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Commentary Search

December Chaplain's Reflection

  • Published
  • By Chaplain, Lt. Col. Brian Bohlman
  • 169th Fighter Wing
"Loss and Hope - Remembering Pearl Harbor"

"Yesterday, December 7, 1941--a date which will live in infamy--the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan...With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph, so help us God!"
--President Franklin D. Roosevelt, December 8, 1941

"Our nation--this generation--will lift a dark threat of violence from our people and our future. We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail. May God bless America."
--President George W. Bush, September 20, 2001

Service and sacrifice are the core values that built our nation. It has been ten years since one of America's heroes of the "Greatest Generation" spoke at a special chapel service in commemoration of the 62nd Anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

U.S. Navy veteran, Gordon "Gus" Gustafson was just a teenager on Dec. 7, 1941, but he survived the attack at Pearl Harbor and spent his remaining years sharing a message of hope as a missionary at home and abroad. Gus entered eternity a few short years after his time sharing with us in December 2003, but his legacy of faith lives on through the countless lives he encouraged and enriched.

During the holidays, let's remember to pray for the courageous servicemen and women who are deployed and preparing to deploy. As you gather with family and friends reflect on the following words of Melody Beattie, who said, "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."

I am thankful to serve the Swamp Fox family as one of your chaplains and I pray for God's grace and peace to be with you and your family this holiday season.