Watching the opening minutes of this movie is the closest I ever want to get to war. Tom Hanks had this to say about filming these scenes, "There were people falling and explosions going off around you...There's terror in our eyes in some of those scenes, and rightly so, because we were genuinely scared...and we all knew it was fake." Many veterans have said these opening scenes are the most vivid and realistic ever put to film. So vivid in fact, many could not watch.
Since 2001 I've chosen to watch this movie every year in and around November 11. I have always felt a responsibility to remember and since I'm a visual guy, this is how I do it. As I type this I remember once again. The impact just as strong as the previous year. That being said, I realize this is probably one of the more shallow ways to remember the ultimate sacrifice of these uncommonly brave men. Watch a war movie, feel bad, then at week end start getting excited for Christmas. Unfortunately, this has been my pattern.
This past week our church did a beautiful job of remembering. There was no slick power-point, stirring video clips or controversial words about the the fallacy of war. Nope, just 23 surviving soldiers clad in their garments of honor walking in, sitting down, reading scripture and later the names of the fallen who had once made this church home. Later on, our eloquent minister shared the need for us to follow the soldier's example by seeking peace in our daily lives. And that's when it hit me. Remembering, although important should never be an end in itself. It should only function to spur us onto the action of seeking peace.
So, I'm gonna give it a try because its sure easy to feel bad (I've been reading through the Holocaust Chronicle as well) and even easier to be against war but seeking peace requires that I get up from my all too lazy self and do something when the movie ends. I've made a little list.
- Shed my ego
- Resist the urge to be right
- Control my anger
- Reserve impatience for injustice only
- Enjoy the moment
- Notice beauty
- Be fully present
- Replace fear with love
- Pray for those I can't stand
And so on.
Lest we forget why we remember.
John
1 comment:
As requested, a brief true story about my Grandpa Smith. (Sydney);
My grandpa Smith flew a Winchester (bomber) in WW2. He had to parachute over German-occupied France when he was shot down. He lived in hiding on a farm for a few weeks, and grandma Smith received a "Presumed Killed in Action" note. Of course, he did come back home and went on to have 7 kids with grandma....first being my mom!! My grandpa is still alive...90....and is owed a great deal of respect as are all veterans!! (PBS did a special on him about 10 years ago. They even flew him to Paris to reunite him with the lady who kept him in hiding)! One interesting tidbit from his ordeal as follows; "While in hiding, I ocassionally made trips into Paris using public transportation to run errands for my brave keeper. On a couple of ocassions, I made grave errors that luckily did not cost my life or freedom. One time, as German soldiers boarded the bus, I suddenly realized that although I had changed my attire to appear as a local, I forgot to remove my combat boots. On another ocassion, I accidentally bumped into a soldier on a crowded street-car. 'Excuse me' in English was a big oops, but again, I managed to not obtain any notice."
WW1 and WW2 were completely different than the wars being fought in the Middle-East these days. However, those men & women are still sacrificing themselves for democracy. Whether we agree with these wars or not, we should respect that. What other profession is there that could really cost you your life....even more so than police? The Calgary Flames provided a great service their last game (Saturday) when honoring a local 24 year-old soldier who died recently. How lucky we really are to be able to rant about our hockey teams....how lucky indeed.
Steve
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