Holy Ground
I
was assigned to Guam for two weeks of active duty with the Navy in the summer
of 1986. One day, I heard that a resident Buddhist priest had summoned fellow
priests from Japan to hold a Daigoma Himatsuri service at the South Pacific
Memorial Park on the island. The holy fire service was to honor both American
and Japanese soldiers who had lost their lives on this very spot forty-two
years previously. It was to bring peace and happiness to the living and the
dead. As The Rev. Mitsuzo Tani and the other priests began the service, the
assembled group of about one hundred and fifty prayed in silence. I reflected
on what had taken place here forty-two years before.
Below
the ground on which we now stood, there had been a network of interlocking
tunnels that formed the Japanese Command Post. In mid-August, 1944, Japanese
soldiers had gathered for a final stand against the Americans. When that battle
was over, 18,000 Japanese soldiers had died. 1700 Americans were killed and another
6,000 were left wounded. Their blood was soaked into the soil on which we now
stood. Despite the warmth of
the day, I felt a chill.
It is now December, 2022 and Russia’s invasion
of Ukraine is already perhaps the largest war in Europe since WWII. Will wars
never cease? Maybe not but neither will the peace-forming of the faithful. “The
Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out.” John
1:5
Essential Peace
When we concede that
war is required and
peace is an illusion
We suffer an evil that
cuts off the bloodflow
of compassion
We mask the stink
of the killed and the
agony of the killers
If we honor warriors fallen we
must also succor veterans
returning from battle
We wound ourselves by
limiting patriotism
to parades and medals
We must also hear from those
whose conscience dictates
we serve our nation differently
War deepens the
cut that only
peace can heal
Trust rekindles hope
respect reknits bonds
as we weave peace
Wars may persist
Peace must prevail
Essentially
