“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it
is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”—Gen.
Douglas McArthur
As I did research for my fourth novel, I realized that
even though I was born right in the middle of World War II, I had been almost
entirely shielded from the horrors that many had faced. My dad worked in the
shipyards in Baltimore the year I was born, and I knew that sugar and gasoline
had been rationed for a while because my mother had kept the rationing stamps.
Other than that, my life had been protected from any knowledge of the war. But
what if the bombs had been dropped all around me as they had been for those
families in London and Paris (and many other places)? As I read about those who
had seen unspeakable acts of brutality and violence, I realized how fortunate I have been.
The reality is that war is happening somewhere all the
time, and with 24-hour news coverage and constant social media discussions, we
hear about it every single day. If we are not careful we just become immune to
the horrors of war. Every president has to deal with tensions around the world
and how the U.S will relate to them. Often a president will make a decision
that seems reasonable to most people, and later we realize that it may have
been the wrong one. That just happens. If we really look at the results of bombs
and other weapons upon any country, though, we know that many innocent people
are always killed in any war. It’s usually not the presidents or the other
decision-makers. It’s the young soldiers, the ordinary citizens going about
their daily tasks, the mothers, and the young children.
The rationale for war is often that it saves the lives
of many while some lives are lost. We should never be too critical of our
leaders because sometimes war may be unavoidable, and most of us don’t have the
facts needed to make these decisions. However, our leaders have the
responsibility of studying all the options. I believe that it is ALWAYS better
to find a diplomatic solution if there is one. Not everyone agrees with that.
Often leaders who seek peaceful solutions are considered weak and ineffective,
because some want leaders who look and act tough. The leaders who have had the
most influence on me, however, are those that are good listeners. They set high
standards by the way they live, not by the use of force.
Whether it is World War II, the Vietnam War, or the
war in Iraq, war always kills many innocent men, women and children. We are
extremely fortunate that we have not seen its devastation on our soil in our
lifetime. As we look at our options when other countries threaten our safety,
our goal should always be a peaceful solution.
Sometimes our country has to make decisions about citizens
who flee their countries because of war.
This presents other difficult questions. Obviously we cannot solve all the
world’s problems, but sometimes we can help those who need help so badly. My
church was involved in helping some refugees from both Vietnam and Iraq when
they were in danger. What I learned is that most people are alike. They just
want a safe place to live their lives. I haven’t kept up with those we
sponsored from Vietnam, but those from Iraq (Kurdistan) have become lifelong
friends, and they have contributed immensely to our community. A few months ago
we celebrated their twentieth anniversary here by having a meal and a short
program, remembering our first days together. Some of them have married, had children,
and worked nearly twenty years in our community. It was a great celebration of
our friendship.
The most recent conversation regarding refugees has
centered around those from Syria. I haven’t been involved with any of these
refugees, but I listened to an activist named Lena Arkawi, who is particularly
concerned about the Syrian refugees because her parents were born there. Ms.
Arkawi was born and raised in Arizona. When she was asked about her purpose as
an activist, she said that she just didn’t want people to become numb to the
pain of these Syrian children. If you’d like to listen to her story, it was on
a program called “Uncomfortable,” which offers conversations with influential
people about issues which divide Americans. You can find it here:
I found this picture of three children who are refugees from Syria on the World Vision website.
When I hear stories about these refugees, I am
reminded of how fortunate I am to have lived in a country where I haven’t had
to face the horrors of war. I did nothing to deserve this kind of good fortune.
I realize that because I have been given much, much is expected of me. I also
realize that war is born of hatred and division, not love and unity. Our
country today has become very divided, with little evidence of a desire for peace,
and this concerns me. I believe that “Love never fails,” but it’s easy to
become burdened down by circumstances. Right now, I am watching our young
people. Their willingness to engage in meaningful dialogue and their concern
for others is inspiring. I encourage you to watch and listen to them too. In closing, I will quote Martin Luther King, Jr.: “I refuse to accept the view that
mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that
the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I
believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”
Merrill J. Davies, Writer, Facebook Page:
http://on.fb.me/1HHkUXf
Goodreads Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6525216.Merrill_J_Davies
Last
week while we were in Athens, Tennessee, we decided to drive out to see where
we had lived when we first moved there years ago. I remembered the little house with a
garden plot just up the hill where I would take our older daughter to play
while I worked in the garden. We brought our second daughter home to this house
a few days after she was born. It seemed like an easy thing to do—just see what
the place looked like now. 
The experience reminded me of a book I read during the
research I did for my upcoming novel. The book is called On the Swing Shift: Building Liberty Ships in Savannah by Tony
Cope. Cope says that he was a child during World War II and remembers the shipyards
with thousands of workers. When he returned to Savannah a few years ago, he says
he was “reminded that few people my age—and almost none of lesser
years—remembered anything about that part of Savannah’s participation in the
war effort.” 
