Veterans Day

This is the Scoutmaster minute that I gave to our Boy Scout Troop last night.

Can anyone tell me what Saturday was? That’s right, it was Veterans Day.

Veterans Day is the day that we honor those who served in our countries military. Many of you have family members who have served or are now serving our country that way. Take the time to thank them for their service.

The scout oath starts like this. On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and … My country. Serving in the military is one of the ways that we can do our duty to our country.

Let me share with you a story about a couple of scouts who were doing their duty during World War II.

Some of the fiercest fighting of World War II was on Okinawa. It was long and bloody and fought with fierce determination by both sides. In the midst of one of the battles a young American soldier fell wounded. As he lay there about to lose consciousness he saw a Japanese soldier standing over him, bayonet at the ready, poised to strike. The American soldier was weak from blood loss and near to blacking out, but he raised his right hand in a familiar sign - the universally recognized Scout sign. Then he lost consciousness expecting never to wake up.

He did wake up, though. When he came to, he was in an American field hospital. When the medics found him, his wounds had been dressed. In his pocket he found a note, written in Japanese. He found someone to translate the note, and this is what it said:

"I could not bring myself to kill a fellow Scout."

The note also had the address of the Japanese soldier who, instead of killing him, had tended to his wounds before moving on.

When the war had ended, the young soldier was assigned to the occupation force in Japan. He went to find his savior at the first opportunity. He discovered that the Japanese soldier who had spared his life and tended his wounds had died later in the fighting on Okinawa. But his family had survived, and the American became their friend and helped them in every way that he could during his time in Japan.

When asked why he helped them, he explained what had occurred and showed them the note. The people were so touched by his story that they erected a statue of an American Scout and a Japanese Scout clasping hands, which stands in Kyoto, Japan today. It is a monument to our shared humanity - that in the midst of war and violence, of hatred and bloodshed, two young men found that they were in fact brothers.

It is a monument to the Ideals of Scouting - that even when nations are deeply divided, Scouting is a link that joins us and encourages compassion, mercy, understanding, and peace.

Although these two scouts were on different sides of the battle, they were both doing their duty … To country, but more importantly to God.