It didn’t go as planned

Sometimes things don’t go as planned. On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. (Yes, it’s been over two years ago.) The Russian leadership thought it would be an easy military triumph, as they believed their superior Russian military would quickly overwhelm the Ukrainian forces. Most military experts on TV here in the U.S. agreed that Russia would quickly dispatch the Ukrainians, and that other eastern European countries would surely be next in line for Russian conquest.

As we know, that has not happened. Ukraine has fought back valiantly, with help with military aid from the U.S. and other countries. While Russia has taken some land in eastern Ukraine, their advance has basically stalled, and, after over two years, the war has grinded pretty much to a stalemate.

Just this week, it was reported that Putin’s military forces has suffered great losses in the war, with an estimated 450,000 Russian military forces killed or injured. It is estimated that there have been over 10,000 Russian armored vehicles and 3,000 tanks destroyed. Whether you agree with the amount of U.S. aid to Ukraine, and wonder where all the money is going, you have to admire the fight and the determination the Ukrainians have had against a much larger foe.

So, the war is not going as planned for the Russians. It’s not the first time that has happened. In 1861, the United States was divided between the North and the South. War was inevitable as southern states began succeeding from the Union. But both sides thought that if there was a war, it wouldn’t last long. The Confederates thought that the North didn’t have a heart for war, and would let them leave. The Union thought, after a couple of battles, the South would come to their senses and return.

In July, 1861, there had already been a couple of battles with a few deaths. But the seriousness of what was ahead had not been considered. President Lincoln was anxious to get the war started and over with. He knew the Union troops were inexperienced and had a lack of training. But the Confederates were, also.

Besides, the war would soon be over. Some of the wealthiest Confederates brought their servants, along with trunks and suitcases with changes of clothes, as they headed into battle. When war was declared after Fort Sumter, the U.S. government called for volunteers to sign up to fight. But the sign up was for only 90 days. Surely, they thought, the war would be over by then.

But then there was the first Battle of Manassas, or Bull Run. In his book, “Civil War Blunders,” Clint Johnson wrote that it took that battle “to finally convince the boastful on both sides that war was hell. In the first major battle, a total of five thousand men on both sides would end up killed, wounded, or missing.” In the next four years, over 600,000 died in a war that tore our country apart.

Mike Tyson, probably the fiercest and scariest boxer of recent history, once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” And in his boxing career, Mike Tyson messed up a bunch of plans.

As Americans learned in the Civil War, and the Russians are finding out today, sometimes it doesn’t work out as planned. On a personal level, we all have plans. And it’s good to have them. But sometimes, our plans don’t work out and life punches us in the mouth. How we handle those punches will determine victory or defeat in our battles.