In Korea I saw the horrors of war. But that was not the first place I learned about them. I learned on the streets of Salt Lake City when I was a kid. When I was very young, I knew that World War I had crippled many. Some men in or neighborhood were gassed by phosgene or mustard gas. Others had lost their sanity. But it came even closer to home when youngsters began dying during World War II. One of the main problems was increased traffic on city streets. Cement mixers raced down the streets to the Remington Arms plant being built west of the city. When the plant got operating, trucks raced from the plant to the railroad depots. Trucks continually suppied the army bases in our valley. Workers put in long hours which made their driving dangerous to us kids. I had seen child deaths before. One of our friends tried to save his brother from drowning and they both died. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15: 13 One friend died while stealing coal to keep warm. Two of our friends, young boys, were riding double on a bicycle. They were hit by a cement truck. Two of our friends, a boy and his sister, were run over by an ammunition truck while crossing a viaduct. The driver had fallen asleep. One of our friends tried to grab his sister out of traffic in front of their fathers shoemaker shop. All six died. Two of our older friends died in Italy with the 10th Mountain Division. Others got home despite that fact they had been in heavy combat. My brother was one of them. We had already seen death at home. Thousands of children were killed in Europe, Great Britain, in Asia and Africa, and in the Pacific during World War II. Bombs dont discriminate. Even today, children are being killed by the implements of war left on battlefields long ago. It makes me ill to see the bodies of youngsters that have been killed in Iraq. Many children are orphaned during war. We had two young boys with us in Korea and we were an infantry company on the front lines. Finally the Red Cross found their grandparents and got them to where they were safe. Look at the children killed or maimed or orphaned in Bosnia and Africa. When will it stop? This world will never be a fit place to live as long as we continually manufacturer weapons of war. We will make them as long as we have that primordial instinct to kill and to take property that belongs to others. The main force to stop this tide of destruction has been religion. However, the words Thou shalt not kill are blowing in the wind. Infantrymen know that commandment supplied by Moses applies during war. They just cant lay down their arms and walk away. They stay there and fight and continue to break the commandment or they will die. Those who object to killing serve in other ways, but we cant all do that, can we? Religion has failed at stopping war. Religion has started wars. The United Nations has not stopped wars. The organization engages in wars. In Korea, we were a United Nations force. Governments often decide on war rather than negotiation. Its a matter of patriotism. (Our president loves being Commander in Chief.) The problem is that all of these organizations consist of human beingsthe scourge of our planet. Organizations have ideals. People seldom have ideals that they always live by. We as a whole mainly talk about ideals. Some say that peace will come only when God comes and takes over the earth. If you were God, would you come to this place? You might get shot down by an F-17. We need to make this planet safe for God and our children. We must remove the causes of war. Lets start with removing greed, arrogance, and self-righteousness. The End |
