He had been profoundly changed. Actually, the word, profound, doesn’t even begin to capture the change that had taken place. The immature seventeen year-old that had forged his own mother’s signature in order to be “cool” and impress girls by enlisting, found himself very lucky to even return home. Many companions of his did not. He was forever changed. War tends to do that.
My father enlisted in the army. Boot camp for him was sort of like a camping trip with the “guys” - so he told me. You hang in there and you get through it together. You nickname the drill sergeant and put up with his antics. Upon completion you celebrate your accomplishment with your new band of friends. You call mom to apologize for the forgery while reporting your success. Then, you go out with your buddies to meet girls. You are a soldier in the Army now, son. Bullets flying overhead on the battlefield changes everything. Now it’s for real. It’s scary. It’s confused. Survival skills kick in and everything that you learned “camping with the guys” is put to the test. A rapid maturation takes place. My father was one of the lucky ones that made it out of a battle known as that of the Chosen Reservoir in Korea. It turned into a massacre for American troops surrounded by the enemy with backs to the sea. But God had something else in mind for one particular soldier. That’s what the priest homilist said at my first Mass as a priest. Indeed. My father didn’t talk much about the war and he, in particular, rarely gave insight about the horrid parts. Yet, he still encouraged me to consider military life. It was, at the time, now a “peace time” military. I did, I suppose, “enlist” but in a different sort of military with a different sort of “boot camp.” But there are still battles fought to be sure. This weekend is Pentecost Weekend and Memorial Day Weekend. Together we pray for a great and renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit and we honor all of our service men and women - especially those that never returned home from the battlefield. I suppose that in some ways our celebrations are the same.
It is a matter of preparing for battle and then using those skills in combat - and that battle at times can be frightening. Through it all a great change takes place. One speaks of courage, honor, and heroes and it is realized that peace - Peace - is the ultimate goal.
Thank you to all of our veterans and congratulations to those completing their “basic training” this weekend as they are Confirmed at the Cathedral (Deklan, Kayla, Phillippe, Dan, Melissa, and Jose). Together all of us this weekend go forth as Soldiers for Christ and we continue to pray for an abiding peace in our world - but even more so an abiding Peace in our hearts!
Peace!
Fr. Wilson