Veteran's Day...I'm sure this day means many things to many people. For me, I usually think of my Uncle Bob. He served in the Air Force during World War II. He was a pilot and flew a B 29 in the Pacific. I remember his war stories. I remember the way he would tear up when he recalled some of his bombing missions. It bothered him that he was asked to drop bombs in civilian neighborhoods in Japan. This happened because the Japanese actually had wearhouses and factories in homes, hoping that the enemy would never bomb the homes. But they did. Uncle Bob said that they often flew these missions low and could smell the burning of flesh, the consequences of the napalm bombs. He hated that. It haunted him. He wrestled with his personal responsibility in the death of these people; it plagued him with questions. Such is the way of war. It is ugly.
My grandmother gave Uncle Bob a Bible when he left for war. She made him promise her that he would read it. "If you are afraid, read Psalm 91", she told my uncle. He memorized that Psalm.(I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1) He said that "fear" was his constant companion, but he never left on a mission without bringing his Bible. He never left the ground before first saying a prayer.
As I drove home tonight, I smiled. I had just spent two hours with my Japanese student and her mother. Her mother speaks very little English, but I sat and listened to her explain some of her frustrations that she experienced at her daughter's high school. She was so thankful that I was there to sit and listen to her that she sent me home with some special grapes she bought from the Korean market. So sweet! Couldn't help but think about Uncle Bob as I made my way back home with my bag of grapes. It has been an interesting Veteran's Day...
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