OPENING SENTENCES

"Good Morning and Welcome to this Memorial Service during our 50th Reunion.

I am particularly moved by the number of our widows who are here this morning, and there is no way that I can tell you how great a contribution you all make toward the unity of our class fellowship. This is, in essence, your Service. When one of us hurts, all of us hurt; and I am convinced that the bonds which tie us together become closer and stronger through our observance of days like today.

Our primary purpose this morning is to mourn and remember those in the class who are no longer with us. But it is impossible to hold this remembrance without looking back to when it all began. Some of you may remember that our Graduation Ceremony was scheduled to commence at 1100, 6 June 1940. In about 20 minutes from now, it will be 50 years ago to the minute -- which makes today's service particularly significant. You can't remember that day without feeling also the trauma and the emotional turmoil surrounding our Commissioning Oath.

The world political situation was precarious. During the week just prior to graduation, we watched the evacuation of almost the entire British Expeditionary Force from the beaches at Dunkirk -- nearly half a million men. It was an operation of great bravery but at a cost of much pain and suffering. That was the week before. During the week following graduation, France capitulated, Hitler and his tanks rolled through Paris, and Mussolini declared war.

As we took our Commissioning Oath, it was completely evident to all of us that the world stood on the ragged edge of a potential cataclysm in which we all might well be personally involved.

So it was 50 years ago today.

-- I am going to ask Rev. Dick Heath to pronounce an Invocation."

HOMILY:

The Old Testament readings which Helen Longino did so well for us give an apparent dichotomy. God gave Isaiah a beautiful vision of universal peace: the peace of the Kingdom of God. The lion will lie down with the lamb; there will be no pain or disease; we will beat our weapons into plowshares; and nations will study war no more. Joel's prophecy, in the short term at least, is that nations must be strong, must convert plowshares to spears to defeat the attack against God's precepts, in order to build toward the universal peace of the Isaiah passage. I'm sure that resolving the contradictions of these two passages has given many people a great deal of trouble.

Frequently, during my own career in the Navy, I've been asked: How do you justify your commitment to training for war, to preparing for it, to designing weapons for war and to fighting in it when you know God's ultimate plan for peace is so far different. I'm sure that many of you have been challenged in the same way, and frankly, its not an easy question to answer.

I remember discussing and debating this with Dave King and Cy Radford while we were sitting under that beautiful banyan tree in the Moana Hotel courtyard. We tried hard to rationalize our thinking and after many sessions, we finally developed a statement which satisfied us. Nobody likes war. It is ugly and a hellish thing; and no one knows this better than those who have gone through it. It is true that war gives instances of individual courage and bravery, and it tests the mettle and resolve of a nation. However, in itself war is an ugly thing. But we concluded that, as ugly as war is, it is not the ugliest thing in the world. A nation that becomes so permissive, and so apathetic that it no longer has anything worth fighting for -- that is far worse. Liberty, freedom, and justice, those things that have made our country great, are worth fighting for. Indeed, we would not have them today if others before us had not fought for them. They must be preserved.

I believe that God is telling us that in order to build toward His ultimate peace, we must remain strong to overcome the attacks which will come. God is still looking for people and nations to "stand in the Gap" and to further His kingdom.

I don't know if the struggle is physical war, or persecution and tribulation, or whether its spiritual warfare; but as we look around us today we see the seeds for this struggle; and the need for us to stand up for our beliefs and for God's mandates is perfectly evident.

However, everywhere we look in our own country, we see tendencies toward the apathy and permissiveness that are so damaging. You all deplore this even as I do. We have seen political decisions made for the sake of convenience and compromise -- we see a moral decay in high places in people both elected and appointed to positions of authority. We find it even in our pulpits. We see fraud, greed and self-serving interests and we see personal ambition at the expense of others and the best interests of the country. We have seen demonstrations involving flag burning, draft card burning and with slogans like "Better Red than Dead."

I sometimes feel that our generation is one of the last in recent times to fully understand the meaning of integrity, of dedication, and commitment, and of service in the truest sense.

I don't mean to say that everything is bad. That is not true. There are many people both in the armed services and in civilian leadership who are responsible and who do understand their commitment. The Marines summarize it in very few words: "Duty - God - Country" and "Semper Fidelis". You can't say it any simpler than that.

As we remember our classmates today it would be a grievous omission not to remember the priceless heritage which they have left for us. Many of those listed in your bulletin were killed in action. Many died from a host of other reasons, but all of them took the same oath and lived their lives in the conviction that their service was to God and Country.

It is not my intention to dilute the sorrow or the trauma of the loss of these men. We all feel it, albeit some more than others, but it is my prayer this morning that we continue to hold these values sacred even as they held them sacred and that we hold to them as a very precious legacy.

I hope that as we leave this memorial service, we will walk with our heads a little higher and our backs a little straighter and that we have a renewed understanding of the values which gave their lives purpose.

God bless you all,

Amen.

I have one additional note of sadness to tell you this morning. Last week Dave Marks died. I believe it is entirely appropriate for us as a corporate body to lift up Dave's family in prayer this morning.

Lord, we pray for Dave's family and particularly for Annette that you will give them the comfort of your presence and your love. Let them know that you share their grief and that through the power of the Holy Spirit you will draw them closer to you. Bless them, Lord, and particularly bless Annette during this time of her grief. Lord we ask this in your precious name.

Amen