James Jones' great novel, From Here To Eternity was published 55 years ago and sold three million copies.
I can still remember sitting in the Stewart theater in my hometown with my mouth completely dry watching the movie, From Here To Eternity
In the movie, Burt Lancaster was the "hard as nails" 1st Sergeant Ward looking for a mission, not cognizant, of course, that Pearl Harbor was just around the corner.
Private Prewitt is played by the soulful Montgomery Cliff. It was the private playing taps at Schofield Barracks, 25 miles from Honolulu, on the eve of Pearl Harbor, that sets the tone for the movie. I never hear taps that I don't think of From Here To Eternity.
The private and later his buddy from Brooklyn, Angelo Maggio, played by Frank Sinatra, bonded in an Army that was about all they had. Prewitt was a lost Southern boy who found a home, along with his yankee bud, Angelo, from New York. These young men literally had nothing; and, in a sense, they were in a caste system; i.e., the 1930's Army of officers and lowly enlisted men. The latter were given training and discipline which left them with little else but attitude in the hard scrabble life of the post depression military.
How different it is today. We old soldiers are bad for pining for the old days; which weren't so great, but we'll never admit it. Still, there's no denying that the Army of the 30's became the heroes of the Great War and beyond and all of us are recipients of their sacrifices. Today, we salute the Private Prewitts of the From Here To Eternity days; they were real heroes.
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| Salute To Chaplains Serving In Iraq
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http://www.ecusa-chaplain.org/
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As chaplains, war holds a fascinating view, I think. On the one hand, it is a great opportunity to minister. The very best. Where better can a minister feel needed than at war? The opportunities are endless.
The flip side of the coin is the chaplain's own belief and approach to the war. Does the chaplain need to feel that war is justified, in other words, buy into the reasons for being there? In WW ll, the reasons were so very clear. Since then, with the possible exception of Korea, this does not hold true.
The reasons for war are always ambiguous and driven by other forces such as politics.
In the case of Iraq, the jury is out to a large degree with a guilty verdict falling more and more on the side of error. The prosecution of this war has been a template for mismanagement.
Iraq may be a "fast train to nowhere" so where does a man of God stand? Most chaplains serve because they see the need for ministry in the war zone regardless of their opinion of war and we need to salute this.
In the HBO documentary, "Baghdad ER", which shows the hectic life of doctors, nurses, and chaplains in a US Emergency room in the Green Zone, an Army Chaplain prays over a dead soldier: " Lord, you brought him to us. We tried everything we could to save his life. But it was not our -- not up to us. Lord, we pray that his life and even his death might be used to hasten peace and end this terrible war. "
God Bless the chaplains in Iraq and the men and women they serve. JD
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| The Season Finale Of The TV Show "24"
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Since the season finale of "24" is tonight(Monday), it seems only proper that we revisit( have 3 commentaries already posted on the webzine). I like "24," but it is pretty predictable: the crisis is either nuclear, biological, or chemical whether in the form of missiles, bombs, or nerve gas.
Jack, the counterterrorism agent(now assistant to the Secretary of Defense), is forever invincible and will punish a terrorist in a minute. What I like about Jack is that he can go from being the most hunted man in the world to a hero instantly who is on everyone's good list.
By the way, what ever happened to Jack's daughter, Kim? And, what about the foxy lady he was hanging out with while he was in exile? I hated that David Palmer, the former President, got zapped. I guess
Dennis Haysbert who played David Palmer
was needed for the new series, "The Unit." The Unit, I like, but too much "family life" is mixed into each episode. A guy is off assassinating someone one minute and the next, home mowing the lawn. Oh well, TV executives can do what they want, I guess.
Logan, the current President on "24" is a piece of work to say the least. While doing bad things, he stands up well under pressure. What he needs is a Karl Rove type to help him out.
What makes "24" and Kiefer Sutherland's character Jack so unrealistic is that the show's main character, Jack Bauer, is way too honest and brave to be involved with the government. Jack Bauer isn't concerned about his position or status, is not involved in government contracts to friends; and, of all things, puts the American people's safety before his own. Of course, "24" and the character, Jack, are fictional.
Three previous articles on the TV Show: "24".
kt
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Tiger Force-A True Story of Men and War
"EVERYBODY IN VIETNAM IS IN SOMEBODY'S ARMY." I heard a commander make this statement and it was true.
Sitting just outside a little ville in Vietnam watching the sunset and a water buffalo with a seven year old boy sitting on its back looks pretty bucolic. The fact that the "buffalo boy" is probably mapping your position so he can turn it over to the VC(Vietcong) and they can mortar you is almost beside the point. It happened!
Here's another commander's statement:
"You're the 337th infantry. We want 327 kills." Unfortunately, this statement was probably true. Reading such a comment in the comfort of my office or banging the story out in some newspaper newsroom makes it all the more stark and callus, I might add.
Being in the 110 degree heat of Vietnam, weighted down with a backpack full of five days of chow, several bandaleers of M60 machine gun rounds, 3 claymore mines, 8 trip flares, 6 smoke grenades, and several packs of C4 explosives, 10 rounds of M79 grenade launcher ammo and an M16 rifle ain't quite the comfort zone of the two reporters who wrote Tiger Force.
Tiger Force, the book, is the regurgitated story(in more detail than the original story) of the recon platoon of the 327th Infantry of the 101st Airborne. The platoon supposedly killed scores of Vietnamese men, women, and children. It was a story that once won two investigative reporters the Pulitzer prize. So, why deal with this again?
The book is somewhat more the story of the reputed cover-up or attempted cover-up. It really is more about how a group of war-weary soldiers can emotionally snap and go on a killing spree. According to the authors, the Army tried to cover it up because it was too "My Lai"
like and so why deal with it?
(My Lai- massacre committed by US soldiers on hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians, mostly women and children, on March 16, 1968 during the Vietnam War when they went into My Lai looking for Vietcong fighters. A soldier testified that they were all told everyone in the village were Vietcong(VC). After the My Lai massacre, support for the Vietnam war in America dramatically declined.from wikipedia.org )
I don't know whether the said massacre in the book, Tiger Force, occurred. But it could have happened. Did it happen or was it like the story implicating former Senator Bob Kerry in which one member of his platoon claimed that they did awful atrocities? Kerry had to go public to say it didn't happen and to enlist members of his platoon to back up his story.
Some terrible things happened in Vietnam. It was war. War is no "day at the beach." In the case of Iraq, I'm not sure anything will be served; but, then again, maybe? I think we should know the awfulness of war and how soldiers can be transformed and how a lack of supervision can produce "Iraqs" with Abu Ghraib the ultimate in seeing Americans at their worst.
Instead of maybe condemnation, we have to talk pity. Had not these young Americans been at war-a war where the country sent them-they would not have been put in such a position. Maybe seeing how war transforms us is the ultimate tragedy of war. God bless us. KT
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| WHO CAN WE BELIEVE? BY KT
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(Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
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One of the most difficult things about modern society is really who to believe, about most anything, to include ourselves. The Wall Street Journal editorial page will have you believe that the majority of people paying the taxes are the rich. Others claim the tax cuts are all for the rich. And, all of them have the statistics to prove it.
What is the truth? In my opinion, the tax cuts are mostly for the rich and benefit the middle class or poor very little in increasing spendable income. I don't know though. I could be wrong. Who is Right?
Has our society gotten so complicated and jaded that we don't know whom to believe? I think so and sometimes the facts belie everything. Look at the Rush Limbaugh case as an example. He abuses prescription drugs in an unbelievable way. He gets a plea bargain deal which amounts to nothing and his 20 million dittoheads are more loyal than ever.
Think about it: break the law; and, if you are super rich, well-connected in political circles, and can obtain a celebrity trial lawyer, nothing happens to you. If you are an ordinary American and commit the same crimes, you go to prison. (The Judge in this case has to take some of the blame).
And, what did Limbaugh learn from the experience? Absolutely nothing, based on the bombastic comments he makes on his radio program. Talk about hypocrisy! Gee Whizzzzzzzzz!
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| WHY ALL THE FUSS ABOUT THE DA VINCI CODE?
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When I read the Da Vinci Code a year or so ago, I thought to myself, this is ridiculous and hardly all that good a read. As an avid reader, I know what I like. I don't like "wordy" books and Dan Brown's book was bigtime "wordy." But, everybody was reading it.
I was on a plane and the flight attendant said, "I just read that. Isn't it great?" I should have been tipped off, the next time I heard someone say, "Isn't it great?"
People said the same thing about A Million Little Pieces and we know what happened with A Million Little Pieces.
I liked A Million Little Pieces more than The DaVinci Code. Both books were fiction, but A Million Little Pieces was more entertaining and got quickly to the point.
As a person of faith, I don't see any real problem with watching or getting excited about the book and movie's claims; the book and movie are just telling a story of fiction. Remember the story is not one of fact. It is fiction. Plain and simple!
There is no evidence at all, at least in the Bible, that Jesus had any sort of relationship with Mary other than she was a devoted follower. Brown's premises are strictly speculation if they are to be taken seriously at all.
(AFP/PIG-HO) |
And, to be perfectly honest about it, all the protests against the movie and the demand for disclaimers, just add to the hype which leads to more sells of movie tickets and books. It is a media campaign made in heaven, pardon the pun.
The good news is that most of the "Christian" community is handling debate over the movie and book well, even though some Christian groups are calling for a boycott. But at least most mainstream Christians are somewhat amused, tongue in cheek, buying those movie tickets. Think about it:
If this movie and book were about Muslims and this was a Muslim country, we would more likely than not have Muslims rioting in the streets.
I think the interest in the movie is good because more people will be thinking about their faith and speculating about the life and times of Jesus; however, I doubt seriously if many movie goers will come anywhere close to deep religious thought just because they saw this movie.
I would imagine that God is laughing right now at all the controversy over this movie and its plot and theories. My theology (belief system) tells me that the DaVinci Code deals with very temporal (earthy) things of which God would not be involved. God is spiritual; He/She is God. Jesus having sexually involvement with Mary could not happen; because, in the Christian view (orthodox view as Trinitarians), God, the Father; Jesus, the Son; and the Holy Spirit are one; so, God is not involved in such a temporal (of this world) issue as sex.
Think about all of this as faith. The FAITH, if one believes in the Bible, teaches us the story of Jesus. You either believe or you don't.
kt
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| "IF I EVER LEAVE THIS WORLD ALIVE" BY FLOGGING MOLLY
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The other day I heard this great song by my new favorite Irish punk band, Flogging Molly.
Folks always keep an open mind. You too can be "hip" at any age or better yet a "hep cat"( someone who's hip, aware, or in tune with the times) - Just kidding.
Anyway read these great lyics carefully by the band Flogging Molly. KT
If I Ever Leave This World Alive
If I ever leave this world alive
I'll thank for all the things you did in my life
If I ever leave this world alive
I'll come back down and sit beside your
feet tonight
Wherever I am you'll always be
More than just a memory
If I ever leave this world alive
If I ever leave this world alive
I'll take on all the sadness
That I left behind
If I ever leave this world alive
The madness that you feel will soon subside
So in a word don't shed a tear
I'll be here when it all gets weird
If I ever leave this world alive
So when in doubt just call my name
Just before you go insane
If I ever leave this world
Hey I may never leave this world
But if I ever leave this world alive
She says I'm okay; I'm alright,
Though you have gone from my life
You said that it would,
Now everything should be all right
She says I'm okay; I'm alright,
Though you have gone from my life
You said that it would,
Now everything should be all right
Yeah should be alright
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I am attending a family reunion soon which is bringing up fond memories of my Dad. I was the youngest, so I got to spend a lot of time with him. My other brothers were either at work, at school, or in the military. He would say "Boy, jump in the truck" and we would go visit friends, go fishing, or go to the local pool hall.
My best memory of my Dad had to do with how our house was populated with kids who weren't in our family. We had a joke growing up that the first one up was the best one dressed. But, in reality, more than anything, was that we didn't have a clue when we got up who would be our temporary brothers and sisters. Most came from the orphanage that my Dad went to visit often.
Coming off the depression, many families simply could not care for their children and they dropped them off at the Orphan Home as it was called. And a common practice of farmers was to use children, when they were big enough, to work in the fields because they were very cheap labor. It was not unusual to go to the Orphan home to pick up some children for the day. On occasion, however, they kept some of the kids almost as slave labor I'm sad to say. My Dad hated it and crusaded constantly against what he called, "the poor kids" as if we weren't poor.
In fact, the story is told that my Dad became part of the Ku Klux Klan just to protect the orphans from those who would exploit them; I'm not sure this is true, but more likely than not it was, because my Dad would do anything to protect kids.
He would visit the Orphan Home with great regularity and especially asked about the newcomers: if they were going to school, behaving, etc. He always wanted to know if the Orphan Matron, as she was called, knew where the child came from.
It seems on one occasion Dad was particularly struck with one lonely looking youngster who seemed so forlorn that he decided to take him home for a few days. He never left. His name was George and he was our brother. George is no longer with us and we miss him.
Thanks Dad for bringing home George and all the other kids. AC
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REUTERS/Mike Blak
A National
Moment of Remembrance
On Memorial Day
That poem about where “poppies blow”
And, “the crosses, row on row”
Still rings true, these ninety years
After written, still brings tears.
We still have Dead, “amid the guns”
And lose our young and our loved ones
Those who lived, “short days ago”
Who, “felt dawn, saw sunset glow”.
In Flanders Fields, “the poppy red”
Still grow near where the blood was bled
They, “Take up our quarrel with the foe”
And still die for Freedoms that we know.
They pass, “The torch” to, “hold it high”
And not, “break the faith with us who die”
For they, “shall not sleep, though poppies grow”
Beneath all those, “crosses, row on row”
In Flanders Fields.
Del “Abe” Jones
4-25-2005
partial lines from the famous poem “In Flanders Fields” written by Canadian John McCrae in 1915.
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"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
-- President Abraham Lincoln
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Now Available: Newly revised paperback General Lee:Father of the Airborne.