Barnabas File

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”-- George Santayana Symbols are powerful and it is often difficult to separate them from the meanings originally attached to them. We find ourselves in the midst of great discussion about what we should do with the past, especially how we should handle symbols identified with particular causes.   If we continue to display them, are we espousing the same causes or are we simply acknowledging their role at a particular time in history? How do we deal with historical figures?   They also become symbols rather than people.   Are they one dimensional figures defined by a certain set of actions or are they multi-faceted, flawed human beings who struggled to find clarity in the midst of turbulence? I am a son of the South.   In grade school, we were always reminded that the conflict of 1861-1865 was not “the Civil War” but the “War Between the States.”   We observed Confederate Memoria...

Mildred and Ircel Harrison  with Ircel, Jr., in November 1944 As you might expect on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, the worship leader invited all of the veterans and currently serving military personnel in the morning service to stand.  I did not think much about this until my wife mentioned the next day that there weren’t many people standing. My grandfather was on a ship heading to Europe when the Armistice was declared in World War One.  My Dad served in the Pacific during World War Two.  My Army service included a tour in Vietnam.  My son was planning on military service but an accident prevented him from serving.  Although none of us wanted to go to war, we were not averse to serving our country in the military and even considered it an honor. War is not what it used to be.  We no longer have a draft.  Those who serve in the military do so voluntarily.  The two World Wars in the last century had a major impact on our c...

How much can a person endure physically, emotionally, and spiritually without being broken?   Perhaps the answer can be found in Laura Hillenbrand’s book Unbroken:  A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.   This is the story of Louis Zamperini, a delinquent who grew up to be a gifted Olympic runner, Army Air Force bombardier, Japanese prisoner of war, and a broken man seeking redemption. Hillenbrand tells Zamperini’s story in remarkable and sometimes excruciatingly painful detail.   Having found his purpose in life through running, Zamperini entered the Army Air Force when the war began, survived 47 days on a raft in the Pacific with his friend and pilot Russel Phillips, was captured by the Japanese, and spent over two years in harsh captivity.   After the war, he tried to compete again, but his body could no longer respond as he wanted.   He sank into despondency and alcoholism brought on by post traumatic stress disorder. ...

This morning I had the opportunity to hear a World War II veteran tell his story.   A Navy medical corpsman, he was on a landing craft that supported the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.   The vessel ferried the injured and the dead from the beaches to England and returned for more.   On the fourth trip, June 16, the landing craft hit a mine and was broken in two.   Of the 150 men aboard, only some thirty survived including my friend.   After floating in a life raft for less than an hour, he and some other survivors ended up on a Liberty ship and finally returned to port. Men like my friend knew that their lives were on the line when they entered military service in WWII.   For young men like him, life had been simple up to that point, but they had never had it easy.   After all, they grew up in the aftermath of the Depression when times were hard and opportunities were limited. My friend completed his service in the States and...

Memorial Day is designated to remember those who have died in the military service of our country.   In worship this weekend, one of our church members reported that 1.3 million Americans have died in all of the wars this nation has fought from the Revolutionary War to Afghanistan.   I believe that this is also a good time to remember others as well—not only the honored dead, but all those who have worn the uniform and those who have stood with them.   In most of the conflicts of the 20 th century in which the United States was involved, there was a common sense of sacrifice.   My grandfather was drafted to fight in World War I and was in a troop ship ready to put out to sea when the Armistice was signed.   My father was drafted and served in World War II in the Pacific.   Both men answered the call to service.   During both of these wars, especially WW II, there was significant personal sacrifice at home as well, not only among the families of...