Ascension : News From The Grotto - Thought For The Week
Submitted by The Islander (Shari Parkhill) 12.11.2009 (Article Archived on 26.11.2009)

This week we solemnly celebrate Remembrance Day in honour of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country.

This week we solemnly celebrate Remembrance Day in honour of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country.  It is especially poignant that just in the last week we received a collection of pictures from WWII on Ascension.  Included are photographs of several funerals in the American Cemetery.  Although these servicemen did not die in combat, the war dead of Ascension most certainly died serving mankind in wartime.

Our listing of Ascension War Dead presently stands at 66 names.  However, further research indicates that there are a number of planes that disappeared either on their way to or after having taken off from Ascension with the loss of their crews.  We feel that these names should be added to the list of Ascension War Dead.  These men deserve to be honoured here.  As a result, the Heritage Society is working to update our Roll Call of the Dead, our tribute to those lost.

While we pause to remember the dead of former wars, we need to also take time to remember those we are losing in current conflicts.  We need to always remember to care for the wounded and honour the dead.  And as the tragic events that occurred at Fort Hood this past week illustrate, we can never forget the toll that dealing with the wounded can have on caregivers.  We need to support everyone who is involved in a war.

And most of all, we have to pray and work for peace.  So many of the people living on Ascension, military, former military and civilians, have first-hand knowledge of a conflict, either personally, or through a loved one.  More than many, we have a special insight into the pain, the worry, and the hurt that conflicts can cause.

For me, it is a grandfather who served in WW I, a father and stepmother in WW II, a brother who lived in Rwanda in the years just prior to the civil genocide and foretold it, a good friend of my mother’s whose son was killed in Afghanistan, friends I have met since coming to Ascension who have served in the military, and friends whose children currently serve in war zones.  My thoughts and prayers are with them every day.

Evar1st, who leaves us this week to return to his home in Uganda, goes back to a country with its own troubled past, and continued problems in some parts of the country.  But it is home for him, and where his ancestors are from.  I’m sure that this makes it a special place, and that he has hopes that peace will come to the entire country, indeed to the entire continent of Africa.  But memories and the pain of past conflicts will haunt many for a long time.

So, as each of us travels through lands both familiar and unknown to us, may we all travel in peace, understanding and forgiveness.  May we always remember those we have lost, the warriors and the innocents caught up in the conflicts, and those who will carry the physical and emotional scars with them throughout their lives.  May God bless them, and lead them to those who can lighten their burdens and lead them back into the light.

Evarist, may you find new adventures back home with your family.  Thanks for sharing your time with us on Ascension.  And since we’ve already crossed paths several years ago on the tiny island of Montserrat, who knows when and where we will meet again!  As it proves, the world is small.  Take care, and safe journeys!

On this Remembrance Day Sunday, let us take a moment and pause to remember and honour our fallen friends.   May God bless each and every one of them, and hold them close at His side.

"They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them..."