Memorial Day

 

IN MEMORIUM  We honor those who gave their lives to defend our country; who swore to defend the Constitution.  Not that we ever will have a perfect or even a good country.  When Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar”, He meant not just paying taxes.  For God raises up governments to guard against anarchy.  Even when government consists of ding dongs we have the responsibility to pay taxes, obey the laws, and serve in the military if called by such duty.  In a republic, we must take seriously our duty to vote, pray for the nation, stay abreast of the politics so that we choose wise leaders, speak out against injustice and defend God-given rights. So in some way we all have a part to play in Memorial Day.

 

Midway

 

God is wise and in not telling us the future of events on earth.  We usually can’t handle it. Saul knew full well, God had picked David as future king and spent the remainder of his life fighting it. Hezekiah got another 15 years of life and then squandered it.  But the Navy boys didn’t squander their opportunity in the decisive, historic victory in the battle of Midway.

            The disaster at Pearl Harbor was missed by military intelligence, and nobody felt worse for it than Capt. Ed Layton who was commander of HYPO, a military intel group in Honolulu.  He offered to resign, but Adm. Chester Nimitz asked him to stay on.  We now know that Layton and Capt. Joseph Rochefort had missed the attack because Washington, DC, high command had not let them see diplomatic messages.  Rochefort was a brilliant, eccentric officer who often wore slippers and a bathrobe over his uniform.  He often spent days sequestered with a code.  He and Layton had met on assignment in the 30s to the Tokyo embassy and knew fluent Japanese.  USA had decoded part of the Nippon’s JN-25b code. HYPO deduced that the next likely attack was Midway, 1300 miles NW of Hawaii.  Gaining its air field, Japan could bomb and then invade Hawaii. They also found evidence for an attack on Alaska.  Washington disagreed.  They had the same messages and thought Solomon islands were likely--to cut off  Australia and New Zealand and invade there. It came down to identifying target “AF”. Who was right? Nimitz trusted his Pacific HYPO guys and withdrew the Enterprise near to Midway.  But such was a neglect of his orders to return to Hawaii.  Yorktown was in Hawaii and he ordered a frantic fix of the crippled carrier.  What we now realize is that the Japanese Army and Navy were arguing.  The Army wanted to invade Alaska.  With only 30,000 non-natives it would be a cakewalk. Nippon’s.Navy was intent on going for the kill of America’s Navy with a trap set at Midway.  High command decided both attacks would happen simultaneously.

            Nimitz told HYPO they’d have to come up with “proof” to convince DC that a strike was due at Midway. Jasper Holmes, an engineer at Hawaii University, had been reactivated and had just joined HYPO.  He had a plan.  Have the Midway base broadcast, without encryption, that they had an emergency with their desalination water plant. Sure enough, Rochefort intercepted a coded Japanese message to include extra water with the invasion fleet.  Plus, there was a surprise—exact date of the attack, June 4, 1942.  Then Rochefort worked on another more heavily encrypted message containing the battle plan, route, etc.  By luck he found the code-breaker and thus Nimitz knew the battle plan.  The Admiral had 3 fleet carriers and six small sea carriers and the airbase.  Japan had 4 fleet carriers and a dozen sea carriers, far more destroyers and battleships. And they mistakenly thought, secrecy.

            With advance notice, Midway sent its planes aloft and was ready with anti-aircraft guns.  As they held off the bombing raid, planes attacked the widely dispersed (for secrecy) Japanese fleet.  But inexperienced US pilots and pitiful American torpedoes that wouldn’t detonate, plus Japan’s skilled fighter pilots won resoundingly.  The Nipponese badly disabled Yorktown.  Then they received word that Midway had been on alert and not much hurt by the raid.  So another round of land bombs was being re-armed on returning planes.

             Then came America’s Dauntless.  Dauntless Douglas Dive-bombers under Lt. Dick Best and Wade McClusky, squadron commanders, targeted the Kaga and Asagi (flagship). Kaga took several hits and because the Japanese were re-arming, bomb stacks, fuel hoses lay all over the lower decks. These erupted in massive fires.  Best then targeted Asagi.  His own DSB Dauntless put a 500-lb. bomb down the elevator of the ship causing a terrific explosion. Japanese carriers had cost-saving wooden decks and thus were at risk for fire.  A third carrier, the Soryu, was also destroyed. Hence returning Japanese pilots, with no place to land, had to ditch in the sea.  The following day, the Dauntlesses destroyed the Hiryu and the Japanese called a retreat. They had lost 6000 men and half their Pacific fleet.  Nipponese naval dominance never recovered after Midway. With Yorktown unsalvageable, the United States now had just 4 Pacific fleet carriers vs. Japan’s 4.  In the next 3 years, Japan would build 3 more.  But USA built 24. And the Japanese Army found themselves stranded without Navy support on two Aleutian islands after Midway.

            Layton, Rochefort, Holmes, and Best all came from small town America—small towns with big churches—and each of them was influenced by Protestant faith.  As Dick Best said, “You never know when your end is coming so live as much as you can.”  He fought Midway with tuberculosis and was discharged later that year.  Layton became a Rear Admiral; Holmes, head of the HU math department. Cryptoanalyst, Joseph Rochefort  died in 1976 and peers took up cause that he be decorated (He had not. Did the Navy have to have someone to blame for Pearl??).  Posthumously, he was awarded the President’s Medal of Freedom. Richard Halsey “Dick” Best, the super pilot, fought through his TB, and outlived them all.  He died in 2001.  “Live as much as you can.”

           

 

 

1944

With Memorial Day and D-Day remembrances, this poetic song by Contemporary Christian singer, Twila Paris seems to say it well—that someone’s sacrifice for you demands a response to follow in his footsteps. 

What Did He Die For?

He was 21 in 1944
He was hope, and he was courage on a lonely shore.
Sent there by a mother, with love beyond her tears.
Just a young American who chose to rise above his fears.
And as I watch him struggle up that hill
Without a thought of turning back

I cannot help but wonder,
What did he die for, when he died for you and me?
Made the sacrifice so that we could all be free?
I believe that we will the answer each to heaven
For the way we spend a priceless liberty.
Look inside and ask the question,
What did he die for, when he died for me?

To the darkest day in AD 33
Came the mercy and compassion of eternity.
Sent there by a Father with love beyond his tears,
Blameless one, the only son to bear the guilt of all these years.
And as I watch him struggle up that hill
Without a thought of turning back
I cannot help but wonder,
What did he die for, when he died for you and me?
Made the sacrifice so that we could all be free?
I believe that we will the answer each to heaven
For the way we spend a priceless liberty.
Look inside and ask the question,
What did he die for, when he died for me?

He died for freedom!
He died for love!
And all the things we do to pay him back
Could never be enough.
What did he die for, when he died for you and me?
Made the sacrifice so that we could all be free?
I believe that we will the answer each to heaven
For the way we spend a priceless liberty.
Look inside and ask the question,
What did he die for, when he died for me?

Losing Decoration Day

Decoration Day was what my grandmother always called it.  We don’t call it that anymore. That was the original title for Memorial Day, started after the Civil War to honor the men who had died fighting for what they believed in.  And she told about how the day was dedicated to talking about the American values those men had died for.  We don’t do that anymore either.  You never hear the media talk about just what it was that was so important that America lost enormous numbers of men in the prime of life.  Did they die for nothing?  If I were to play Jay Leno and ask people in the street to tell me why we fought in the Spanish American War, I bet only 1 in 100 could explain. Pity.  Why don’t we talk about it?

The War Between the States was fought by men on both sides who strongly believed in opposite interpretations of a value.  The South fought for individual states rights. Listen to the songs. Hoorah! Hoorah! For southern rights Hoorah!  Hooray for the bonnie blue flag that bears the single star!  The North fought for the inseparable union. The Union forever!  Hoorah, boys, Hoorah!  Down with the traitor and up with the Stars. So was it to be star or stars?  The underlying issue was slavery, and on that was hinged the disagreement: Union or States Rights. 

The War of 1812 was like that in that an underlying issue was that the British wanted to re-colonize America. It was called the Second War of Independence after the war but what was being fought for at the inception was the abuse of Americans on the high seas.  The Spanish American war was also fought because Americans were being abused when they tried to do business in the Caribbean by Spain.  Some would argue that USA had colonial desires, but Roosevelt and the Rough Riders didn’t volunteer for colonialism.  They fought for rights and freedoms.  The First World War had an ostensible slogan Make the World Safe for Democracy and USA fought on the side of the most constitutional monarchies, once again, pro-rights and anti-tyranny.  WW II was fought when we were attacked by fascists and of all the wars in our history, it was the one Americans joined with the most eagerness and anger at the opponent.  But if you ask many people, ”So what is wrong with fascism?”  they give some lame explanation about the Holocaust.  Well, we fought the entire war without knowing about the Nazi death camps. “Try again.” Fascism, National Socialism, represents a system of government control of vital businesses and people.  That was anathema in America.  We fought for rights as well as we defended our existence when attacked.  As we were attacked unprovoked again in 9/11, we fight for our right to exist and for rights that Islamofascists refuse.  Ironically it was a second time.  We fought them in the War of the Barbary Pirates in 1800.  We fought the spread of full-blown socialism in Vietnam and Korea, and another National Socialist Baathist dictator in both Gulf Wars.

What’s the common consistency?  We fight for rights, just as in the original Revolutionary War, and we oppose those who deny those rights, either monarchies or socialists.  First to fight for rights and freedom, then to keep our honor clean.  goes the Marines Hymn. We Americans sometimes disagree on the extent of rights and freedoms or the need to go to war. But today, oddly enough, we have those who rather side with a progressive national socialism, where rights are subordinated to the state in exchange for well-being, government controls key industries closely, and the Constitution is optional.  Don’t tell that to the veterans of the Civil War who fought over an interpretation of the Constitution and rights.  600,000 men died in that war. There were 12 million Americans in 1860, hence 6 million males or about 3 million adult males.  So America lost 20% of its men fighting for their cherished beliefs.

You say, “Well, Americans will never fight Americans again.” But if half of America believes in rights and the other half thinks rights are lesser than benefits--health care, minimum wage--there is surely going to be conflict.  I find myself wanting to tell progressive smiley-faced fascists that their fathers fought against exactly what they want.  John McCain does it better.  He, a war hero who can’t lift his arms over his head because of the torture he went through in Vietnam, was giving a Memorial Day address when a leftist heckler started screaming about Republicans being rich.  McCain paused as the security guards escorted the heckler away and then stated, “Jerk”.  Well put.

What did they die for?  We need to have this discussion every Memorial Day.

Rich Clingers

I should be a liberal.  I spent almost 20 years being buffeted by big corporation competition making 10 to 30 thousand a year.  But it teaches you to be rich in other things—faith, family and friends and even sidelines like becoming versed in local history and rooting for a sports team.  Especially important is the faith. 

So when I listen to some say that I should hate the rich who don’t pay a fair share, I find myself asking, “Isn’t that almost a pure definition of envy, the sin of the last commandment?  And if the rich pay 39% federal and all sorts of state and local taxes which come to 52%, well, how much do the Dems want?  100% and the guillotine like the French did?  Or is it some lesser number that will simply drive their job creation out of the country? 

And what’s this stuff about compassion in government?  Government doesn’t have compassion, it has entitlements.  If you are entitled, then there is no sympathy.  If you want to promote compassion, go visit the jails and talk to young men who have ruined their lives.  Help them get their lives and faith together.  Or take a poor family or an immigrant family under your wing.  Teach them budgeting or English and make friends.  Or take in a foster kid, a system kid who has all the entitlements from the government but doesn’t have a true blue family.  If the homeless bother you, take one home and give them a home.  But compassion in government?  It was two government guys who passed the dying man Jesus taught about and the Samaritan who was “good” because he stopped and did his best in the situation. 

It was Jesus who asked to see a Roman coin, the one with Caesar’s image and proclaimed him a god.  And then he said to his Jewish audience who knew “Love the Lord with all your heart”,  “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s”.  So much for the love of big government! He told a story about how three men were given different amounts of money and the guy who didn’t risk anything but just buried the money for security was thrown in prison while the richest risk-taker was additionally given what little the cradle-to-grave security guy had. Evidently God loves a risk-taker, like Peter who tried to walk on water or Paul who gave up everything for the gospel.  God, the risk-taker is a Father in the lesson of the Prodigal Son who risks his son going bad, then welcomes him with open arms when he does.  God, the ultimate risk-taker came to earth to be despised and smitten and crucified alongside enemies of the state just to gain us.

I guess Obama would call me a Clinger, although I’m not bitter and the only gun I own is a pellet gun. I don’t fall for the rich-bashing and the lure of government goodies or all the sweet talk about unity/hope/change if only I will give up my beliefs.  The guy I follow doesn’t offer much cradle-to-grave security, but He offers eternity with Him.  He told the story about a rich man who thought everything concerned money and possessions—like materialistic political philosophies and socialism do.  God called him “Thou fool”.  

I can’t wear that shoe because it doesn’t fit.  Here, Mr. Progressive, you try it on. 

The guys I would memorialize first on Memorial Day were the ones who walked wide-eyed into the certain knowledge that if they lost, they were dead men.  If the Revolution went bad, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, and other nameless soldiers would be hung and called traitors forever.  Still, they risked all for the fight for freedom.  They were first to cling to faith and liberty.  "Is security so sweet or peace so dear?" yelled a young Clinger from the back of the Virginia commonwealth as the others debated whether to join the cause. Heads rose to listen. "Is security so sweet or peace so dear that it must be bought at the price of chains and even slavery?  I know not what others may do, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"  Patrick Henry lost both sons and died penniless after the war.  But when you are remembered for a gallant, defiant phrase that lives hundreds of years later, that swayed the key state to join the Revolt, that bought millions of people freedom in the most wonderful country ever conceived, that ain't dying in poverty, that's Rich.  

1944

One of my favorite songs never made the charts. Twila Paris sang the haunting "1944" on her Where I stand album.

"He was 21 in 1944
Unknown and thrown upon a distant shore.
Sent there by his mother
With love behind her tears.
Just a young American,
Who chose to rise above his fears.
And as I watche him struggle up that hill
With no thought of turning back
I cannot help but wonder
What did he die for..."

Stop there and think. Did he fight just so you could have a cushy life and security? Was it so you could demand more benefits from politicians? Did he fight so that our country could be like others hwo take over or controll the most inmportant industries--health, finance, autos, energy and the banks (optional to throw all the Jew bankers in concentration camps). Did he fight to create a vast underclass of peronistas who pay no taxes but always hsow up at election to demand the taxpayers take care of them. Did he fight for separation of church and state where the State has all power inthe public square? All these things are the hallmarks of fascism so maybe we can presume that the young man in 1944 fought against such things. What did he fight for? The song continues

"What did he die for when he died for you and me?
Made the sacrifice so that we could all be free?
I believe we shall answer each to Heaven
For the way we spend a priceless liberty.
Look inside and ask the question,
What did he die for, when he died for me?"

Maybe we should go back farther to the Revolutionary War and ask what those who risked everything, what did they fight for? No family had as much invested in the Revolution as the Adams family, John and Samuel, wives, and children. John Adams, co-author of the subsequent Constitution was about as plainspoken as you can get. "The great glory of the American Revolution was that it bound together in one indissolvable bond, the principles of Christianity and civil government." Now that doesn't mean that our government is a substitute for faith or a stand-in for Christianity. But I take it to mean that the Constitution was designed to reflect, as bes tthe authors could, those principles of their Christian faith. (By the way, why do people say the founders were all dieists?) I guess I agree with John. And so Memorial Day is more profound than just honoring the dead. It means to me that I need to join the fight for what my country is all about--freedom put together by Christian belief and the freest government possible.

Paris's song has a second verse that tells where that freedom to be all you can be came from.

"Came the darkest days of AD 33
Struggle 'tween the depths of hell and Heav'n's eternity
Sent there by His Father,
With Love behind His tears.
Only Son, Beloved One, upon whom Hope of all the years.
And as I watched Him struggle up that hill
With no thought of turning back
I cannopt help but wonder
What did He die for when He died for you and me?
Made the sacrifice so that we could all be free?
I believe we shall answer each to Heaven
For the way we spend a priceless Liberty.
Look inside and ask the question,
What did He die for when He died for me?"