Soldiers and Fathers

 

Though far from home during World War II, one soldier did what he knew was right. The following article was found in Country-Magazine, May 2019, titled A Life-Changing Decision by Daris Howard of St. Anthony, Idaho.

One of the soldiers turned to private Howard and said, “What about you, old man? Want to find some fun when we get to Hawaii?” Approaching the island, all the soldiers could talk about was the good times they would have when they got there. World War II was raging, and for months they had been enduring the hardships of boot camp. They had finished and were being shipped out to Hawaii before heading to the fighting in the Pacific. As they traveled, Merrill Howard sat quietly. He had grown up in a farm family and hoped to go to college. But his father, who had been ill, asked him to stay on the farm and help. He was 25 when Japan attacked Pearl harbor. He wasn’t married, so it wasn’t long before his draft number came up. Now, as the others chatted excitedly, all he could think about was the commitment he had made himself to do the things he had been taught. So, to answer the other soldier’s question, Private Howard shook his head. “It will be Sunday when we get there, so I’m hoping to go to church.” The other soldier and those nearby roared with laughter. “You’ve got to be kidding!” one of them said. “You know that soon you could be dead, and you have a chance to live it up for a few days. You’re not going to waste your time going to church, are you?” Word of what Private Howard had said spread quickly, and soon everyone was teasing him. It made the final part of the journey seem to last forever. When they arrived in Hawaii, Private Howard wondered how he would get to church. But they hadn’t even had time to settle in when a young lieutenant showed up at their barracks. “Anyone in this company want to attend church?” he asked. The other soldiers chortled as they pointed at Private Howard. “You want to go to church?” the lieutenant asked him. Private Howard nodded, so the lieutenant led him out to a waiting truck. A few men joined them from other units, all telling the same story of being teased for going. Private Howard and those few men with him spent the week enjoying church socials. But soon the week was over, and everyone packed their duffel bags. As Private Howard lined up with the others, his commander barked at him, “Howard, take your gear with you and report to the Officers Hall!” When he arrived at the hall, the other men he had gone to church with were already there. So was the lieutenant, who said, “You men are to be transported to the Command Center at Diamond Head. You’ll be working there for the duration of your service.” Expounding on their new assignment, the lieutenant explained, “The General over that command center told me to find some good men to work there. I could think of no better way than by finding out who would stick to what he knew was right by attending church, even when he was far from home.” Private Howard was my father. Now, on Memorial Day, when I look at the flag flying over his grave, I am proud and grateful that he taught me to do what I know is right, even far from home.

[Proverbs 4] It Is The Soldier by Charles M. Province, U.S. Army. “It is the Soldier: not the minister, who has given us the freedom of religion; not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech; not the campus organizer, who has given us the right to protest; not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the Soldier who salutes the flag; Who serves beneath the flag; And Who’s coffin is draped by the flag; Who allows the protester to burn the flag.” Listen to your Father in Heaven for you are far from home.