Descendants Corner

    As another year begins and we look to a world situation that is anything but peaceful…I am reminded of my father’s efforts and all of yours to crush the “evil” that began World War II. Ever mindful of the heroes and heroines who have protected our country and our way of life, never have I felt more proud while recently speaking to a veteran who had visited the Museum, our 390^th Memorial Museum. He and his wife were full of compliments and plaudits…discussing the incredible displays, the nose art, attention to detail, the airplanes, the friendly and passionate guides.

    I would encourage those descendants who read the Square J to make a New Year’s resolution…write a story, share a story about your father or grandfather! Please allow all of us to share the life of your hero…just as Kris Kozik, Bill and Paul Caruso and Catherine Bishop have done. We must maintain the legacy and we must keep the story alive. I am indebted to these fine folks who took the time to write it down…and sent it!

    As the national adult delegate to a Children’s International Summer Village in 1971 in Hexham, England, I shared my life for two months with delegations from 12 countries. Among those represented, we lived with and got to know a German, Japanese, and Polish delegation. Each delegation had one adult and four eleven- year-old-children. We lived, played, ate, and shared sixty days. We learned to understand that there were more similarities in our lives than differences. Yet we also understood that peace is fleeting…and we may never see it in our lifetime. To conserve our freedom we must be on the alert…and as we know so well, freedom is never free.

    My students and I were recently discussing a portion of C.S. Lewis’ book, The Weight of Glory. He shared why he was not a pacifist…

       “If not the greatest evil, yet war is a great evil. Therefore, we should all like to remove it if we can. But every war leads to another war. The removal of war must therefore be attempted. We must increase by propaganda the number of Pacifists in each nation until it becomes great enough to deter that nation from going to war. This seems to me wild work. Only liberal societies tolerate Pacifists. In the liberal society, the number of Pacifists will either be large enough to cripple the state as a belligerent, or not. If not, you have done nothing. If it is large enough, then you have handed over the state which does tolerate Pacifists to its totalitarian neighbor who does not. Pacifism of this kind is taking the straight road to a world in which there will be no Pacifists.”

  Lewis is no easy read…but if you study the passage and reflect, you get the picture…clearly! And to keep this spirit of courage alive, we need to understand those who went before us! I want to personally thank all of those visionaries…..those persons who realized the museum must exist. I encourage you to donate …your money and your memories.  When I ordered my B-17 mugs for Christmas presents, I was thrilled to receive them…and think of the sacrifice every time I use them. I look forward to receiving your story in 2006…let’s keep the memory alive for generations to come!

Marcia Balmut Ward,
daughter of Henry “Hank” Balmut