Pillars and Pigs

One of the benefits of worshiping in a gymnasium is the occasional display of student artwork.  We’ve been treated to pictures from the DCS Montessori’s sister school in Mexico, butterflies, and posters for Jump Rope for Hearts.

This morning there were castles everywhere.  It made a couple of us think of the book “Pillars of the Earth”.  Then one of the teenagers spotted this one with angry pigs instead of Angry Birds.  Which prompted  those of us who had read “Pillars of the Earth” to try to remember whether they had pigs in the streets of Kingsbridge.

The More Things Change…

the more they stay the same.  It’s an old saying, but I think it’s appropriate for this day.  Yes, some things have changed since May 4, 1970.  But, unfortunately, some things have stayed the same since that fateful Monday at Kent State University.

It’s one of those days when you remember where you were and what you were doing.  I was at work behind the circulation desk at the Miami University Library in Oxford, Ohio.  Students protesting against the Vietnam War were the norm at Miami.

To say that things were tense around the University campus after the shootings would be a huge understatement.  But, the president of the University handled the situation with grace.  On Monday night there was a gathering of students, faculty, and locals on the campus and Dr. Shriver addressed the tragedy with empathy and understanding.  His attitude set the tone for the campus and the community for the next months.

We had an interesting group of friends at our apartment complex.  Fred and Suzanne Haag were our hippie friends who had a huge black Great Dane, Rachel, who delighted in watching the kids ride their bikes down the hill — zipping past her where she was staked out to the patio of our basement apartment.  Scotty and Teri were an inter-racial couple who lived upstairs.  Scotty was one of the many Navy men who were studying computer science at Miami.  Their little girl, Aretha, was in love with Richard.

After the shootings we were afraid that our group of friends would come apart at the seams.  Fred and Suzanne were actively against the Vietnam War, but it had never interfered with the friendships within our little group.  Fortunately, that was not to be.

In the days following Kent State the National Guard was stationed around Oxford.  They manned checkpoints at the roads leading into town.  From 6:00 in the evening until 6:00 in the morning you couldn’t get into town unless you lived within the town limits.  Since we were pretty much limited in what we could do in the evening, our little group began to congregate in our lawn chairs outside our apartment building.  Richard had a battery operated five-band radio that could pick up the Guard’s communications at the town limits.  We sat there and drank beer and listened to the radio and talked about what was  happening.  Instead of breaking apart our little group became closer.

Somewhere in my cedar chest are tiny strips of paper with the names and location on the Vietnam Wall of two of my junior high school classmates and a classmate’s brother who died in the Vietnam War.  When I was in junior high I played violin in the school orchestra.  Terry Hines played coronet, Curtis Foster played saxophone, and Dick Houston played the bass violin.  Dick was the president of the school council, Terry was vice president, Curtis was the treasurer, and I was the secretary.  Terry and Curtis, both Marines, were killed in the fighting in Viet Nam.  Dick’s brother, Phil, an Air Force pilot, was shot down in combat.  I found their names on the traveling wall when it visited Houston.

Over the past 42 years some things have changed, but others have not.  I didn’t support U.S. involvement in Vietnam, but I respected those who fought in it.  It never occurred to me to show them anything but respect for their service.  I don’t like the fact that my country is involved in another war today, but I  understand why our servicemen and women are there and I support them.  I have a nephew in Afghanistan fighting for my freedom.  I will never disrespect any member of our armed forces.  I’m not sure the people of Vietnam are better off today because of our involvement in their country.  I hope life for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan will be better because of our invasion of their countries, but I have to admit I’m doubtful.   I just wish we could all get along.

Today, in memory of what happened 42 years ago, I’ll be playing my Crosby, Stills, and Nash CD as I journey down to the hospital for my chaplain rounds.  Tracks #5, “Ohio”, and #6, “Find the Cost of Freedom”, will probably be played over and over.  And, somewhere in the background I’ll be able to hear Curtis and Terry playing along.  Then I’ll think about the opening lyrics of one of the other songs… “if you smile at me I will understand because we all smile in the same language”.  And, I’ll pray for the day when we do just that.