Fate in Humanity Restored

In the darkest moments in human history, certain people rose above the chaos to show their fellow man kindness. It’s pretty amazing how empathy can pop up in the middle of a conflict, proving that we aren't always as divided as the headlines suggest. With that in mind, here are 20 instances where kindness took center stage while the world was at war.

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1. The 1914 Christmas Truce

It’s hard to imagine that anyone would enjoy fighting in World War I. But on Christmas Day 1914, troops from both sides decided there was something better to do than harm one another. For hours, British and German soldiers huddled together in No Man’s Land, exchanging gifts and singing carols to each other.

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2. Richard Kirkland’s Water Mission

Watching the injured Union soldiers slowly roast in the sun was too much for Confederate Richard Kirkland to bear. He grabbed all the canteens he could find and jumped right over the wall to bring his enemies some water. Legend has it that soldiers on both sides actually stopped firing to watch him run back and forth for hours.

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3. Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler

When a damaged American bomber was struggling to stay in the air, a German pilot named Franz Stigler flew alongside it instead of shooting it down. He escorted the terrified crew to the North Sea because he felt that attacking defenseless men would be a stain on his honor. You can imagine the relief the American pilots felt when their hunter turned into their guardian.

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4. The Angel of Pervyse

Working side by side in Belgium, Elsie Knocker and Mairi Chisholm tended to soldiers of both sides while sitting in a foxhole. Knocker also dove into a flaming German plane to pull out the pilot alive. These ladies showed the world that a white coat is often more useful than a rifle.

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5. Sempo Sugihara’s Life-Saving Visas

By handwriting so many transit visas, foreign minister Sempo Sugihara literally wore his fingertips smooth. He spent hours continuing his life-saving paperwork right up until the train he was boarding began to pull away from the station. Sugihara’s compassion brought thousands of Jewish refugees to safety.

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6. The Surgeon of Arnhem

Captain Derek Ridgway was a British doctor who held his post in Arnhem as long as possible during WWII. Once it became clear the area would be taken by the Germans, the enemy soldiers offered their respects and supplies. When two armies agree not to interfere with medical work, some part of humanity is preserved.

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7. Albert Goering’s Silent Resistance

The brother of one of Hitler’s top lieutenants worked secretly to undermine the regime from within. Albert Goering used his connections to smuggle escaped political prisoners out of Germany and provide refugees with travel documents. He reportedly tore up several direct orders from his brother.

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8. The Wounded at Iwo Jima

There’s a story about a Navy corpsman who risked his life to crawl out and treat a wounded Japanese soldier despite the intense fighting nearby. He shared his own limited supply of water and morphine with the man before dragging him to safety. This gesture proved that the impulse to save a life can be stronger than the training to take one.

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 9. British Soldiers in the Falklands

After the fighting stopped in the Falkland Islands, many British troops shared their rations and warm clothing with the freezing Argentine conscripts. You could see soldiers who had been shooting at each other hours before now huddling together for warmth. These small acts of kindness helped bridge the gap between the two nations in a very cold place.

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10. The Kind Sniper

Civil War sniper Lyons Dunton had an opposing general in his sights one day but decided not to pull the trigger. Dunton noticed he was helping a wounded soldier to safety before offering him his own coat. Even enemies can display such kindness that it inspires legend.

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11. Kindertransport Helpers

Parents all over Great Britain opened their homes to strangers during World War II. These children were given shelter by families who wanted nothing more than to protect the next generation from Hitler. While Europe burned around them, countless Kindertransport helpers banded together the broken pieces.

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12. Civil War Swaps

Soldiers along the Rappahannock River spent countless hours creating small toy boats out of wood scraps. The North would send coffee and newspapers across in these miniature vessels, and the South would return the favor with tobacco. Instead of waiting around to fight, enemies worked together to make life a little better.

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13. Irena Sendler

Irena Sendler spent her days risking her life smuggling Jewish children out of occupied Poland. Using everything from sewer systems to backpacks, she moved little by little until thousands had escaped. After the war, her list of survivors helped families reconnect with their loved ones once more.

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14. An American in the Japanese Camps

Father John took a vow to look after his parishioners no matter what. So even after the Japanese invasion of the Philippines captured and imprisoned his church, he never left their side. He gave away his daily food ration and did everything he could to comfort the people around him.

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15. The Truce for the Wounded

During the Battle of the Bulge, a small group of American and German soldiers found themselves sharing a cabin in the woods on Christmas Eve. A German mother insisted they all leave their weapons outside before they could sit down for a warm meal together. You can see how a mother’s authority managed to create a tiny bubble of peace in a snowy wasteland.

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16. The Belgian Resistance Bread

Local villagers in occupied Belgium often risked execution to leave bread or warm clothes near the fences of prisoner-of-war camps. They’d wait until the guards were distracted to toss the supplies over to the starving men inside. These anonymous acts of charity kept many prisoners alive when official rations weren't enough.

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17. The Lost Battalion Medic

In the middle of the Argonne Forest, a medic named Abraham Krotoshinsky volunteered to run through heavy fire to get help for his trapped unit. On his way to safety, he spotted an enemy lying helpless in the mud and couldn’t just leave him there. Dr. Krotoshinsky made the ultimate decision to help a stranger with his life on the line.

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18. Civil War Hospital Care

When Walt Whitman volunteered to help nurses care for injured soldiers, he quickly grew attached. He sat and wrote letters for the men who were too wounded or weak to write their own. Restoring communication with loved ones was just one way he comforted soldiers until his own passing in 1892.

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19. Rescue at Sea

During World War II, a British destroyer stopped to pick up survivors from a German U-boat they had just sunk despite the risk of other submarines in the area. The captain felt it was his duty as a sailor to save anyone who was adrift in the ocean. This maritime tradition of helping those in distress often overrode the rules of engagement.

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20. The Peace of the Gallipoli Trenches

While fighting over a strip of land called Gallipoli, two countries came to an understanding. Turkish and Australian soldiers respected each other so much that they would toss mail and food back and forth to one another. A tradition that lives on between the countries today.

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