With Memorial Day upon us and taking time to thank all those who served their country and, for some, paying the ultimate sacrifice, I’ll share a quick story that has forever changed my view of sacrifice, resiliency and the flag.
Before every sporting event in high school, facing the flag and listening to the national anthem was part of the process, and I really never gave it much thought as I was mostly preparing for the upcoming game. Then in my junior year of high school I read a story from World War II that changed my perspective to this day.
It was late February 1942 and the United States was at war. Over two months had passed since Pearl Harbor and the Allies were in a fighting retreat throughout the Pacific. It was critically important that the forces at hand did whatever they could to delay the Japanese advance to give the United States, in particular, time to ramp up its industrial might and deploy it over thousands of miles.
One of those places targeted for defense was Indonesia, and in particular the Dutch colonial island of Java. The Japanese sent a large invasion fleet including a strong contingent of warships to invade the island and destroy any enemy forces in the area.
The Allies had scraped together a mish-mash of surface ships to oppose the invasion, but it was difficult to view the aggressive resistance as anything more than it was…a suicide mission.
After a series of engagements in which the Allies suffered crippling losses, the only ships remaining to oppose the invasion of Java through the Sunda Strait were the American cruiser Houston and one Australian cruiser. On a sunny day with clear skies and no wind at all, the two allied ships headed directly into the Japanese force with all guns blazing and inflicted damage to the Japanese, including the sinking of at least one transport, disproportionate to the relative forces engaged. So much so that the Japanese commander paid homage to the fighting spirit of the ships, in the “spirit of the samarai.”
But it was not without loss. The Australian cruiser was sunk and the Houston, down to one gun from numerous hits, began to sink and the order was given to abandon ship.
With the surviving men in the water hanging onto anything that would keep them afloat, they watched as their ship began to slide beneath the surface until the only part remaining was the stern, on which the American flag hung lifeless from a pole. As that section began approached the water, a burst of air caught the stars and stripes, causing it to fully unfurl and fly defiantly as it sank beneath the surface.
For the few men who survived the subsequent years in notorious Japanese prisoner-of-war camps, some credited that moment of exaltation in the water – some referring to it as a religious sign – for giving them the strength and conviction to survive until their ultimate rescue in 1945.
I’m not sure why that story resonates with me, but it does to this day.
It comes back every time we stand for the national anthem, with eyes on the flag of the USA. And on those occasions prior to an outdoor event, it is hard to put into words the feeling on a still day, when a burst of wind catches the stars and stripes.
In that spirit, I’m going to push for my best day of the contest….today, Memorial Day.
Before every sporting event in high school, facing the flag and listening to the national anthem was part of the process, and I really never gave it much thought as I was mostly preparing for the upcoming game. Then in my junior year of high school I read a story from World War II that changed my perspective to this day.
It was late February 1942 and the United States was at war. Over two months had passed since Pearl Harbor and the Allies were in a fighting retreat throughout the Pacific. It was critically important that the forces at hand did whatever they could to delay the Japanese advance to give the United States, in particular, time to ramp up its industrial might and deploy it over thousands of miles.
One of those places targeted for defense was Indonesia, and in particular the Dutch colonial island of Java. The Japanese sent a large invasion fleet including a strong contingent of warships to invade the island and destroy any enemy forces in the area.
The Allies had scraped together a mish-mash of surface ships to oppose the invasion, but it was difficult to view the aggressive resistance as anything more than it was…a suicide mission.
After a series of engagements in which the Allies suffered crippling losses, the only ships remaining to oppose the invasion of Java through the Sunda Strait were the American cruiser Houston and one Australian cruiser. On a sunny day with clear skies and no wind at all, the two allied ships headed directly into the Japanese force with all guns blazing and inflicted damage to the Japanese, including the sinking of at least one transport, disproportionate to the relative forces engaged. So much so that the Japanese commander paid homage to the fighting spirit of the ships, in the “spirit of the samarai.”
But it was not without loss. The Australian cruiser was sunk and the Houston, down to one gun from numerous hits, began to sink and the order was given to abandon ship.
With the surviving men in the water hanging onto anything that would keep them afloat, they watched as their ship began to slide beneath the surface until the only part remaining was the stern, on which the American flag hung lifeless from a pole. As that section began approached the water, a burst of air caught the stars and stripes, causing it to fully unfurl and fly defiantly as it sank beneath the surface.
For the few men who survived the subsequent years in notorious Japanese prisoner-of-war camps, some credited that moment of exaltation in the water – some referring to it as a religious sign – for giving them the strength and conviction to survive until their ultimate rescue in 1945.
I’m not sure why that story resonates with me, but it does to this day.
It comes back every time we stand for the national anthem, with eyes on the flag of the USA. And on those occasions prior to an outdoor event, it is hard to put into words the feeling on a still day, when a burst of wind catches the stars and stripes.
In that spirit, I’m going to push for my best day of the contest….today, Memorial Day.
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