July 4, 2024

An Azimuth For Humanity (What is THAT?)

One of my heroes, retired Major William Ostan, gives us today’s Independence Day post, adapted from his incredible book, The Patriot’s Field Manual: A Citizen’s Guide to Saving America at the Local Level. Will, an over-educated attorney (and former military JAG), likes to try and intimidate me with words he thinks I won’t understand. He should remember that I have a dictionary on my phone, and a bigger one on my shelf. So, Will’s “Azi-whatever” title didn’t phase me. Don’t reach for your dictionary - he’ll define it. And it’s worth the wait! Will shares:

“I’ll never forget being lost in the middle of the night in the Fort Benning, Georgia swamps with only a military-issued lensatic hand-held compass (no GPS!) and a paper 8-digit grid map to guide me. I was a middle-aged soldier attempting to pass the legendary land navigation test in the Army’s Pre-Ranger course so I could prove worthy of my Commander approving orders to Ranger school, despite my advanced age. Getting a shot at the elite Ranger school had been a distant dream of mine for years.

“That dream was in danger of being dashed as the heavens opened, pouring out an unwelcome deluge of hard rain that completely soaked me, my map, and the ground. I was knee-deep in the muck that was trying to suck my boots off with every step, surrounded by thick darkness, accompanied by strange animal sounds (was that a wild boar I heard?), and suddenly starting to worry that I wouldn’t find all the navigation points in the required time before sunrise.

“Discouragement was beginning to cloud my mind. I could feel my heart racing, induced by the creeping, encroaching thoughts of possible failure.

“Then I remembered a sound piece of advice I received from a land navigation instructor shortly after I joined the Army, ‘First Lieutenant Ostan, when you get lost, don’t panic. Just find the biggest fixed landmark and shoot an azimuth from there. Too easy.’(1)

“So that’s what I did. I clicked on my red-lens flashlight, trudged out of the swamp to the most obvious fixed landmark on the map, and re-shot a new azimuth to the next closest point. Over the ensuing exhausting hours, I found enough points to pass the land nav course and successfully completed Pre-Ranger school.

“You might be asking yourself - what in the world is an azimuth, and why is it so important? Honestly, explaining how to do land navigation might be harder than actually doing it. So, in the simplest terms possible - shooting an azimuth essentially means climbing to a height where the horizon is visible, sighting an object on that horizon in the direction you are traveling, and adjusting your compass heading to make sure you are still moving in the right direction. You must have an accurate azimuth to reach your desired destination. If you are off in your measurements, even the tiniest variance can result in missing your targeted location by miles. In the military, being in the right place at the prescribed time is vital to mission success. So yes, azimuths are pretty important!

“Believe it or not - this is similar to what the Founding generation did for us in 1776. They realized that the King and Parliament in Great Britain had become lost and were no longer honoring the principles of freedom enumerated in the azimuth known as the Magna Carta.(2) So, they dedicated their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to re-shoot an azimuth for humanity that has resounded through the ages and changed the course of history. It can be found in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Federalist Papers, etc. Benjamin Franklin stated the international reach of America’s quest: ‘It is a common observation here (Paris) that our cause is the cause of all mankind, and that we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own.’(3)

“Sadly, this cause has been set back. Today, our generation has reached a critical mass point where we need to, once again, re-shoot an azimuth. For several decades now, America has slowly but steadily abandoned her unique founding principles. 

“Founder Thomas Jefferson warned of this: 

‘Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. …If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.’(4)

“Trusted historian Stephen McDowell stated the results of our ignorance and lack of diligence:

‘America’s founding principles made her unique, free, and powerful, but there are many today who would have her abandon those principles. Many leaders in education and the media have promoted a different ideology, and many government leaders have implemented policies contrary to our founding principles which have diminished our greatness.’(5)

“It’s obvious that we have veered off course and desperately need to find a fixed landmark. The indifference and complacency born of these lies are leading to the collapse of our country. In combat parlance, we would say that the enemy is ‘danger- close.’ Dr. Os Guinness’s most recent book title succinctly sums up our current situation by stating we have entered ‘Zero Hour America.’(6) 

“The azimuth America currently needs is a combination of America’s God-given founding purpose - a light to the nations powered by the gospel of Jesus Christ - and the principles elaborated in her founding documents. 

“America is not perfect and never will be, but she is still the greatest country in the history of mankind. And she has the unique God-given position of being a ‘City on a Hill’ to the nations of the world. When America is free, she remains one of the most powerful conduits for the gospel to spread across the globe.

“Lincoln had it right when he described our nation as the world’s ‘last, best hope.’(7) Let us be reminded as we celebrate our Independence Day, that we, the Ekklesia, have been given a mission. We must re-shoot an azimuth for humanity. We are in the right place at the right time to see this nation turn back to God, and the gospel flow to the ends of the earth.”

Pray with me: 

Heavenly Father, we thank You that You inspired our ancestors to re-shoot an azimuth for humanity hundreds of years ago, and we ask You to guide us in doing so again in this strategic hour. Please continue to strengthen the hearts of Your Ekklesia with the same “never-give-up” commitment we saw in America’s Founders. We want to partner with You, Lord, to bring this Nation to the right place at the right time according to Your purposes in heaven, so that she would once again be a City on Hill - a light and a glory for the nations of the earth to know Jesus and live in true freedom. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Our decree:  

We declare that the Ekklesia is bringing a course correction to America - she’ll be in the right place at the right time to fulfill her God-given purposes!

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Today’s post was adapted from Major (Retired) William Ostan’s book, The Patriot’s Field Manual: A Citizen’s Guide to Saving America at the Local Level. It is available at WillOstan.com, along with more of his story. I encourage you to get this book; it’s excellent.

BIO:

William J. Ostan is a retired Army Major, JAG, and the recipient of two Bronze Stars. He is the Founder and CEO of Arc of Justice, a nonprofit organization that advocates for active-duty wounded warriors. Will co-authored the Wounded Warrior Bill of Rights, which is bipartisan legislation currently being considered in Congress. You can find out more about his cause at ArcOfJusticeUSA.org

The greatest joy of Will’s life is to spend time with his family! He has been married to Jennifer, who is an Elizabeth Dole Foundation Caregiver Fellow, since 2001, and is a proud father of twin daughters! 

__________________________________________

1. John, Vickery P. “The Lost Art of Dismounted Land Navigation.” Fort Benning, https://www.moore.army.mil/infantry/magazine/issues/2015/OCT-DEC/pdf/4)%20Vickery%20-%20Land%20Nav_txt.pdf. Accessed 22 March 2023.

2.  “The Avalon Project : Magna Carta.” Avalon Project, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/magframe.asp. Accessed 22 March 2023.

3. Benjamin Franklin in a letter to Samuel Cooper, 1777. Major William T. Coffey, Jr., Patriot Hearts (Colorado Springs, CO: Purple Mountain Publishing), p. 290. 

4. Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Colonel Charles Yancy, January 6, 1816. Ibid Patriot Hearts, p. 289.

5. Stephen, McDowell. “American Exceptionalism.” Providence Foundation, 14 October 2022, https://providencefoundation.com/american-exceptionalism/. Accessed 22 March 2023.

6. Guinness, Os. Zero Hour America: History’s Ultimatum Over Freedom and the Answer We Must Give. InterVarsity Press, 2022. 

7. Lincoln, Abraham. “President Abraham Lincoln’s Second Annual Message to Congress, December 1, 1862.” National Archives, 25 July 2019, https://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/sotu/lincoln.html. Accessed 22 March 2023.