The program had began shortly before noon. The keynote speaker had arrived well prepared. In his hands was a well crafted 13,607-word oration that took nearly two hours for him to deliver. Once during this seemingly endless oration the tall man stirred in his chair. He took out his steel-bowed spectacles, put them on his nose, took two pages of manuscript from his pocket, looked them over and put them back. It was nearly 2:00 p.m. on that early autumn day in November when the keynote speaker finally finished. The tall, gaunt looking man rose to give his “few appropriate remarks.” Towering before the crowd he stood erect though slightly sloping. Sadly, the years of war had begun to take its toll on his appearance and health. As he began to speak a hush fell over the 15,000 or so people who had come to bear witness to this solemn occasion. He held the manuscript in his well worn hands but he did not appear to read from it. It is said that he pronounced his “r” plainly and did not speak like a Southerner. His words were full of grace and charm; his high-pitched Kentucky accented voice filled the air as he began: “Four score and seven years ago!”  It has been nearly seven score and six years ago since Abraham Lincoln delivered what many historians believe is the finest speech ever given by an orator. One sentence in the speech is of particular interest as Lincoln says: “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” After the speech, Lincoln is said to have remarked to U.S. Marshal Ward Hill Lamon: “Lamon that speech won’t scour! It is a flat failure and the people are disappointed.” Using approximately 272 words spoken in less than three minutes, Lincoln had forever framed the “cause” of the civil war and the preservation of the Union. The world has remembered what was said that day—at least Lincoln’s contribution— though oddly enough most people cannot tell you the name of the keynote speaker that day (Edward Everett) or what he said in his lengthy speech (he was one of the best orators of his day). But how many school kids in America have memorized the Gettysburg Address?
The Gettysburg address was delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, during the American Civil War. The cemetery was dedicated just four and a half months after the Union and Confederate armies clashed at the Battle of Gettysburg, culminating in a decisive Union victory (July 1-3, 1863). The Union army at Gettysburg totaled 93,921; of that, 3,155 men were killed, 14,529 wounded, and 5,365 missing. The Confederacy army totaled 71,699; of that, 4,708 were killed, 18,735 wounded, and 5,425 were taken prisoner.
In Genesis, I find what I consider to be the first recorded war. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him (4:8). The proceeding verses indicate that Cain was jealous of his brother and this envy turned to murder—brother killed brother. Historically, wars are started by a handful of men (if not just one) and are a result of human pride and lust; For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world (1Jo 2:16). When God inquires of Cain if he knows the whereabouts of his brother Abel, Cain lies to God and replies that he doesn’t know… Am I my brother’s keeper? God becomes angry with Cain and exposes what Cain had done to his brother…And God said, What have you done? the voice of your brother’s blood cries unto me from the ground (4:9-10). Perhaps this is why nations and people hallow the ground of the fallen? For God says the earth speaks of the ‘blood it has received.” I am convinced that most rank and file men and women regardless of their religion or nationality do not want to fight wars, do not want to kill, and do not want to die. Instead they want to live in peace with their family. Wars can never be fought by the principle instigators. Those wanting to go to war must stir up or rally the populace with slogans and rhetoric, and great oratory with visions of glory. Without the masses acquiescence and approval wars could not be waged. I recall on several occasions talking to my dad about his WWII experience. He was in the Army in the Pacific and was at Leyte Gulf in the Philippines and Okinawa. Trying to talk to my dad about his wartime experience was often a lesson in futility. His hermetic silence about his war service is very  typical of most combat veterans of all wars. He didn't volunteer information about his wartime experiences; when he did talk however; his conversation was usually steeped in generalities and not rich in content and detail. He did tell me of a time when on Okinawa he was paid a visit by a G-2 officer. The officer was making the rounds throughout the various units checking on morale. Dad was told the interviews were off the record and he (and all soldiers) was encouraged to answer truthfully. The conversation went something like this.
Interviewer: Sgt. Bond: are you willing to stay here and see this war to its successful conclusion?
Sgt. Bond: NO!
Interviewer: Are you confident that we will win the war?
Sgt. Bond: I don't give a “toot” who wins the war because I lose no matter who wins! We’re all dead!
Interviewer: Why do you feel that way?
Sgt. Bond: My health is shot, my nerves are shot, my life is shot, I'll never be the same--I lose!
Interviewer: You can't be serious? You really don't feel this way, do you?
Sgt. Bond: The "heck" I don't! You mean to tell me there is not another man walking around in America that can't take my place? I don't give a "hoot" who wins this 'bloody' war!
Dad said the officer was visibly shaken and upset by what he was hearing. He found out later that the G-2 officer was hearing virtually the same responses from all the men he was interviewing. When I first heard this story (I heard it several times) I thought dad was embellishing the story a little and perhaps a little unpatriotic. Where I stood in time and how I was taught in school was that WWII was a war clearly depicting good against evil: 'Fascism' against 'Freedom' and so on. This was a patriotic war and men wanted to fight and win! Dad's wartime account just didn't square with how I viewed war and what I had read and been taught in school.  Fast forward to 1995--the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII. My twin brother and I traveled to Washington D.C. to the National Archives to view the official historical exhibit of war records and memorabilia. As we toured the various exhibits we saw historic pictures, top secret communications, documents, and President Roosevelt's copy of the speech he gave on December 8th, 1941, asking Congress to declare war on Japan. And then an astonishingly weird and wonderful event occurred. I happened upon a document written by an officer in the Pacific Theatre. It was a summary of what he was hearing from the troops in the field as to their living conditions, morale and so forth. As I scanned one document my heart skipped a beat for right there in front of me was a morale 'action report.' In this report the officer wrote that morale was beginning to break down in the field. Troops were saying they saw no end in sight, they were tired, sick, and wanted to go home, and they didn't care who won the war! So there it was in black and white! Almost word for word as to what my dad said he told a morale officer on Okinawa in 1945! General William Tecumseh Sherman was right--war is Hell!
Over the years I have talked to veterans of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Many expressed the same sentiments as my father did. These men aren’t cowards or unpatriotic. These men are like all men and women who come face to face with war and death—they come back changed. These veterans, like my dad, survived the war to return home. My grandmother told me that dad would wake up in the middle of the night screaming—he was having reoccurring nightmares of his war experiences. These nightmares and his nightly outburst lasted for months! Over the years I noticed that my dad could not handle extreme stress or sudden noises. He was emotionally distant, detached, and easily agitated. He wouldn't watch 'war movies' as he said he was there and the movies don't realistically portray war. Through my experiences and studies I discovered this is a common consequence of men sent to war. Some return home and end up alcoholics, drug addicts, homeless, wife and/or child abusers, develop severe and debilitating mental illnesses, and the list is endless. These men and women may have survived war yet they are nonetheless permanent walking casualties of war. Another hidden byproduct of war is we are all casualties of war: wives, children, extended family, co-workers, friends, and society: nearly everyone becomes unintended victims of war as we bear the emotional, behavioral, and economic fallout.  Television news, documentaries, small pocket sized digital cameras, cell phones, and the Internet have stripped away the “Hollywood” glory of war! Modern warfare has its “glory” removed: contrary to General George S. Patton’s assertion that “all real Americans love the sting of battle,” there is NO glory in dying! Anyone with a TV, cell phone, or Internet connection can see the ugliness and cruelty of war in real time as it happens, unfiltered by government into everyone’s home. People can see for themselves that bombs, bullets, and missiles are indiscriminant. They make no distinction between combatant and civilian: friend or foe: man or child; once released, weapons cannot be recalled - they will continue on trajectory until they hit something, they explode (or self-destructed). People can see the twisted wreckage of vehicles, the ruined homes and buildings, the desolation, and the twisted and contorted bodies strewn about the battle field. No longer can war be remotely removed to some far off place, romanticized, glorified, or sanitized!
Sadly the church hasn’t been vocal enough in the discussion about war. Some say the church needs to stay out of the  discussion. I challenge that assertion because its our sons and daughters we are asked to send to war. A study of history reveals that without religious support and consent, a nation (or empire) cannot go to war. If religious sanction or compliance is not needed why then, throughout history, did armies have Prophets, Shamans, Chaplains, or Inman’s in their ranks? Soldiers sent to war need reassurance that what they are doing is right. The populace that gives their sons and daughters to the cause need reassured that their sacrifice was necessary. The stark reality of war is all nations lose: the resources committed can never be recovered. Modern war is too impersonal, to technical, with the push of a button a soldier can kill scores of people they never saw up close and personal; the ancients had to fight toe to toe and eye to eye. I often think about the national WWII Memorial on the Mall in Washington D.C. It was built and dedicated too late for my dad and millions of other veterans to view and appreciate. Too soon we forget the wounded and the widows and shove them aside. The government promises it will take care of those who serve after they return—“we will not forget your sacrifices” they are told. My dad was a disabled veteran yet I can vividly remember him spending years cussing and arguing with the VA about his health care and pension (sound familiar?).
John the Baptist was baptizing in the Jordan when soldiers came to him to be baptized. God has faithful witnesses in every social rank and profession in society. There is nothing sinful about being a soldier. History teaches that people must be ready to defend themselves as this is an evil world. After baptism the soldiers asked John…And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages (Lu 3:14). Roman soldiers were garrisoned throughout the empire to keep the peace. They were notorious for indiscriminate acts of violence and taking property at will. John was instructing them not to do evil—not to hurt  someone without cause, for no reason, or personal profit. There is a marked difference between defending oneself and doing violence to someone. It is amazing that Christianity was able to overcome pagan Rome by nonviolence.
To remember war and the sacrifices made by the youth, parents, and families of America—as in Memorial Day or Veteran’s Day—means never again. Never again send the cream of our nation to war for someone else. I write this in honor of my dad and millions of other veterans who never found peace after the war was over. They came home changed and spent the rest of their lives trying to forget the horrors and carnage of war. They were deprived of the right to live a peaceful and normal life (remember Thomas Jefferson: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.). I recall my dad saying that he hoped when he died he would be at peace? I pray he found it because he enjoyed so little peace when he was here. I pray for an end of war. I pray for our troops to come home. I pray for the Price of Peace to come quickly.  I yearn for the day when…they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Micah 4:3). War Is A Racket wrote Major General Smedley D. Butler (USMC retired).
 Pastor Curtis
Sgt. U.S. Army
170th MP Co. Presido of San Francisco
1st Armored Division, Ansbach, (West) Germany
(1973-1979 honorably discharged)
God’s Peace and Blessing, 
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As the man stood to speak, people noticed he was dressed in black, wearing white gauntlets and the usual crepe around his hat. He looked much older than his 54 years. His appearance at this most important event was almost an afterthought by the event organizers; he had only received formal notice 17 days before the scheduled event requesting his presence and participation. He was not the key speaker—that honor belonged to a man more worthy than him—so he had to be content relegated to a minor role; it was requested that he offer a “few appropriate remarks” at the conclusion of an important dedication ceremony. This request, if made today, might be equivalent to the tradition of inviting a noted public figure to do a ribbon-cutting at a grand opening. Regardless of the reason for being there, at 64tall he was an imposing figure. His face was weather-beaten, coarse, deeply grained, and dark. His hair was coarse and black, and his eyes were small, gray, and deeply set. His neck, though strong, was long and his lower jaw was long and heavy. His many years of hard farm work and wood chopping gave him unusually large and powerful muscular hands and arms, back, and shoulders. 
