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Restoration: War's Long Memoryby Darris McNeelyVirtually all nations have a national shrine to honor their war dead. Two examples are America's Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C., and Australia's Shrine of Remembrance near Melbourne. Such memorials, in whatever form they take, hold the memories of a nation formed around the causes that sent its men and women into war. These shrines hold an almost sacred place in the heart of a nation. Watch any Memorial Day observance and you will see the nationalistic emotions pour forth. Those who fought the wars have long memories. One of those memories is bitter resentment. Events surrounding Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the United States last month demonstrate this. One of his stops was to be Arlington Cemetery. Japanese officials wanted the prime minister to give an address before Congress as well. That prospect was nixed when Representative Henry Hyde of Illinois objected to such an event. Hyde is the chairman of the House International Relations Committee as well as a combat veteran of World War II, in the Pacific theater. Since 2001 Prime Minister Koizumi has made five visits to Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni Shrine. This shrine, run by Shinto priests, honors 2.4 million Japanese servicemen killed in Japan's wars of the last 150 years. The shrine also honors 14 executed war criminals, including General Hideki Tojo, the architect of Japan's World War II strategy. The site has become a flash point for Japan's attempt to play down the atrocities committed during the war. Approximately 20 million Asians died during the period of Japanese imperial expansion in the 1930s and 1940s. It is easy to suggest that the survivors should forgive their enemies, but it is not easy to do. More than 90,000 American servicemen died in combat against Japanese troops. Japanese atrocities against captured American servicemen, such as the Bataan Death March, were particularly horrible. Torture, execution and the rigors of the march left 10,000 POWs dead. The 61 years since the Japanese surrender have not been long enough to erase the scars. Henry Hyde is one of the few current congressmen who saw combat in World War II. When I saw that he objected to the Japanese prime minister addressing Congress, it brought back memories of the strong feelings I used to see among adults when I was growing up. My father's good friend was a veteran of the Pacific war. He operated a gas station and auto repair shop down the street from my dad's gas station. Marion Coburn would not let a Japanese-made vehicle on his property. He refused to work on them. I heard him use some pretty salty language whenever he would see one drive by. Whatever those men saw in their war service altered their lives and stayed with them. The Yasukuni Shrine has become a source of controversy both within and outside Japan. The late Emperor Hirohito stopped his visits and his son, Akihito, continues to stay away. China and South Korea, both victims of Japanese atrocities, have called for official visits to cease. Japanese leaders are now calling for a less controversial shrine to be erected. As long as nations continue marching to war, bitter memories of enemies will mingle with thoughts of honor for one's comrades. National shrines to the dead serve a purpose for each nation, but there is something missing. True restoration can only be achieved when forgiveness is practiced among all parties. We have erected shrines and memorials to wars and their dead, but we sadly lack effective memorials to peace and its lasting benefits. Did you know that God has such peace memorials? His Word reveals His annual memorials to universal peace among all nations and families. Those memorials are annual festivals that enshrine an eternal blueprint for peace, first between man and his Creator and then with his fellow man. You can read more about these days in our booklet WNP |
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Keywords: Japanese war atrocities World War II survivors war shrines forgiveness Yasukuni Shrine
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