We Haven’t Forgotten

“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” 

-George Orwell

I found this photo at a flea market. Most of the items there were gathered from barns and old forgotten buildings, most likely this photo didn’t cost a thing originally, and was merely given away…it was either that or be thrown in the trash.

Just looking at it I could tell that it was some sort of military division from around WWII, all gathered together for a picture, even the cook. This is only part of the large scroll-like image, full of people that may not be alive anymore.

I did some research on the writing, which in one corner says, O.A. Tunnell, who was a photographer around that began around the 1920s, known for his panoramic images, which is what this is.

In the middle of the picture in large font it’s titled:

Battery “A”… 55th A.A.  Training Battalion, Camp Callan, California. October 19, 1942

These men were part of a selective service program, hand-picked for Camp Callan (which was disbanded in 1944). There they were trained to use long-range weapons, protecting the coast of California from Japanese Navy attack.

March of 1940, the Luftwaffe (German aerial warfare branch) attacked the United Kingdom, also known as the Battle of Britain, this led to changes in training exercises in 1942, the year this photo was taken. These soldiers were specifically trained on combating aerial assault.

I cannot count all the faces on this one photograph, nor will I ever know all their names. Their faces all reflect a life I couldn’t understand, some of their expressions are joyful and proud, others are rather young and anxious. WWII was a terrible reality, something truly unforgettable. My uncle Herman served in the Navy during this war, and in his final days, he still remembered the horrors he faced as if it had happened yesterday.

The purpose of this post isn’t just to shed light on these brave individuals this Memorial Day but to shed an even bigger light onto what they were fighting for and the importance of remembering their sacrifices. As well as remembering the evil that started it all…

Statue of Confederate Soldier: Destroyed 2017

Statue of  President Theodore Roosevelt: Defaced 2017

 

There is a reason we learn about both the Nazi’s and the Allied Forces, the Confederates and the Union, the wars against Communism, against slavery, against, more recently, ISIS, and the 9/11 attack. Why do we remember? Why is it so important for our children to look back upon what made this country and the world what it is today?

So that we don’t repeat it.

The moment we forget any of it, we invite destruction upon ourselves! A repeat in history that would’ve been avoided if we had faced the truth instead of trying so desperately to erase it.

In the Bible, there are many times the Israelites forgot their past, they even forgot what God had done for them, and each time this happened, catastrophe struck! If America continues stomping on the flag, destroying statues, removing historical events in schools and trying to change the documents that we have stood surely upon since our nation’s founding we invite the same destruction upon ourselves.

What’s happening already? America has forgotten the horrors of Communistic beliefs, they have forgotten that this country was founded on Christianity and it’s morals which are a necessity for peace, order, and equality. They have forgotten 9/11 and how it was a Muslim attack, they turn a blind eye to immigration and how open borders can’t possibly work, they murder their own babies and call it mercy! They create new laws that strategically give the government more power over the people and they radically attack anyone who opposes their beliefs, which destroys the very foundation of America: freedom and equality under God.

If this continues we will soon see the repercussions, and in fact we already have, of such acts that dismantle the sacrifices of so many soldiers of both the Faith and the Nation.

My uncle was appalled by what this country had become…he didn’t understand how Americans could be so hateful of America and what it stands for. He said, “where is the patriotism?! Where is the respect?”

My uncle was a good God-fearing man, he adopted two girls and raised them no different than if they had been his own flesh and blood, he treated everyone with equality and respect, believing that we should treat others how we want to be treated.

Men like my uncle represent an era that is dying. A time when the country was united, willing to die to defend this great nation, both black and white, legal immigrants and native-born, men and women. It was a time when nearly everyone went to church on Sunday, could walk home in the dead of night without fear. Children were the future, the sole ones that soldiers died for, the ultimate king of this nation. The TV was child-safe and the news was honest and often involved real footage shown in theatres. They left nothing out of the horrors of war overseas so that no one would be naive.

This Memorial Day, we remember it all. Not just the hand-picked parts of history, but the entire thing, encompassing all the lives lost, and those who stood for what’s right as well as those who stood for evil and what that cost the world at large.

We remember the Christians that created this country and our founders who sought the best for us all. I salute you, and I promise to remember you…it is time we Honor the past again.

“Death. Destruction. Disease. Horror. That’s what war is all about. That’s what makes it a thing to be avoided.” -Captain Kirk

 

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