IN FLANDERS FIELD

Last Sunday, November 11, 2018, marked the 100th anniversary of the armistice signed in Compiegne, France, which went into effect November 11, 2018, marking the end of World War One, victory for the Allies and defeat for Germany. (The latter did not formally surrender.) This has been called "the Great War," by all accounts the most miserable and most brutal military conflict the western world has ever seen. Over 16 million military and 10 million civilian casualties were attributed to this "great" war. America mobilized 4 million combatants. Of these, 116,708 died, and another 204,000 were wounded.

The day before the anniversary our president was scheduled to honor the dead and lay a wreath at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, 50 miles north of Paris. In 1918 the U.S. Marine Corps and French military repelled German forces in this location. More than 1,800 Americans died here, and 2,300 are buried in this cemetery. Because it was raining, Donald Trump decided not to bother doing the honors, and stay in more comfortable surroundings in the French capital. Our insensitive, void of empathy, Commander-in-Chief may not have cared about the expressions of incredulity from attending dignitaries and on social media, but the response was quick, and overwhelmingly negative.

Nicolas Soames, one of Winston Churchill's grandsons, tweeted: "They died with their face to the foe, and that pathetic inadequate Donald Trump couldn't even defy the weather to pay his respect to the fallen." Former Secretary of State John Kerry remarked: "These veterans the president didn't bother to honor fought in the rain, in the mud, in the snow - and many died in trenches for the cause of freedom." On social media a cartoon depicting a medic comforting a dying soldier with the caption: "It's OK marine ... some day in the future and American President will travel great distances to honor your sacrifice. Unless of course it's raining," was shared several hundred thousand times. Trump's insensitive reaction to mildly inclement weather generated myriad emotional responses, none uplifting. In the meantime, 92 year old Queen Elizabeth of England did attend a ceremony, braving the rain, credibly displaying empathy and a sense of responsibility.

My wife and I were fortunate enough to be able to attend the Hawaii World War One Centennial Commemoration at the War Memorial Natatorium near Waikiki in Honolulu. Since I became aware of the disgraceful disrespect exhibited by someone we supposedly elected to lead us in honoring those who gave everything for our freedom, I experienced emotions that were difficult to shake, became teary-eyed, and ashamed for our country. The opportunity to participate in Hawaii's commemoration ceremony helped take the edge off.

Hawaii was still considered a territory during WW1. However, on a per capita basis, this territory mobilized more of its citizens to active military service than any state or territory in the nation. A total of 9,800 Hawaiians served in uniform, mostly in the army. The depth and diversity of Hawaii's contribution were staggering. Native Hawaiians, as well as immigrant Chinese, Japanese and Filipino men all stepped up to serve. The ceremony was solemn, at times emotional, and was well attended by veterans of all ranks and cultures, government officials from dozens of countries, Governor David Ige and his wife, Mayor Kirk Caldwell, and Admiral John C. Aquilino, Commander of our Pacific Fleet. It featured a vintage Hawaiian, inclusive, Polynesian, multi-cultural ceremony, framed appropriately and respectfully by expressions of the nation's gratitude for the service of its veterans.

One of the most emotional presentations, leaving few dry eyes, was a recitation by First Lady Dawn Ige of John McCrae's poem "In Flanders Field."  These words, written in May 1915, only ten months after the conflict began, remain powerful today:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we
lie in Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies
grow in Flanders fields.

Someone should read this to Donald Trump, since he famously does not read, and explain its content. Then again, he probably won't get it.