“The Fighting Preacher” Is The Best Story From WWII

The Fighting Preacher's Origins [0:10]

• Logan Weston's early life was marked by hardship, including working in coal mines and as a lumberjack during the Great Depression.
• He experienced profound loss when friends died in mining and logging accidents, leading him to a suicide attempt that failed when his gun misfired.
• Interpreting this as a second chance, he dedicated his life to God and became a preacher.

  "And right before the hammer drops, he said, he heard somebody say, wait, and he goes to stop. But the hammer drops anyways, gun doesn't go off."

Drafted into World War II [2:55]

• Despite becoming a minister, Weston was drafted into the army in 1939, before the US entered WWII.
• Unfamiliar with military roles, he chose infantry and was stationed in the Pacific after Pearl Harbor.
• His initial deployment to Guadalcanal was anticlimactic, arriving after the main battle had concluded.

  "And then they start walking up this beach and it's like, there's dead bodies everywhere. There's our dead bodies. There's, it looks like everything's just been destroyed and ransacked."

The Lost Battalion [5:57]

• Weston's unit was sent to New Georgia, where they were surrounded by Japanese forces for 29 days with no supplies, becoming known as the "lost battalion."
• They survived by rationing their initial food and later foraging for edible plants with the help of native guides.
• During a subsequent encirclement, the unit fared better due to prior experience and resourcefulness.

  "And nobody knew where they were at. They were called the lost battalion."

Miraculous Escape [9:11]

• Tasked with finding a gap in enemy lines, Weston and a guide encountered heavy machine gun fire.
• Weston survived multiple direct hits to his helmet, coat, and boot, while his guide interpreted this as divine protection.
• The guide's subsequent loud singing and dancing behind enemy lines, believing he was protected, exasperated Weston.

  "And then he walks outside and shoots that same gun that didn't go off, right into a tree and it goes off."

Devastating News and a New Mission [11:41]

• Upon returning from a mission, Weston received letters revealing his fiancée was leaving him and his parents were divorcing.
• He volunteered for a dangerous, unpublicized mission, which led him to India.
• This mission was part of the formation of Merrill's Marauders, an elite jungle warfare unit.

  "Don't have anything else to live for, I guess. So he volunteers."

Merrill's Marauders [13:00]

• Merrill's Marauders, a precursor to the 75th Ranger Regiment, conducted an 800-mile march into China from India.
• Their mission was guerrilla warfare against the Japanese to prevent them from connecting with German forces.
• Supplies were limited to airdrops, leading to extremely high casualty rates; only 300 of the original 3000 men finished.

  "The only food, water, ammunition you get is when you call in an airdrop."

Korean War Defense [16:44]

• After WWII, Weston re-enlisted and was sent to Japan for occupation duty when the Korean War broke out.
• He arrived at the Pusan Perimeter as South Korea was on the verge of collapse.
• Weston and his platoon held off a major North Korean attack, potentially saving South Korea, and he was nominated for the Medal of Honor.

  "And he basically, you can make an argument that like, if he would have not been able to hold when he held, they would have overran the HQ and like penetrated the Poussin perimeter and South Korea might not exist."

Tank Buster and Bayonet Charge [20:50]

• During a tactical retreat, Weston single-handedly destroyed three enemy tanks with a bazooka.
• He later oversaw Captain Louis Mallette, who led the last company-sized bayonet charge in U.S. military history.
• Mallette received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the charge.

  "He fires at the first tank with the bazooka or fires at the middle tank with the bazooka, knocks it out."

Green Beret and Vietnam Advisor [24:07]

• In his mid-40s, Weston became a Green Beret and helped write the manual on jungle warfare and counterinsurgency tactics.
• He served as a U.S. government advisor in Laos during the Vietnam War, involved in covert operations.
• On his last day in Korea, a bullet from an enemy sniper was stopped by the Bible in his breast pocket.

  "His last day in Korea day before his last day in Korea gets hit with a hit, gets hit by an enemy sniper right in the chest. Bullet gets stopped by the Bible in his breast pocket."