Senior Moments. Number 26 May, Editor: Chuck Boatman

Transcription

1 Senior Moments Number 26 May, 2015 Editor: Chuck Boatman Did you catch the senior moment that hit me as I was putting together last month s Senior Moments? Only one reader has pointed out to me that I used the same joke as part of the... and on a lighter note section at the end of both the March and April issues. To that sharp-eyed reader I m offering a rare prize: his choice of either a concrete motorcycle or crocheted egg-beater! This month we observe Memorial Day, a day originally called Decoration Day and dedicated to soldiers killed on both sides of the Civil War. As America became involved in later wars, the day became a time of remembrance for the fallen in those wars also. Many of you were born before or during World War II for me, it was the former. I have vivid memories of those days: victory gardens, recycling of newspapers and tin cans (as we used to call them), rationing of sugar, gasoline, and tires. We lived in Wichita, KS during the war, a city in which several aircraft factories were located. We had blackouts when the air raid sirens started screaming and we all turned off our lights. We never had an actual enemy air raid, but the practice events were reminders that we were at war. My dad was the senior pastor at West Side Christian Church in Wichita during those years. One of my most vivid memories of the church is of the large quilt-like hanging on the back wall of the sanctuary. A blue star for each member of the armed services from our church was attached to a white background. I remember the somber moments when a slightly smaller gold star was placed upon one of the blue stars, indicating that one of our own members had been killed in action. Finally, the war began winding down. Adolph Hitler, realizing his delusional dream of a Thousand Year Reich would never be realized,

2 committed suicide on April 30, Within a week, his temporary successor had surrendered unconditionally to Allied forces. On May 8, Americans celebrated VE Day Victory in Europe Day which marked the Allied forces formal acceptance of Germany s surrender. The day marked the end of World War II in Europe. VE Day came on Pres. Harry Truman s 61 st birthday. He had been in office for less than a month, Pres. Roosevelt having died on April 12. Truman said that day was the most enjoyable birthday of his life. Harry S Truman had been a U.S. Senator from Missouri since [At birth, his parents only gave him a middle initial because they couldn t agree on a middle name. The president himself once joked that S was a name, not an initial, and thus should not have a period. Historians argued about the matter for some time.] Pres. Roosevelt tapped Truman as his running mate in the 1944 presidential election. At the time of FDR s death, it was assumed it would be a year or more before the Imperial Japanese Army could be driven to its knees. However, VJ Day Victory in Japan came much sooner than expected, in large part because Pres. Truman decided to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That decision is still debated by historians and ethicists. Some of them say Truman made the correct yet still lamentable choice because a traditional invasion of Japan would have cost the lives of a million or more U.S. troops, in addition to an undetermined but very large number of Japanese civilians. Supporting this view is the military intelligence which indicated that by July, 1945, Japan had 10,000 kamikazi (suicide) planes ready to attack personnel carriers that would be delivering troops to the invasion sites. Some even suggest that the atomic attacks were more humane because such attacks caused fewer Japanese casualties than a conventional invasion might have. Others argue against the bombings because of the high level of Japanese non-combatant casualties, including a new class of wartime casualties the terrible radiation burns that scarred large numbers of survivors for the rest of their lives. It is also argued

3 that atomic attacks were wrong because they opened up a new, more horrible form of warfare, in addition to the casualties they caused. At the time, memory tells me that most Americans were glad to get the war over with, whatever the cost to the nation that started the war in the Pacific theater by bombing Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 the day Pres. Roosevelt called a date that will live in infamy. During Truman s time in office, he was not highly regarded by many, even in his own party (because of internal political warfare among them, in addition to other factors). However, time has proved to be kinder to Truman s reputation. For example, the Truman Doctrine established the basis on which communism would be contained. Truman was also the architect of the $13 billion Marshall Plan that rebuilt western Europe, including our World War II enemies, Germany and Italy. Truman was a sufficiently astute student of history to see that German and Italian totalitarian governments were a consequence of the repressive way the victors in World War I treated the vanquished. The program, named for Secretary of State George Marshal, had bipartisan support from the Republican-controlled Congress and the Democratic-controlled White House. Truman had the political wisdom and perhaps, personal humility to have the plan named after Marshall, rather than himself, thus helping to depoliticize the matter. If you are one of the older seniors reading this, you will likely remember what is arguably the most famous picture of Harry Truman. It shows him holding an earlyedition newspaper announcing his defeat by the Republican candidate, Thomas Dewey, in the 1948 presidential election. The election has since given underdog candidates reason for hope. The change in public opinion about Truman as the years have gone by is a reminder to us to neither canonize nor demonize our presidents either while they are in office or too soon after they leave it. It may take 30 or 40 years before the verdict of history can accurately judge the efficacy of their presidency. What I call true believers in either party tend to rank their presidents too highly and denigrate the tenure of the opposing party s presidents.

4 Can you tolerate just one more bit of Truman trivia? In an incident that occurred during that 1948 presidential election mentioned above, Truman was campaigning in Bremerton, WA. The partisan crowd was enjoying his attacks on the Republicans. A member of the audience yelled out, Give em Hell, Harry! To the right you ll see Truman s witty reply. Truman had gained a reputation for telling the truth straight. He may not have always lived up to that reputation, but don t you wish our politicians would just tell us the truth, without any spin, and without regard for their political future, simply because the truth is what is best for citizens to hear?... but perhaps the impossibility of such a thing ever coming to pass should relegate my wish to being a joke at the end of this issue, in the... and on a lighter note section! Still thinking about World War II, there is a beautiful trumpet composition called Il Silenzio, composed by Italian trumpeter, Nino Rosso. The best account I have been able to find regarding the story of its composition is that the Dutch government commissioned Rosso to write a piece of music for the 1965 memorial service held in Maastricht an event held every year since World War II. About six miles from the city is a cemetery in which lie the remains of 8,301 American soldiers who died in Operation Market Garden, one of the battles to liberate the Netherlands from Nazi control in the fall and winter of At the end of the Liberation Day commemoration each year, a concert is performed in which the last piece is Il Silenzio ( The Silence ). In the program in 2008, Melissa Venema then a 13-year-old Dutch girl played the solo, backed by André Rieu and the Royal Orchestra of the Netherlands. Here is a link to that performance:

5 In the late 18 th century, Michael Bruce penned the words to Behold! The Mountain of the Lord, a poem which was later set to music. Here is a part of the poem: No strife shall vex Messiah s reign Or mar the peaceful years; To plowshares soon they beat their swords, To pruning hooks their spears. No longer hosts encountering hosts, Their millions slain deplore; They hang the trumpets in the hall And study war no more. Bruce s poem echoes the words of Isaiah 2.3,4, as you have already recognized. This side of heaven, I can t imagine a time when we ll ever see that promise fulfilled. However, sometimes human nature is able to ameliorate if not overcome the horrors of warfare. Here is the story of a boy who found $20 and decided to give it to a soldier in memory of his own father who went to war in Iraq and never came home. He was killed when his son was only 5 weeks old. See the touching story of what happened as a result of this boy s generous spirit: and on a lighter note: Researchers for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority found over 200 dead crows near greater Boston recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu. A bird pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone's relief, confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be vehicular impacts. However, during the detailed analysis it was noted that varying colors of paints appeared on the bird's beaks and claws. By analyzing these paint residues it was determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, while only 2% were killed by an impact with a car. MTA then hired an ornithological behaviorist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentage of truck kills versus car kills. He very quickly concluded the cause: When crows eat road kill,

6 they always have a lookout crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger.... now remember this is Massachusetts where they speak with a New England accent... They discovered that while all the lookout crows could shout "Cah", not a single one could shout "Truck." If you are getting this by mistake (or find you have better ways to spend your time online), you may UNSUBSCRIBE by making your request at diogenes1@roadrunner.com.