The Son of a Knight

by Karl M. Kindt III

Mission of this Knight

My Dad Kindt

Karl M.Kindt II

Before departing for the front lines he knew his young wife was with child, that he might be killed and never have the opportunity to train up his child in the way he should go.

He arranged to have delivered, on the day I was delivered, a dozen red roses and a letter addressed to me. This letter has had a big impact on my life, for in it he tells me that if he does not return from these battles, he counts it as a high honor to give his life to defend the liberty of his new wife and to defend me against the tyranny of an evil that had taken root in our world.

I have read it thousands of times.  It is printed below.

 My stepfather, John Prescott, had been a Marine in World War II. He and my mother taught me to respect the memory of my natural father. In fact, my Dad Prescott wrote a letter to my mother when he heard my Dad Kindt was killed in which he expressed his concern for us.  I thought of my father and my step-father as a knights in shining armor who had, like the knights of old, fought dragons of evil to defend my mother and myself and so many others.  One father lost his life in the strife, the other survived and dedicated his life to being a man of chivalry for my mother and for me.

My step-father

Dad Prescott

 The Letter of a Knight to His Son

Doc

 Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to know about the battles my dad had fought and how he was killed. I wanted to visit the places where he fought those battles and where he actually shed his blood in the defense of liberty and justice. But no one in my family knew any of this. So I started a search for this information - a search for those who fought with my dad on those final days of World War II. He was in the 3rd division of the Seventh Army - the 15th infantry. I knew all of this and I found from books where this battalion had fought in March and April of 1945 when my dad was on the front lines. But this battalion was spread out over many, many miles of German soil and it was not possible to determine exactly where my father was on any given day or in any given place from the books.

 This past year I found, through the information highway, using a modem, a group of men who were actually in the 3rd division and through this group, I found one man who knew my father before they both went to the front lines and who was fighting alongside him on the day my dad was killed. Mr. William K. Wayne of Seneca, New York told me the details I needed to actually go and visit the places where my father fought and died for us.

 April 1995 was fast approaching and I wanted to make my trip to these places before the 50th anniversary of his death. I made arrangements to take my vacation in late March and early April of 1995 so that I could actually be in the towns and villages of Germany on the precise days my father fought in those places 50 years before. The trip was quite meaningful to me. I stood on the roads my dad marched on and viewed the scenery his youthful eyes beheld. I came to the exact place where the artillery shell had killed my father and will never need the photograph I took of that place to remember it for it is emblazoned on my heart. From this place of his death I then traveled 500 miles to St. Avold, France and the Lorraine Cemetery where my father’s body was buried. There amongst over 10,000 other graves of young knights I placed my roses on his grave, I prayed to our Father in Heaven to thank Him for having had such a courageous and loving earthly father and to inspire me to live henceforth a renewed and dedicated life to my King and Lord Jesus Christ.

 Upon returning home, I pondered the idea of becoming a knight. One evening, while thinking and praying about my life, I determined to dedicate the rest of my life as a knight who would, by the grace of God, be a chivalrous man and serve the cause of righteousness in the name and power of Jesus Christ my King - just as my own father had done in his generation.

 The idea of actually having armor made for myself for this purpose also came to me. The armor has proved to be expensive but useful in drawing attention to the need in our society for men who are dedicated to the cause of truth, justice, to their wives and to the King of all Kings who loves us all.

 So I decided to contract with an armourer in Idaho to make the armor for me. His name is Christian Fletcher. He has a Web page on the Internet. I have now worn the armor in service to over 70 lords and ladies, cub scouts, schools, churches, at weddings, for store promotionals, walking in the March of Dimes, to the Crippled Children's Hospital, to the Juvenile Detention Center - everywhere taking the message of chivalry and the true stories of knights of old and of our own age.

 The armor he has created for me is in exact replication of a suit of armor that may have been worn by a knight errant. This type of armor was usually worn by a knight who did not have a permanent earthly lord, but instead traveled from place to place to work for those in need of knightly services. It weighs 82 pounds and is made of the same kind of steel that was used in the medieval times. Besides being a beautiful work of art, it is highly functional and protects this humble knight against the slings and arrows of 20^th of the twentieth century in which he seeks to render faithful service. Making certain that I donate some of my time to charitable causes on behalf of children, women and the families of victims of crime, I am also working with others to build a castle here in Missouri that will replicate one of the castles in Wales. A fully functional medieval castle with moat, drawbridge and a medieval village surrounding it, this will be called the Castle of Chivalry and Justice. Shining brightly on one of our Missouri hills, it will stand as a beacon light in the promotion of chivalry and justice. Educators and their students may come here to stay and learn about how life was different a thousand years ago. Wandering through the great hall, the chapel and the medieval shops that will surround the castle, visitors will find a place where the right is right and wrong is wrong and there is no confusion about what it means to be a just and chivalrous person in all times. Here will be a Camelot that will stand not for one brief shining moment, but we pray, until the kingdom comes on earth as it is in Heaven. Here will be a place, dedicated to the cause of truth and justice and the ancient code of chivalry where one may go to experience a simpler age where those honored are the men who have been chivalrous and faithful to their word of honor to wife and family and where those lifted up for emulation are men and boys who treat women and girls with the greatest respect and concern. The castle will be dedicated in memory of my knightly father, in honor to by knightly step-father and in memory of all knights who have ever served others faithfully, even unto death.

 NBC’s Inside Edition televison show heard about my effort to honor my father’s knightly sacrifice and came to St. Louis with their camera. The photograph of my father printed above is the actual image of him that was shown on NBC national television in 1996 to millions of Americans. It was a very satisifying day when his memory was honored in the hearts of so many. I thank God for those who are grateful for the sacrifice my knightly father made for the liberty and justice of others.

 HIRE a knight to do what?

Have armor, will travel

NBC’s Inside Edition, the St. Louis Post Dispatch feature writer Reshma Yaqub, Channel 2’s Jeanna Curry and Show Me St. Louis’s John Perzborne as well as over 50 school teachers and principals, many parents of children at whose birthday parties I have served, brides and grooms who have hired me to be present at their weddings and receptions, dozens of cub scout leaders who have hired me to come to scout meetings, the director of the Oasis program, the dean of the Fontbonne College Options program, professor Annabarbara Sakurai of Webster University, the St. Louis County Juvenile Court social work staff, the social worker at the Edgewood Children’s Home, the social director of the Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children, the chairman of the March of Dimes, Chuck Norman, John Carney of WIBV Radio and the chairman of the VP parade.

Typical Errands Rendered as a Knight

1. Present the good news about the King of Kings and the victory He has won for us over sin and death as well as describe His Kingdom and the armor He provides to all who will have it.
2. teach about the history of knighthood and the middle ages (this knight is a teacher and has taught these unusual but uplifting lessons in over 70 schools from K through High School and at some Universities)
3. demonstrate some knightly methods of fighting for justice for the oppressed
4. walk through an area to provide publicity regarding some event
5. provide photo opportunities for a group of persons who desire a photo with a knight
6. deliver special gifts or messages
7. lend a sense of security to your place
8. learn how to become a knight yourself, including how to procure your own armor and chivalry
9. entertain with medieval poems and stories of valor
10. fight for the rights of someone you know who has been the victim of a crime (the sword used will not be one of steel but of assisting you politically and in finding a legal and just remedy)
11. lessons about knighthood at church camps
12. finding someone you care for but with whom you have lost contact
13. escort you and your date or group to and from a function
14. stand sentry by your door for security and publicity
15. serve for free in some circumstances where chivalry demands it
16. wedding rehearsal dinners whereat I teach Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady
17. teach the lessons of chivalry regarding morals, ethics and being a gentleman