstructions had been cut, Nagayama had flashed a light. Then a white flag had moved in the darkness and the infantry had moved forward. Sakata's company, heading directly for Changkufeng crest, had less ground to traverse than Yamada's, and the point through which they penetrated the wire had been at the fork, where there appeared to have been only two lines to cut. The soldiers had crawled on their knees and one hand and had taken cover as soon as they got through. It had been 02:15 when the battalion traversed the barbed wire and began the offensive. The Japanese Army manual had stated that unaimed fire was seldom effective at night and that it had been imperative to avoid confusion resulting from wild shooting. At Changkufeng, the use of firearms had been forbidden by regimental order. Until the troops had penetrated the wire, bayonets had not been fixed because of the danger to friendly forces. Once through the entanglements, the men had attached bayonets, but, although their rifles had been loaded, they still had not been allowed to fire. The men had been traveling light. Instead of the 65 pounds the individual rifleman might ordinarily carry, knapsack, weapons and ammunition, tools, supplies, and clothing, each helmeted soldier had only 60 cartridges, none on his back, a haversack containing two grenades, a canteen, and a gas mask. To prevent noise, the regulations had prescribed wrapping metal parts of bayonets, canteens, sabers, mess kits, shovels, picks, and hobnails with cloth or straw. The wooden and metal parts of the shovel had been separated, the canteen filled, ammunition pouches stuffed with paper, and the bayonet sheath wrapped with cloth. Instead of boots, the men had worn web-toed, rubbersoled ground socks to muffle sound. Although their footgear had been bound with straw ropes, the soldiers occasionally had slipped in the wet grass. Considerations of security had forbidden relief of tension by talking, coughing, or smoking. Company commanders and platoon leaders had carried small white flags for hand signaling. In Sakata's company, the platoons had been distinguished by white patches of cloth hung over the gas masks on the men's backs, triangular pieces for the 1st Platoon, square for the second. Squad leaders had worn white headbands under their helmets. The company commanders had strapped on a white cross-belt; the platoon leaders, a single band. Officer casualties had proven particularly severe because the identification belts had been too conspicuous; even when the officers had lay flat, Soviet illuminating shells had made their bodies visible. On the left, the 2nd Company, 70–80 strong, had moved up with platoons abreast and scouts ahead. About 10 meters had separated the individual platoons advancing in four files; in the center were Sakata and his command team. The same setup had been used for Yamada's company and his two infantry platoons on the right. To the center and rear of the lead companies were battalion headquarters, a platoon of Nakajima's 3rd Company, and the Kitahara Machine-Gun Company, 20 meters from Nakano. The machine-gun company had differed from the infantry companies in that it had three platoons of two squads each. The machine-gun platoons had gone through the center breach in the entanglements with the battalion commander. Thereafter, they had bunched up, shoulder to shoulder and with the machine guns close to each other. Kitahara had led, two platoons forward, one back. The night had been so dark that the individual soldiers had hardly been able to tell who had been leading and who had been on the flanks. The 2nd Company had consolidated after getting through the last entanglements and had walked straight for Changkufeng crest. From positions above the Japanese, Soviet machine guns covering the wire had blazed away at a range of 50 meters. Tracers had ripped the night, but the Russians' aim had seemed high. Soviet illuminating shells, by revealing the location of dead angles among the rocks, had facilitated the Japanese approach. Fifty meters past the barbed wire, Sakata had run into the second Soviet position. From behind a big rock, four or five soldiers had been throwing masher grenades. Sakata and his command team had dashed to the rear and cut down the Russians. The captain had sabered one soldier who had been about to throw a grenade. Then Master Sergeant Onuki and the others had rushed up and overran the Russian defenses. The Japanese had not yet fired or sustained casualties. There had been no machine guns in the first position Sakata had jumped into; the trenches had been two feet deep and masked by rocks. To the right, a tent could be seen. Blind enemy firing had reached a crescendo around 02:30. The Russians had resisted with rifles, light and heavy machine guns, hand grenades, rifle grenades, flares, rapid-fire guns, and a tank cannon. "The hill had shaken, but our assault unit had advanced, disregarding the heavy resistance and relying only on the bayonet." The battalion commander, Major Nakano, had been the first officer to be hit. Moving to the left of Sakata's right-hand platoon, he had rushed up, brandishing his sword, amid ear-splitting fire and day-like flashes. He had felled an enemy soldier and then another who had been about to get him from behind. But a grenade had exploded and he had dropped, with his right arm hanging grotesquely and many fragments embedded in his chest and left arm. After regaining consciousness, Nakano had yelled at soldiers rushing to help him: "You fools! Charge on! Never mind me." Staggering to his feet, he had leaned on his sword with his left hand and pushed up the slope after the assault waves, while "everybody had been dashing around like mad." Sakata had encountered progressive defenses and more severe fire. The main body of the company had lost contact with other elements after getting through the entanglements. Sakata had thought that he had already occupied an edge of Changkufeng, but about 30 meters ahead stood a sharp-faced boulder, two or three meters high, from which enormous numbers of grenades had been lobbed. The Japanese, still walking, had come across another Soviet position, manned by four or five grenadiers. Sword in hand, Sakata had led Sergeant Onuki and his command team in a rush : "The enemy was about to take off as we jumped them. One Russian jabbed the muzzle of his rifle into my stomach at the moment I had my sword raised overhead. He pulled the trigger but the rifle did not go off. I cut him down before he could get me. The others ran away, but behind them they left grenades with pins pulled. Many of my men fell here and I was hit in the thighs".  Onuki had felled two or three Russians behind Sakata, then disposed of an enemy who had been aiming at Sakata from the side. It had been around 03:00. On the right, the 1st Company had made relatively faster progress along the western slopes after having breached two widely separated belts of barbed wire. Once through the second wire, the troops had found a third line, 150 meters behind, and enemy machine guns had opened fire. Thereupon, a left-platoon private first class had taken a "do or die" forced clearing team, rushed 15 meters ahead of the infantry, and tore a path for the unit. At 03:00, Yamada had taken his men in a dash far up the right foot of the hill, overran the unexpected position, and captured two rapid-fire guns. The company's casualties had been mounting. Yamada had been hit in the chest but had continued to cheer his troops on. At 03:30, he had led a rush against the main objective, tents up the hill, behind the antitank guns. Yamada had cut down several bewildered soldiers in the tents, but had been shot again in the chest, gasping "Tenno Heika Banzai!" "Long Live the Emperor!", and had fallen dead. His citation had noted that he had "disrupted the enemy's rear after capturing the forwardmost positions and thus furnished the key to the ultimate rout of the whole enemy line." Sergeant Shioda, though wounded badly, and several of the men had picked up their commander's body and moved over to join Lieutenant Inagaki. On the left, Kadowaki had charged into the tents with his platoon and had played his part in interfering with the Russian rear. After this rush, the unit had been pinned down by fire from machine-gun emplacements, and Kadowaki had been wounded seriously. His platoon had veered left while watching for an opportunity to charge. Eventual contact had been made with Sakata's company.   The assault on the right flank had been failing. With the death of Yamada, command of the company had been assumed temporarily by Inagaki. He and his right-flank platoon had managed to smash their way through the entanglements; Inagaki had sought to rush forward, sword in hand. Furious firing by Soviet machine guns, coupled with hand grenades, had checked the charge. Losses had mounted. Still another effort had bogged down in the face of enemy reinforcements, supported not only by covered but by tank-mounted machine guns. Russian tanks and trucks had appeared to be operating behind Changkufeng. Sergeant Shioda had been trying to keep the attack moving. Again and again, he had pushed toward the Soviet position with five of his surviving men, to no avail. The left-flank platoon had sought to evade the fierce fire by taking advantage of rock cover and hurling grenades. Finally, a private first class had lobbed in a grenade, rushed the machine gun, and silenced the weapon. By now, precious time and lives had been lost. Either instinctively or by order, the 1st Company had been shifting to the left, away from the core of the enemy fire-net. Inagaki had decided to veer left in a wide arc to outflank Changkufeng from the same side where the 2nd Company and most of the battalion were at-tacking. There would be no further attempts to plunge between the lake and the heights or to head for the crest from the rear. Military maps had indicated tersely that remnants of the 1st Company had displaced to the 2nd Company area at 04:00, sometime after the last charge on the right by Yamada. On the left front, in the sector facing the main defenses on Changkufeng crest, Sakata had fallen after being hit by a grenade. A machine gunner had improvised a sling. "I had lost a lot of blood," Sakata had said, "and there were no medics. Onuki, my command team chief who had been acting platoon leader, had been killed around here. I had ordered Warrant Officer Kuriyama to take the company and push on until I could catch up." As Sakata lay on the ground, he had seen the battalion commander and the Nakajima company move past him in the darkness. Nakano had said not a word; Sakata had not known the major had been maimed. "I still hadn't felt intense pain," Sakata had recalled. "I had rested after the first bad feelings. In about 15 minutes I had felt well enough to move up the hill and resume command of my company." With both Nakano and Sakata wounded, individual officers or noncoms had kept the assault moving. The 1st Platoon leader, Kuriyama, had been securing the first position after overrunning it but had become worried about the main force. On his own initiative, he had brought his men up the hill to join the rest of the company, while the battalion aide, 2nd Lieutenant Nishimura, had made arrangements to deploy the heavy machine guns and reserve infantry in support. Before 4 A.M., these troops under Kitahara and Nakajima had caught up with the remnants of the 2nd Company, which had pressed beyond the third position to points near the Soviet Crestline.   By the time Sakata had regained his feet and moved toward the peak, somewhere between 03:30 and 04:00, the Japanese had been pinned down. Most of the losses had been incurred at this point. "Iron fragments, rock, sand, blood, and flesh had been flying around," Akaishizawa had written. Grenades had caused the preponderance of wounds after the men had penetrated the barbed wire. Deaths had been inflicted mainly by the Soviet "hurricane" of small arms and machine-gun fire and by ricochets ripping from man to man. Six Russian heavy weapons had kept up a relentless fire from three emplacements, and milk-bottle-shaped grenades had continued to thud down on the Japanese. The grenades had hindered the advance greatly. Mainly at the crest, but at every firing position as well, the Russians had used rifle grenades, primarily to eliminate dead angles in front of positions. There had been low piano wire between firing points, and yellow explosive had been planted amidst rock outcroppings and in front of the emplacements. "The Russians had relied exclusively on fire power; there had been no instance of a brave enemy charge employing cold steel." Only 20 meters from the entrenchments atop Changkufeng, Kitahara had been striving to regain the initiative and to hearten the scattered, reeling troops. One Japanese Army motto had concerned the mental attitude of commanders: "When surprised by the enemy, pause for a smoke." Kitahara had stood behind a rock, without a helmet, puffing calmly on a cigarette—a sight which had cheered the men. Sakata could not forget the scene. "It really happened," he had said, respectfully. As soon as Sakata had reached the forward lines, he had joined Kitahara (the senior officer and de facto battalion commander till then) and three enlisted men. All had been pinned behind the large boulder, the only possible cover, which had jutted in front of the Soviet crestline positions. Fire and flame had drenched the slopes, grenades from the peak, machine guns from the flank. The eastern skies had been brightening and faces could be discerned. Troubled by the stalemate yet not feeling failure, Sakata had said nothing about his own wounds but had told Kitahara he would lead his 2nd Company in a last charge up the left side of Changkufeng if only the machine gun company could do something about the enemy fire, especially some Soviet tanks which had been shooting from the right. "The enemy must have learned by now," the regimental records had observed, "that our forces were scanty, for the Soviets exposed the upper portions of their bodies over the breastworks, sniped incessantly, and lobbed illuminating shells at us." Agreeing with Sakata that the "blind" Japanese would have to take some kind of countermeasure to allow his two available heavy machine guns to go into concerted action, Kitahara had ordered illuminating rounds fired by the grenade dischargers. He had clambered atop the boulder and squatted there amidst the furious crossfire to spot for his guns, still only 20 meters from the Russian lines. Perhaps it had been the golden spark of Kitahara's cigarette, perhaps it had been the luminescence of his cross-bands, but hardly a moment later, at 04:03 am, a sniper's bullet had caught the captain between the eyes and he had toppled to his death. Nakajima had wanted to support Sakata's stricken company as well. The lieutenant had seen the advantage of outflanking the emplacements from the far left of Changkufeng where the fire of two Soviet heavy machine guns had been particularly devastating. Nakajima had swung his reserve unit around the crest to the southwest side, pressed forward through deadly grenade attacks, and had managed to reach a point ten meters from the Russian positions. Perched on the cliff's edge, he had prepared to continue: "Nakajima, who had been calming his men and looking for a chance to advance, leaped up and shouted, "Right now! Charge!" Sword in hand, he led his forces to the front on the left and edged up against the crest emplacements. But the enemy did not recoil; grenades and machine gun fusillades burst from above on all sides. Men fell, one after another. [During this final phase, a platoon leader and most of the key noncoms were killed.] A runner standing near Nakajima was hit in the head by a grenade and collapsed. Nakajima picked up the soldier's rifle, took cover behind a boulder, and tried to draw a bead on a Russian sniper whom he could see dimly 20 meters away through the lifting mist. But a bullet hit him in the left temple and he pitched forward, weakly calling, "Long Live the Emperor!" A PFC held the lieutenant up and pleaded with him to hang on, but the company commander's breath grew fainter and his end was at hand. The time was 4:10 am". Nakajima's orderly said of the event "Lieutenant Nakajima charged against the highest key point on Changkufeng, leading the reserve unit, and ensured the seizure of the hill. The lieutenant was wearing the boots which I had always kept polished but which he had never worn till this day." Akaishizawa added that Nakajima had purified himself in the waters of the Tumen before entering combat, in traditional fashion. Lieutenant Yanagihara had penned a tribute to his young fellow officer, the resolute samurai "Lt. Nakajima must have been expecting a day like today. He was wearing brand-new white underclothes and had wrapped his body with white cloth and the thousand-stitch stomach band which his mother had made for him. .. . Was not the lieutenant's end the same as we find in an old tanka verse? "Should you ask what is the Yamato spirit, the soul of Japan: It is wild cherry blossoms glowing in the rising sun."  On this main attack front, Soviet heavy machine guns and tanks had continued to deliver withering fire against the Japanese remnants, while Russian snipers and grenadiers had taken an increasing toll. Shortly after 04:00, enemy reinforcements had appeared at the northeast edge. Of the company commanders, only Sakata had still been alive; the other three officers had died between 03:30 and 04:30. A machine gunner who had been pinned down near the crest had commented: "It must have been worse than Hill 203" (of bloody Russo-Japanese War fame). Between a half and two-thirds of each company had been dead or wounded by then. Sakata had still been thinking of ways to rush the main positions. After Kitahara had been shot down, he had moved around to investigate. A colleague had added: "The agony of the captain's wounds had been increasing. He rested several times to appease the pain while watching intently for some chance to charge once more." Now, Sakata had been wounded again by grenade fragments tearing into the right side of his face. "It hadn't been serious," Sakata had insisted. As he had limped about, he could see his platoon leader, Kuriyama, sniping at a Russian grenadier.   Much would depend on the effectiveness of supporting firepower. With the death of Kitahara, control of the machine-gun company had been assumed by Master Sergeant Harayama. There had been almost no time to coordinate matters before Kitahara had fallen, but Harayama as well as Sakata had known that the infantry could not break loose until the Soviet heavy weapons had been suppressed. Working with another sergeant, Harayama had ordered his gunners to displace forward and rush the positions 20 meters away. The one heavy machine gun set up for action had been the first to fire for the Japanese side at Changkufeng, after its crew had manhandled it the last few meters to the first Soviet trench below the crest. The trench had been empty. Thereupon, the gunner had opened up against tents which could be seen 20 meters to the rear. Other friendly machine guns had begun to chatter. Kuriyama had dashed up and secured the southeast edge of the heights. Enemy resistance had begun to slacken. What appeared to be two small Soviet tanks, actually a tank and a tractor had been laying down fire near the tents in an apparent effort to cover a pullback. The two vehicles had advanced toward the Japanese and sought to neutralize the heavy machine guns. A squad leader had engaged the tractor, set it afire, and shot down the crewmen when they had tried to flee. Next, the tank had been stopped. The Japanese lead gun had consumed all of its armor-piercing (AP) ammunition—three clips, or 90 rounds—in 10 or 15 seconds. No more AP ammunition had been available; one box had been with the last of the six squads struggling up the heights. "More AP!" had yelled the 1st Squad leader, signaling with his hand—which had at that moment been hit by a Russian slug. A tank machine-gun bullet had also torn through the thumb and into the shoulder of the squad's machine gunner, whereupon the 21-year-old loader had taken over the piece. Similar replacements had occurred under fire in all squads, sometimes more than once in the same unit. "It had been a fantastic scene," Sakata had commented. "Just like grasshoppers! But they had finally neutralized the heavy weapons." The knocked-out Russian vehicles had begun to blaze while the eastern skies had lightened. New enemy tanks (some said many, others merely three) had lumbered up the slopes, but the Japanese heavy machine guns had continued to fire on them, and the tanks had stopped. If the machine guns had gone into action minutes later, the Russian armor might have continued to the top, from which they could have ripped up the surviving Japanese infantrymen: "So we gunners fired and fired. I could see my tracers bouncing off the armor, for there was still no AP. We also shot at machine guns and infantry. Since we carried little ammo for the night attack, my gun ran out, but by then the enemy had been ousted. We had originally expected that we might have to fire in support of the infantry after they took the crest. We lost none of our own heavy machine guns that night, overran four Maxims and captured mountains of hand grenades. By dawn, however, our machine gun company had lost more than half of its personnel—about 40 men".  The light-machine-gun squad leader had been wounded in the hand by a grenade near the site where Sakata had been hit. Nevertheless, the superior private had clambered up the slope with his men. After 04:00, when he and his squad had been pinned down with the infantry below the crest, he had heard Japanese heavy machine guns firing toward the foe on the right: "Our units were in confusion, bunched up under terrific fire in a small area. Getting orders was impossible, so I had my light machine gun open up in the same direction at which the heavies were firing. We could identify no targets but tried to neutralize the enemy located somewhere on the crest. Although Soviet flares were going off, we never could glimpse the enemy clearly. But we heard the Russians yelling "Hurrah!" That ought to have been the signal for a charge; here it meant a retreat".  But, of the ten men in this Japanese machine-gun squad, only four had been in action when dawn had come. The turning point had arrived when the machine-guns belonging to Sakata, and the reserves of the late Nakajima, had torn into the Russian emplacements, tanks, and tents behind. Others had said the key had been the fire of grenade dischargers belonging to the same units. A high-angle weapon, the grenade discharger, had been light, effective, and ideal for getting at dead space. In terms of ammunition, it had been especially useful, for it could fire hand grenades available to the foot soldier. Undoubtedly, the combined action of the grenade dischargers and machine guns (heavy and light) had paved the way for a last charge by the infantry. The four light machine guns of the 2nd and 4th companies had played their part by pouring flank fire against the Russians, who had clung to the position although Kuriyama's platoon had made an initial penetration. At about 04:30, Japanese assault forces could be seen dimly, in the light of dawn, exchanging fire with the Russians only a few meters away on the southern edge of Changkufeng Hill. At the same time, on the northern slopes, enemy reinforcements numbering 50 men with trucks and tanks had been scaling the hill. Around 04:45, Japanese grenades began to burst over the heads of the last enemy atop Changkufeng; the Russians had wavered. After the heavy weapons had finally begun to soften up the Soviet positions, Sakata had judged that there were not many Russians left. He had jumped into the first trench, ahead of his only surviving platoon leader, Kuriyama, and several soldiers. Two or three Russians had been disposed of; the rest had fled. By then the 2nd Company had been chopped down to a platoon; about 40 men still lived. There had been no cheer of banzai, as journalists had written; it would have drawn fire to stand up and raise one's arms. But Sakata had remained proud of the assertion by Sato that, from Chiangchunfeng, he had observed the last rush and knew the "real story," that "Sakata was the first to charge the peak." The regimental eulogist had written that Sakata's earnestness "cut through iron, penetrated mountains, and conquered bodily pain." As for Inagaki, about 15 or 20 minutes after the badly wounded Sakata had managed to reach the point where Kitahara and Nakajima had been pinned down near the Crestline, the lieutenant had arrived with the remnants of Yamada's company, probably by 04:20. The records would have us believe that Sakata had been able to coordinate the next actions with Inagaki despite the storm of fire: "The acting battalion commander [Sakata] resumed the charge with a brand-new deployment—his 2nd Company on the right wing and the 1st Company on the left." Actually, all Sakata could think of had been to charge; it had been too confused a time to issue anything like normal orders as acting battalion commander: "About all I remember asking Inagaki was: "What are you doing over here? What happened to your company commander?" I think he told me that Yamada had been killed and resistance on the right flank had been severe. Undoubtedly, he acted on his own initiative in redeploying. Nor was there any particular liaison between my company and Inagaki's force." To the left of Sakata's survivors were the vestiges of Nakajima's platoon, and further to the left, the outflanking troops brought up by Inagaki. These forces gradually edged up to the rear of the foe, in almost mass formation, on the western slope just below the top. "The enemy soldiers who had been climbing up the northern incline suddenly began to retreat, and Inagaki led a charge, fighting dauntlessly hand-to-hand." As a result of the more or less concerted Japanese assaults, "the desperately resisting enemy was finally crushed and Changkufeng peak was retaken completely by 05:15," three hours after the night attackers had jumped off. Akaishizawa had said that the troops "pushed across the peak through a river of blood and a mountain of corpses. Who could withstand our demons?" Sato's regimental attack order had called for the firing of a green star shell to signal success. At 05:15, according to the records, "the signal flared high above Changkufeng, showering green light upon the hill; the deeply stirring Japanese national flag floated on the top." Sakata thought that this must have been 10 or 20 minutes after the hill was taken, but he remembered no flare. "After the last charge I had no time to watch the sky!" The flare had probably been fired from a grenade launcher by the battalion aide or a headquarters soldier. After the final close-quarter fighting, Sakata had pressed forward while the survivors came up. The captain had deployed his men against possible counterattack. Later he had heard that Soviet tanks had lumbered up to reinforce the peak or to counterattack but that, when they observed the Japanese in possession of the crest, they had turned back. Only after his men had secured the peak had Sakata talked to Inagaki about sharing defensive responsibility. The records described Sakata's deployments at 05:20, but there had been painfully few men to match the tidy after-action maps. Did Sakata and his men push across the peak? "Not downhill a bit," he had answered. "We advanced only to the highest spot, the second, or right-hand peak, where we could command a view of the hostile slope." He had merely reconnoitered to deploy his troops. The senior surviving Japanese officer atop Changkufeng heights had been Sakata. What had happened to Major Nakano, who had been wounded shortly after jump-off? Although his right arm had been shattered, he had dragged himself to his feet, once he had regained consciousness, and kept climbing to catch up. His men had pleaded with him to look after his terrible wounds, but he had insisted on advancing, leaning on his sword and relying on spiritual strength. "Left! Move left!" he had been heard to shout, for the faltering Japanese had apparently been of the opinion that they were at the enemy's rear. Instead, they had pressed against the Russians' western wing, directly in front of the enemy works, from which murderous fire had been directed, especially from machine-gun nests ripping at their flanks. With sword brandished in his uninjured hand, high above his head, Nakano had stood at the corner of the positions. The explosion of an enemy grenade had illuminated him "like the god of fire," and he had been seen to crumple. He had died a little before 0500, to the left of where young Nakajima had fallen at 0430. His citation had said: "The battalion commander captured Changkufeng, thanks to his proper combat guidance and deployments. He provided the incentive to victory in the Changkufeng Incident." A eulogist had called Nakano a "human-bullet demon-unit commander": "All who observed this scene were amazed, for it was beyond mortal strength. One could see how high blazed the flame of his faith in certain victory and what a powerful sense of responsibility he had as unit commander. Major Nakano was a model soldier." When Nakano had pitched forward, badly wounded PFC Imamura had tried to protect the commander's corpse. Imamura had killed a soldier who appeared from behind a boulder, had lunged at another two or three, but had toppled off the cliff. Two other Japanese privates—a battalion runner and PFC Iwata—had been lying nearby, hurt seriously; but when they saw Imamura fall to his death, leaving the major's body undefended, they had dragged themselves to the corpse, four meters from the foe. Iwata, crippled and mute, had hugged Nakano's corpse until other soldiers managed to retrieve it. While death had come to Nakano, Sakata had been fighting with no knowledge of what was going on to his left. Pinned behind a boulder, he had had no way of checking on the battalion commander. Only after Sakata had charged onto the crest and asked for the major had he been told by somebody that Nakano had been killed. He had not even been sure where the commander had fallen. Such had been the time of blood and fury when battalion chief, company commanders, and platoon leaders had fought and died like common soldiers, pressing on with saber or pistol or sniping rifle under relentless cross-fire. Pretty patterns of textbook control had meant nothing. Life—and victory—depended on training, initiative, raw courage, and the will to win. The result of this combination of wills could not be ascertained, on 31 July 1938, until dawn brightened the bleeding earth on Changkufeng Hill. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Tokyo gambled on a night strike to seize Changkufeng, while diplomacy urged restraint. Amid mud, smoke, and moonless skies, Nakano led the 1st Battalion, supported by Nakajima, Sakata, Yamada, and others. One by one, officers fell, wounds multiplying, but resolve held. By 05:15, shattered units regrouped atop the peak, the flag rising as dawn bled into a costly, hard-won victory.

What does true victory look like in life's darkest moments? Through the inspiring story of a young Israeli boy who survived a terrorist bombing, Pastor Cal reveals how God transforms victims into victors. Drawing from Psalm 46, he shares five keys to unshakeable trust: Turn to the Lord, Refuse fear, Utilize the Spirit's power, Survey God's works, and Take others with you. Whether facing personal crisis or global chaos, discover how God's faithful presence and the support of His people bring hope that endures. Experience this transformative message today. Speaker: Cal Rychener

Read Online“Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.” Matthew 9:35This one line speaks volumes about Jesus' public ministry. He didn't just preach a few sermons or heal a few who were sick. He “went around to all the towns and villages…teaching…proclaiming the Gospel…” and cured “every disease and illness.”It's important to contemplate that Jesus' public ministry lasted approximately three years. Three years of constant preaching, healing, and relating to people. During this time, Jesus encountered many thousands of individuals, and news of His works spread throughout Israel and beyond. Yet, the rest of today's Gospel reveals that Jesus' public ministry, though perfect in every way, was just the beginning. It was the foundation upon which His ongoing ministry would be established through the formation of His Church. As the Gospel continues, we gain insight into Jesus' compassionate heart. When He looked at the crowds, “his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” His three years of ministry were only the foundation, and His merciful Heart began to overflow with compassion. Though He is God, Jesus limited Himself to human interactions within time and space, making it impossible for Him to engage personally with every troubled and abandoned soul in His human form. That's why He told His disciples to “ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” After this, He summoned His Twelve Apostles, gave them authority to share in His ministry of preaching and healing, and sent them out to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Later, as recorded in Luke 10:1–2, Jesus expanded His mission even further by sending out seventy (or seventy-two) disciples ahead of Him as He and the Twelve began their final journey to Jerusalem where He would suffer and die. After His resurrection, Jesus further commissioned His Apostles to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20). This mission quickly spread to at least 120 disciples gathered in the upper room, and as the Holy Spirit continued to guide the early Church, thousands of new converts became evangelists, spreading the Word of God. Reflect today on Jesus' Sacred Heart, overflowing with compassion for all who feel “troubled and abandoned.” It is your mission to be Christ's Heart to them—to love them, to long for their burdens to be lifted, and to lead them to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Do not shy away from this mission, for the mission you are given is a continuation of and participation in the one eternal mission of Jesus Himself. Most holy and Good Shepherd, Your human Heart burns with the perfection of divine love and longs to touch every soul in need of Your mercy. Please transform my heart into Yours so that I may have Your zeal for the salvation of all whom I encounter and become a fitting instrument of Your divine presence in the world. Jesus, I trust in You.Image via Adobe StockSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Only a few days before his death, Charlie recorded a long interview with writer Rob Henderson about the idea of "luxury beliefs": Foolish ideas that elites embrace precisely because they are insulated from the consequences of believing them. They talk about Zohran Mamdani as the avatar of luxury beliefs, the "success sequence" that can bring people out of poverty, the "Dark Triad," and more. It's a wide-ranging conversation that touches many of the themes Charlie cared about most in his life. Check out Rob's book "Troubled" at https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Troubled/Rob-Henderson/9781982168537 Watch every episode ad-free on members.charliekirk.com! Get new merch at charliekirkstore.com!Support the show: http://www.charliekirk.com/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.