No. 54: Memorial Day--The U.S. Remembers
May 28th 2010 18:45
Crying and Praying
Although we justifiably enjoy the parties, Memorial Day is much more than the traditional hot dogs, beverages, beans and potato salad. It is deeper than just a gathering of family and friends at the grill centerpiece. It is, of course, a time to reflect on those who have given so much of their bodies and lives so that we survive to this day.
Someone once said that war is “Wasting young men’s bodies for old men’s dreams.”
War is hell! War is hell! There is no selling short its insanity. There is no logic to it all. It is difficult to fathom people actually seeking out and killing other people. Yet, in spite of more noble insights and intentions, it keeps on happening. We are still losing loved ones to this day. I think we will agree that most all Americans, who have survived acts of war, are heroes.
In Post No. 25, I mentioned having been blessed with meeting some of those heroes, many of whom are no longer with us. If you will allow, I would like to share with you some experiences they have related to me.
U.S.S. Indianapolis
While making an insurance call in the early 1990’s, I happened upon a home in Florida, wherein lived a hero who survived the sinking of the great ship Indianapolis. He survived for days in oil-filled, shark- infested waters while hearing the screams of his fellow sailors who were burning, drowning, or being devoured by sharks. I encourage you to read more about this disaster and how it happened.
Normandy
On D-Day, as a paratrooper, one of my best friends flew over the battles below at night. He was in a plywood glider. While talking with the soldier sitting next to him, he felt a warm liquid hitting his face. His friend’s head had been shot! Only three of the 20 or so soldiers on board, survived to fight the rest of the war.
Another friend relayed how he watched as fellow men aboard other landing craft sank to the bottom. They carried too much weight on their backs and had been released in deep water. Once his feet hit the bottom, with his head above water, he ran as fast as he could “toward the cliff.” He said he was scared to death, but heard nothing. He had blocked out all sensory input and thought only of the cliff for safety. At the cliff’s bottom, he regained his thoughts and began shooting upward at the enemy along with the others. He went on to fight another four years.
Another tells of ferrying men back and forth from their troop carrier to shore. He told how there were sandbars that no one predicted. Many of the landing boat drivers placed their boats on the sandbar thinking that was the final bottom. He said this is why so many drowned when the boats’ gates dropped. They had let the soldiers out on the other side of the sandbar in deeper water. He also said whole boatloads of men never touched the water, but were machine-gunned as soon as the gates opened. He said this scene haunts him to this day.
Battle of the Bulge
One tank captain told of walking up to other tanks in the frozen winter. When they opened up the hatches, they sometimes found young boys frozen solidly, still clinging to their positions. Later, his group surrounded whole villages with tanks. They sent messengers inside demanding that all guns be surrendered; if not, the village would be destroyed. He said they only had to annihilate one town. Doing that bothered him until his death.
Another tank crewman mentioned that when his tank went up a little hill toward a farmhouse, he heard a loud screeching--horrible sound. When he looked around he could see huge holes on each side of his tank. The shell had passed completely through the machine--within inches of his head! He said: “We got the heck back down that hill and called in artillery on the house.”
The South Pacific
In WWII, my father’s brother bounced from island to island, along with tens of thousands of British, Australian Canadian and American soldiers and sailors. One night, during heavy waves of attacks from the Japanese, the Americans were trying to hold a hilltop where he was in a foxhole. Then, one huge wave of fighters came rushing up to overtake the hill with guns blazing. A retreat was ordered. The soldier in the adjoining foxhole began retreating with the others, but he was barefoot. (He had taken his boots off to dry out his socks and feet.) As he ran through the sand spurs, they hurt so badly that he went back to retrieve his boots--firing at his enemy the whole time. The Japanese interpreted this as a counterattack and began their own retreat. Upon hearing the lessening fire, and seeing this, the other Americans turned around and indeed, counterattacked! The Americans retook the hill and the rest is history.
Vietnam
A neighbor, and childhood friend, was on intelligence patrol when his helicopter left without him. The villagers placed him in a dark corner within a hut. The Viet Cong searched every hut for him. Once, a V.C. solder came within inches of him.
Another acquaintance told of how he “melted down two barrels” on his machine gun as wave after wave of his enemy attacked them. Ten years later, he could still see his enemy pulling their dead and dying off the battlefield in front of them with “meat hooks.”
One summer day, in 1967, a close friend was visiting my fiance’ and me. He said he wanted to be a Marine “tunnel rat!” We begged him to reconsider, but he declined and said because he was short and light weight, he could get in and out better than others. Within six weeks of his admission to the “Playground of the Far East,” shrapnel killed him.
*****
Telling these horrific stories will hopefully help us visualize just a minuscule part of what these brave people endured. There are millions of stories related to the battles and heart aches people have endured due to over 200 years of our wars. We have only looked at a tiny, fraction of them.
We should all remember that in every war, including Afghanistan and Iraq, good, wonderful, beautiful people lose their lives. Their families continue suffering over their losses.
No family in America is untouched by war's impact on them. Let us encourage everyone to speak to their friends and family who have gone through these horrible incidents and take down their stories for future generations.
Americans have set aside this day to honor our fallen. Please remember to pray for their souls on Monday and remember that regardless of political position, all of us have a stake in honoring our veterans, especially those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for us.
| 178 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by Edward Allen
Sanity Road
Thank you for your comments.