Stories of Faith and Courage From World War II (70 page)

Gen. MacArthur signs the surrender documents. (National Archives)

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ECEMBER 28

It Must Be of the Spirit

On September 2, 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur made a radio broadcast to the American public from the site of the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay. Always eloquent, the great general conveyed his deep concern about the destructiveness of modern war and the need for a spiritual resurgence to prevent even worse conflicts in the future.

Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won… The holy mission has been completed and in reporting this to you, the people, I speak for the thousands of silent lips, forever stilled among the jungles and the beaches and in the deep waters of the Pacific which marked the way… A new era is upon us…

We have had our last chance. If we do not devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door. The problem is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advance in science, art, literature, and all material and cultural developments of the past 2,000 years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.
⁵⁴³

The apostle Paul pleaded with the Galatians for the same kind of spiritual revival within their society. He perfectly contrasted for all time the difference between a life of the flesh and a life of the Spirit:

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

—Galatians 5:16–25

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ECEMBER 29

What We Fought For

When asked to provide material for a history of World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt offered extracts from his public statements that he considered relevant to the topic, “What We Are Fighting For.”
⁵⁴⁴

(National Archives)

In his addresses to the nation he was always extremely effective in inspiring his fellow countrymen. More importantly, he was also able to capture the essence of their own motivation to sacrifice for a long and costly war.

We are not a warlike people. We have never sought glory as a nation of warriors. We are not interested in aggression… Our vast effort, and the unity of purpose which inspires that effort are due solely to our recognition of the fact that our fundamental rights are threatened by Hitler’s violent attempt to rule the world…

We are fighting today for security, for progress and for peace, not only for ourselves, but for all men, not only for one generation but for all generations. We are fighting to cleanse the world of ancient evils, ancient ills. We are fighting as our fathers have fought, to uphold the doctrine that all men are equal in the sight of God.

In this war of survival we must keep before our minds not only the evil things we fight against but the good things we are fighting for. We fight to retain a great past and we fight to gain a greater future. The issue of this war is the basic issue between those who believe in mankind and those who do not—the ancient issue between those who put their faith in the people and those who put their faith in dictators and tyrants.
⁵⁴⁵

President Roosevelt’s words continue to inspire us and to remind us that we have duties and responsibilities to our nation and to God that go with the benefits of being an American.

Freely you have received, freely give.

—Matthew 10:8

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ECEMBER 30

Surrender

Sunday, September 2, 1945, dawned gray and sullen over Tokyo Bay. The Japanese delegation considered the weather symbolic of their ancestors “weeping” as they climbed the ladder alongside the USS
Missouri
to formally surrender their nation. They were met by General Douglas MacArthur and representatives of China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Accompanying MacArthur were Generals Jonathan Wainright and Arthur Percival, both just liberated from Japanese prison camps. At nine o’clock General MacArthur stepped to the microphone to open the proceedings:

We are gathered here, representative of the major warring Powers, to conclude a solemn agreement whereby peace may be restored. The issues, involving divergent ideals and ideologies, have been determined on the battlefields of the world and hence are not for our discussion or debate. Nor is it for us here to meet, representing as we do a majority of the peoples of the earth, in a spirit of distrust, malice, or hatred. But rather it is for us, both victors and vanquished, to rise to that higher dignity which alone befits the sacred purposes we are about to serve.
⁵⁴⁶

Each representative was called to sign the peace accords, and General MacArthur then concluded the short ceremony reverently: “Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world, and that God will preserve it always. These proceedings are closed.”
⁵⁴⁷
At that moment an armada of two hundred fifty aircraft flew over the
Missouri
, and the sun broke out from behind the clouds, shining on a world at peace. World War II was over.

Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them… They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the L
ORD
as the waters cover the sea.

—Isaiah 11:5–6, 9

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ECEMBER 31

Going Home

Denton Dabbs spent three years in military service and moved seventeen times. His assigned bases were often dull and drab places, as he put it, “devoid of heart and soul.” Late in 1945, after the war was over, he was sent to Shreveport, Louisiana, to process out of the Army Air Corps. He finally boarded a train for his hometown, Chattanooga, Tennessee. As he got nearer to home, it was as if he were approaching the Promised Land:

As the train came out of the tunnel through Lookout Mountain, I could see the city nestled there in the valley on the banks of the Tennessee River. Down below was the bend in the river, known as Moccasin Bend, and in the distance was Signal Mountain. I thought it was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. It was familiar territory for my eyes and I was floating on air. The war was really over—I was heading home. It was not just a dream—there was the river and mountains and the city I knew so well. I grew up there and it was home.

Going home—that was what it was all about. Going home to Ann—to mom and dad, my brothers…the people I loved and who loved me. The valley had never seemed so beautiful before, but on that day it was the most beautiful place in all the world.
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Denton Dabbs describes an almost heavenly picture: a place of scenic beauty, the presence of loved ones, and a time of blessed peace in the world. In Revelation, John describes his vision of heaven, and it includes some of these same qualities. There is one important difference, however, and that is the everlasting presence of God the Father. John’s vision forms the basis of our hope for eternal peace in God’s kingdom:

Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

—Revelation 21:3–4

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