Walking up the dusty
road, I never imagined what an emotional day it would
be. Approaching the entrance to the famous prison, I was reminded of something
essayist Thomas Carlyle said, "Those who enter here abandon all hope."
Letting the tour move on, I paused and wondered what the inmates thought
as they stepped behind the walls that would confine them for the rest
of their lives. They
would never again see their families and they would die alone.
From various areas of Alcatraz, the inmates could not only see and hear
freedom
as the boats passed between the island and the San Francisco harbor, but
they could feel
it. It was something that "tore at the very soul of every prisoner."
We may forget what we see, smell, hear or touch, but feelings are etched
in our memories forever. I thought, but they made their choice.
When
the tour ended, I again paused. Looking back at the old prison, my eyes
filled with tears as they were drawn to the American flag waving in the
breeze. How ironic, I thought, that the symbol of freedom so many had
chosen to die for was flying above the prison where so many had chosen
to forfeit that same freedom. It was as if Old Glory was saying, "I'll
continue to fly above those who have chosen to abandon their freedom,
but I want to remind you of the choice others have made to preserve your
freedom."
While the ferry made its way back to San Francisco, my eyes filled again,
recalling just who some of those "Choice Makers" were.
Hoisting the regiment's flag above their heads, the young Flag Bearers
of the Civil War put their lives on the front lines, communicating to
the troops behind them to keep fighting. When one went down, another would
pick up the flag and race to the front of the line. They made a choice.
Choosing to serve together, all five Sullivan brothers perished when their
battleship, The Juneau, was destroyed during WWII. And dedicated nurses,
suffering frostbite and fatigue, chose to care for thousands of soldiers
during a severe winter at the Battle of the Bulge. They made a choice.
With a bamboo needle and some scraps of red and white cloth, Mike Christian
sewed an American flag to the inside of his blue prisoner of war pajamas.
After receiving their ration of soup, the POWs would hang Mike's shirt
on the wall and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
While searching Christian's cell, the Vietnamese discovered Mike's flag
and proceeded to severely beat him. However, that same night, with his
eyes almost swollen shut, Mike Christian chose to risk another beating
by sewing a second American flag, because he knew what it meant for the
prisoners to be able to pledge their allegiance to their flag. Mike Christian
made a choice.
One last look at the flag and Alcatraz brought to mind the Navy's first
Ace, Aviator Butch O'Hare, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of
Honor for the choices he made when he saw that he did not have enough
fuel to complete his mission.
In 1942, Lt. Commander O'Hare came upon a squadron of Japanese bombers
heading for his fleet. After destroying five of the bombers, having run
out of ammunition and with no regard for his own safety, Butch began diving
at the enemy planes, hoping to clip their wings. Frustrated by their loses
and O'Hare's tenacity, the Japanese finally gave up and left. Returning
to his carrier, the camera mounted on his plane told the choices Butch
made to save his fleet. Killed a year later, Butch was not forgotten,
for Chicago named O'Hare International Airport after their hometown hero.
Butch O'Hare made a choice.
Years earlier, a brilliant lawyer named Easy Eddie was rewarded with a
lavish lifestyle for keeping the notorious gangster, Al Capone, out of
prison. However, Eddie's money could not buy him a good name nor set a
good example for his young son, something that was more important than
even his own life. Thus, Eddie testified against his boss Capone, later
to become the most famous prisoner at Alcatraz. The choice to restore
his name resulted in Eddie being gunned down by the Mob, but he was lifted
up in the eyes of his son, Butch O'Hare. Easy Eddie made a choice.
Someone once said, "America
is the only country in the history of the world that did not have to go
to war for another country or countries, and yet donated its time, money,
energy, and physical presence to rebuild the countries it defeated after
WWII." That's America! That's Americans! That's a choice!
I took one final look at Alcatraz and the flag that had now faded from
sight as the ferry pulled up to the dock, and was reminded that I, too,
have a choice. I can choose to preserve or forget, to share or to be silent.
Therefore, on this day, June 14, 2001, I have an IOU that says, "IOU
my gratitude for making the choices you did for my freedom, and I will
pay on this note by sharing your stories for as long as I live, because
you made the choice and kept raising the flag." Thank you! Signed,
a free-born American.
The Ultimate Choice
What makes a person choose to lay down his life for someone else? According
to Monsignor Joe Slepicka, "It has to be the fact that he believes
God is with him."
On the morning of September 11, no one could have predicted that a group
of strangers on an airliner would come together and demonstrate the true
definition of character and courage. "The Ultimate Choice,"
is the story of those who chose death over life in order to save the lives
of others, and defines courage as "Doing something that you don't
want to do, or are afraid to do, because it's the right thing to do, needs
to be done or helps someone else."
Gazing out the window at the rural landscape, passengers on United Flight
93 were enjoying breakfast, unaware that in little over an hour, they
would attempt to divert their hijacked plane from a suicide mission aimed
at Washington, D.C.
As
hijackers took over the cockpit, knifed a passenger, and herded others
to the back of the plane, passengers began calling their families. Learning
other hijacked planes had hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon,
the "Choice Makers" realized their flight was destined for a
similar fate, and began developing a plan.
Sitting on the floor, three men whispered, "The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want…," while several flight attendants boiled water
to throw on the hijackers. One passenger asked a GTE Airphone operator
to say "The Lord's Prayer" with him. Some knew they were going
to die, and all were telling loved ones that they loved them. Then came
the last command. "Ready? Okay. Let's roll."
Choosing to be "good citizens," something one of the passengers
believed was "the most important thing any of us could become,"
the "Freedom Fighters" of Flight 93 possibly saved thousands
of lives and the nation's capitol. By rushing the terrorists, their heroic
actions caused the doomed plane to crash in a Pennsylvania field, killing
all on board. That's character. That's courage, and that was the ultimate
choice.
As the stories rise from the ashes of September 11, I will continue to
pay on the IOU dated June 14, because as Lisa Beamer, wife of passenger
Todd Beamer says, "Todd's actions give hope to all of us that people
of character will always make a difference." May God shed His grace
on those who keep choosing to raise the flag.
Please join me as we continue The American Journey by putting your hand
in the hand, and may God bless you with hope, health and happiness. Dodie
Choose you this day whom ye will serve. Joshua 24:15
 |
COPYRIGHT © 2000 Lemley Reflections Please remember that all art and writing are protected under United States Copyright law, by the individual artist, author and/or their agents(s). No images or text may be downloaded, transferred or stored on any electronic retrieval system or otherwise. |