War, waste of youth

Tears for the Past

It was in 1991 that my wife and I decided to celebrate our Silver Wedding anniversary by having an extra holiday. We decided to visit the Greek island of Crete. It is a truly magnificent island with its high mountains dividing north from south. One day, in a hired car, we set off to go over the mountains to the south coast. As we climbed up the mountains on the winding road we occasionally came across memorials to the allies who fought there in the 2nd World War. Then we took a look at the Preveli Monastery where a special monument honours the monks of the monastery for helping lost soldiers find their way to escape by submarine.

When the allies had to leave Crete there were many servicemen who were left behind in the evacuation. They wandered the island until they found their way to the south coast where they were taken off in groups as submarines hid just off the beaches. I purchased a book called "The Cretan Runner" by George Psychoundakis who used to run with messages all over the huge mountains for the allies who supported the resistance fighters. It was written in a very old fashioned style but told the story of resistance at that time.

But most touching of all was our visit to the Souda Bay Allied War Cemetery. The cemetery was in the most beautiful setting one could imagine, looking down Souda Bay Sound. We arrived quite early in the day and were the only visitors. At the gate was a memorial full of names of the fallen. Passing through we came to the individual graves in perfect straight rows. Each headstone was set in a tiny square of garden with beautiful plants growing there. The cemetery as a whole was green with the swish, swish of the sprinkler system. Nowhere else on Crete in September was there any green grass. It was all brown after a summer under the Sun. Here the cemetery was a huge luch lawn. In each tiny grave plot you could not find a single weed.

In that especially quiet place my thoughts were with the families of the hundreds of the young men who fought in the Battle of Crete and did not come home. Some of the gravestones touched adjacent stones to mark the graves of an entire crew of an aircraft which had been shot down. They fought and died together so they were buried together as a crew. In my mind there were pictures of aircraft tumbling from the sky with trails of flames behind them. There were families at home receiving those dreaded telegrams to say their loved ones had died. You could tell how young were some of these brave airmen. There were tears running down my face that day as I thought of the tragic loss of so many young men. Never will I forget that visit to Souda Bay.

Last year we were on holiday in Brittany, France and discovered a German War Cemetery. Here the grave stones were lying on the ground, but in straight military rows just like Sounda Bay. It was a reminder that there are alway two sides fighting and dying in a battle. Whichever side is represented the stories were the same. Young men, family men had died in conflict. Their families all suffered great loss, no matter which nationality they were.

It tells us that war is about great sacrifice of life and that it should be avoided at all costs. In a war there are never any winners - just losers. There is no glory involved at all. The constant struggle to maintain peace in this world is so worthwhile. It attempts to avoid that tragic loss for parents, brothers & sisters. All of us are needed to work for peace.

The sort of peace we work and pray for is a peace which holds everything that will enhance life. It is not simply the absence of violence. It is much more. Christians are called on to turn the other cheek. This not easy in some circumstances. The easiest but costliest way is to strike and hurt someone. It is easy because it is quick. But it solves nothing to hit out at another. It continues the painful conflict.

The way Jesus taught is much harder and seems to take forever, but it is the only way that works in the interests of all. Love can overcome the largest of obstacles. But it is never a quick fix. Although it is a long term commitment it is effective. A house can be demolished by tearing it down with huge machines designed for a quick job. It can also be demolished by the ingress of water, steadily destroying its foundations over a period of time. The Christian approach to life is reflected in the latter. Jesus calls us to disarm our enemies with love. It works!