Through all of this days fun and laughs, Im taking a pause to consider those souls who, 69 years ago today, went to battle on the small Ryukyu island of Okinawa. Many thousand troops on both sides and civilians were killed and maimed during the three-month land/sea/air battle that is among the bloodiest battles ever fought. While serving there as a U.S. Marine, I often was humbled by walking ground so hallowed by the blood of so many. Glances at old bunkers pocked by bullets and artillery rounds sent chills through me. I remember the peaceful beauty of an Easter sunrise service on a hillside that a mere 30 years earlier had been forever scarred by wars senselessness and death. One day, while lounging on shoreline rocks, I glanced into the water below and saw part of a World War II fighter planes wing. It was preserved by the sea, unable to die with the soul of the young man it had carried and serving to remind us that such horrors existed -- yet we keep repeating those horrors. Some have called the battle the typhoon of steel. Perhaps someday well know the typhoon of peace.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 19:23:04 +0000