Page 6 - Sanger Herald 12-21-17 e-edition

Chaplain Clayton Diltz of the 144th Fighter Wing
Editors note: This is the Christmas message was delivered by chaplain Clayton Diltz of the 144th Fighter Wing at this year's Trek to the Nation's Christmas Tree:
The preamble of our Constitution begins with these words: “We the people ... in order to form a more perfect union.” The focus of this statement is on “we the people” for those words are in the emphatic position. The beginning of the sentence draws our attention to what is being deliberated: the purpose- ful creation of unity. People often take for granted that we live in a Republic which safeguards the right of each and every citizen to vote. That is why these United States is sin- gularly referred to as a “union” since it based on democratic representation.
• The word “democracy” is a compound word which comes from the Greek terms demos which means “common people” and kratos which means “rule, strength.”
• Simply speaking we live in a demokratia which means “popular government.”
The task of the military is generally defined as the defense of the state and its citizens, and the prosecution of war against another state.
Why? Because the strength and rule of the government comes from the individual and collective participation of the common people. That’s democracy.
We serve in an all-voluntary military. We get to volunteer in the mightiest military force in the history of the world. And we all get to vote. Together we get to exercise our voices and herald our values through those whom we elect. Why is that important? Because decisions are made by those who show up. Period! No voice—no influence.
The first presidential election was held in 1788. Seventy- two years later Abraham Lincoln became the 16th president in 1860. Amazingly, however, the 15th Amendment, known as “Voting Rights,” was not ratified until 1870. The 15th Amend- ment sought to rectify the injustice which denied some citizens the right to vote based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
Abraham Lincoln, like so many, was an average citizen who stepped up to let his voice be heard. We are all familiar with the trials of his life—suffering many losses and political defeats—before being elected president of the United States.
But what led to the ratification of the 15th Amendment which protects the freedom to vote for all citizens of United States?
On Nov. 19, 1863 — three years into his presidency—presi- dent Lincoln gave one of the most legendary speeches in history, The Gettysburg Address. Beginning with the now iconic words “Four score and seven years ago”—which referred to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776—Lincoln examined the foundational principles of his beloved country, which was being tested through Civil War,
as to whether “all men are created equal.” In that address, he memorialized not only the sacrifices of all who had given their lives in the establishment of this Union, but those who:
• recently gave their last full measure of service at Get- tysburg;
• presently continue the struggle for freedom and equality of all men; and those who,
• in the future will bear the burden of that mantle to their children’s posterity.
And he did so ending with these words: “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Abraham Lincoln showed up - he made his voice heard. From a one-room log-cabin to the White House; from a semi- recluse and awkward beginning to holding the lime-light of any stage and the aspirations of any audience in his grasp. Lincoln showed up; he voted; he let his voice be heard; and he took his place as one of the preeminent statesmen the world has ever known.
Joseph held a place of political honor as a direct result of the murderous treachery of his brothers. Daniel held a place of political honor as a result of the treachery of a nation. These two men of God did not volunteer for their years of subjugation and servitude, but they executed their duties with dignity, honor, and respect because both of them pos- sessed a biblical worldview based on godly fear; and they did not shrink back from their calling when the sovereign Lord beckoned them forth.
Delaware became the first state in the Union in 1787. However, their state Constitution ratified in 1776 stated this in Article 22: “Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust .
. . shall . . . make and subscribe the following declaration, to wit: “I _____, do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed for evermore; and I do acknowledge the holy scripture of the Old and New Testaments to be given by divine inspiration.”
On Oct. 12, 1816 John Jay, the first chief justice of the
U.S. Supreme Court, said this, “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”
Do you know whose example he was following—for we have a long heritage in this country? He was following the example of our founding fathers, particularly Samuel Adams who said this: “The right to freedom being the gift of the Al- mighty ... The rights of colonists as Christians ... may best be understood by reading and carefully studying the institutions of the Great Law Giver and Head of the Christian Church, which are to be found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament.”
The man who said these words was a member of the Conti- nental Congress, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a ratifier of the U.S. Constitution, and who was simply known as the “Father of the American Revolution." Samuel Adams was arguably the most effective verbal rabble-rouser in American history.
Friends, today we come together to remember and cel- ebrate Jesus Christ the Lord. Here we stand together in the wilderness created by the very hand of God because of the freedom and security garnered to us by his sovereign will and protected for us by men and women in uniform, their families, and grateful nation. This auspicious gathering is favorable, significant, and necessary. Let me give you three reasons why:
1. Heritage: To be able to come together this afternoon in an open forum, in the public square, in our independence to recount our Christian and military heritage is a testament to the enduring freedoms and values we inherited from our founding fathers; the same beliefs we Americans have been perpetuating since 1776.
2. Commitment: The commitment imbued in this collabora- tion of citizens, civil servants, elected officials and military members testifies to the world-at-large that the vectoring beacons of these United States of America still burn as brightly and true as when the colonists first lit candles to
shine in their windows to indicate to all who pass by that in this home: there is love, warmth, freedom, honor, duty, com- mitment and respect.
3. Promise: The promise for a better future for our poster- ity is a national promise and national endeavor. As a nation, we need to remember and celebrate our past and worship the One who holds our future. The Spanish philosopher and poet, George Santayana, said, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Indeed that saying has become ubiquitous among politi- cians and generals, but it did not originate with Santayana. It originated in the Book of Proverbs which reads, “Where there is no vision, the people perish, but happy is he who keeps the law” (Pr. 29:18).
You see, if we cast off restraint and forget from where we have come, we will have no bearing, we will have no resolve, and we will have no vision for where we are going. And with- out a fierce, galvanized vision for freedom, people will lazily drift and deteriorate into bondage, oppression and hopeless- ness.
The colonists stood against the tyranny of the English crown. They understood their obligation to defend their fami- lies, their homes and their towns. Fathers and sons, young and old, the men of Lexington were the first to pledge their lives—their fortunes—and their sacred honor. They hoped to prevent a war, but they would not surrender their liberties to do so. It was their duty—and so they stood as sentinels on the watch.
Now I ask you: would any of these perpetual qualities— heritage, commitment and promise that have come to define our nation be possible outside the sovereign-hand of God?!? Friends, to be a member of the armed forces of the United States is, by definition, to be a hero. Why is that? It is due to the fact that every soldier, marine, airman or seaman must daily be willing to place themselves in harm’s way. As my former commander used to say, “We run toward the sound of gunfire—not away from it.”
But it’s not the combat which makes a person a hero. It is the mind-set of willingness; it is the resolve of courage; it is the commitment to salute and execute the mission to include running into battle if necessary—a characteristic and quality shared and burdened by military members, their families, friends and a grateful nation. When men and women—young or old—swear that oath of office, don the uniform, strap on their boots and report for duty—that my friends is the defini- tion of a hero.
Last month we celebrated Veterans Day. It is a special day, not just in our history, but in world history. People around the globe should reflect deeply on the significance of what began Nov. 11, 1918. Armistice Day—the day that marked the end of WWI—is a day people don’t know too much about.
There are generations of people around the world who don’t understand how we got here. That is particularly true in our county. For decades the teaching of American history has been systematically removed so that people don’t have any comprehension of the history of this great land. There were some devastating prices paid to bring this country to the place it is today. And yet many people, with almost un- imaginable benefits, privilege, and opportunity, have so little appreciation, if not scorn, for this land of the free.
Over the course of WWII alone the estimates for the total number of deaths range from 50-80 million people. Back in 1940 that would have been over 3 percent of the world popu- lation.
It is estimated that the Nazis and the Japanese built well over 42,000 concentration camps of various kinds. The Japa- nese imprisoned over 5 million people. Louie Zamperini was such a prisoner. These were horrific experiences endured by countless millions.
Sadaaki Konishi was a lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Army and was the second-in-command over the prison camp at Los Baños in the Philippines. He was known for his rac- ism, and particularly, his extreme hatred of Americans. His reputation was described in these words: “ruthless, brutal, torturer, murderer.” He would withhold salt so that the prisoners’ intestines would cramp. He would starve prison- ers for days so that when they were so ravenous, they would eat anything put in front of them. At that point—at the brink of starvation—Konishi would feed those starving prisoners unshelled rice or rice in their husks. The razor-sharp shells sliced and diced the prisoners’ organs.
Knowing that they were losing the war, Konishi set a day to kill the remaining prisoners. That day was Feb. 24, 1945. What Konishi did not anticipate was the raid on Los Baños that occurred on Feb. 23, the day before. Almost 2,200 (2,147) civilian and military internees were freed, but Konishi es- caped.
For months no one could find him. Finally, one of his former POWs recognized him at the Wack Wack Golf Club in Manila. Konishi was arrested, tried and hanged for his crimes. But before his execution, he made this statement, “I believe in and I love the Lord Jesus Christ.” Of course they asked him, “How did you come to know Christ?” He said he had been deeply affected by the testimony of the Christians he had persecuted. Their faith, kindness and iteration of scripture influenced him. In other words, from those whom he tortured, Konishi learned the grace of God. Therefore, for Konishi, his hanging was his doorway into heaven.
In the last six months of his life, Sadaaki Konishi came to embrace the words recorded in Samuel Adam’s last will and testament: “Principally, and first of all, I resign my soul to the Almighty Being who gave it, and my body I commit to the dust, relying on the merits of Jesus Christ for the pardon of my sins.”
SANGER HERALD 6A THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2017
A Christmas message by chaplain Clayton Diltz at this year's Nation's Christmas Tree ceremony
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