October 10, 2024
By:
Sometimes, the greatest (and only) thing we can offer is ourselves. When Larry Cripps, a DeKalb County native, was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, he had little idea of what lay in store for him and his future comrades, both on and off the battlefield.
Cripps has authored his first book called “The Hope of War” a Chaplain’s Journey to Abiding Faith, Enduring Hope and Love Under Fire and he appeared on WJLE Thursday morning in a video interview to talk about the book and his family and military background.
Larry will make an appearance at a Freedom Celebration/Charity Event in collaboration with the Wounded Warriors Project and the Mighty Oaks Foundation on Saturday, November 9 from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the DeKalb Community Complex in Smithville right before Veterans Day. Copies of his book will be available for purchase during the program. You may also visit https://thehopeofwar.com/ to purchase a copy of the book
At the risk of his own life, in exchange for a future he couldn’t imagine, Larry began a journey that would go much further than the jungles of Southeast Asia, the deserts of the Middle East, or anywhere else he deployed in service of his country. Progressing from armored cavalry to the Navy Chaplain Corps, Larry discovered that the wildest war zones of all were the hearts and minds of the service members he counseled and cared for.
They were men and women who desperately sought healing. Frustrated troops who demanded truth from leaders. People wounded and haunted by the savagery of warfare, who longed to regain a healthy sense of perspective and self-image. Fellow veterans who risked life and limb, and sidestepped death – only to spend the rest of their lives wondering what it all meant. Family members trying to stay ahead of life’s demands, civilian or military, and facing the challenges of relating to their loved ones in uniform. Larry’s journey would take him to a place of rare distinction – serving and praying for warriors and their families through every US military conflict and front, from 1965 through to the present day.
The Hope of War offers a way out of madness to anyone blindsided by hardship, trauma, tragedy or transition. In a manner both uplifting and raw, Larry’s journey reminds readers to dig deep beneath the “surface issues” of politics, history, current events and public opinion, to look for the real gold of growth and maturity under fire, according to a timeless, Biblical model.
Amidst the raucous backdrop of competing visions and interpretations of a dark time in American history, The Hope of War cuts through the noise and invites young readers to take their first step toward uncharted destiny, through a mysterious path they don’t yet understand. It reminds older readers of the status they earned by responding to the challenge, and how crucial their experience and wisdom are in this hour of history.
The Hope of War is a quintessential, timeless and real-life tale of an average person, forged into an extraordinary leader, trusted by senior commanders, shaped by forces and events far beyond his comprehension or control – who found life-changing moments, simply by saying “Yes.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Larry D. Cripps grew up surrounded by the nurturing influence of Christian parents whose early beginnings emerged from the shadows of the Great Depression and the Second World War. He spent his formative years in Blue Springs, a small farming community in DeKalb County near Smithville, TN, which is an hour’s drive southeast of Nashville.
Larry was drafted into the US Army in August 1969 and later joined the ranks of over 25,000 young men who served in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment during combat operations in South Vietnam and Cambodia. After the Army, he attended Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, graduating with a B. A. in Biblical Education and History in January 1975.
While enrolled at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX, Larry was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Reserve with the ultimate goal of returning to active duty as a chaplain. However, due to the massive reductions the Army underwent in the post-Vietnam years, Larry accepted the Navy’s invitation to attend Naval Chaplain School in Newport, RI, following seminary.
During his 32 years of naval service, Larry served in various assignments, including the U. S. Marine Corps, Combatant Commands, Naval Expeditionary Combat Command, and Naval Special Warfare Command. Larry’s military career and ministry as a chaplain spans three wars—Vietnam, Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the 9/11 Terrorist attacks, and the War on Terror.
Larry and his wife, Charlene, reside in Hendersonville, TN.